I Can Feel Other People’s Emotions And It Drives Me Crazy
Empaths have the strong ability to feel the thoughts, emotions, and energy of others.
For the most part, empathy is a wonderful thing; empathetic people are caring, sensitive, and willing to be the shoulder to lean on for their family, friends, and even strangers.
However, if you’re an empath, this empathy is heightened tenfold, and you have the natural ability to feel other people’s feelings, as if it is happening to you.
Believe it or not, if this is you, you’re part of an incredibly special group of individuals who are acutely in tune to the thoughts, moods, desires, and energies of others.
Empaths often wonder why their moods swing wildly on a regular basis, from sudden surges of depression, to waves of pure bliss. Sometimes, you’ll almost feel as if you’re going crazy from all the seemingly unexplainable emotions that hit you, but as an empath, it’s important to be aware that these experiences are just you dipping in and out of other people’s energy fields.
There are plenty of pros to being an empath, such as knowing intuitively how to make people around you at ease and sharing in the joy that they feel. It’s also a blessing to be able to help friends and family deal with some of their issues.
However, there are also a lot of struggles empaths have to face on a regular basis.
The Empath’s Challenges
The problem with being an empath is that the strain of carrying other people’s burdens can be too much, especially when you interact with lots of people day in and day out. Since they feel other people’s pain and sadness so acutely, many become drained or depressed, as a result of feeling everything so deeply.
Empaths are also easily hurt, owing to their sensitivity and a habit of wearing their hearts on their sleeve. If you are highly empathetic, you may even experience criticism from other people who think you’re far too sensitive and always letting your emotions rule over you.
Another downside to being an empath is the immense difficulty they find in being around other people. Public places and crowds are often too overwhelming for most empaths, but some empaths shy away even from friendships and romantic relationships.
While a little bit of solace and quiet is necessary for everybody, it’s important to be careful, so you don’t eventually isolate yourself from the rest of the world. A lot of empaths end up extremely lonely and guarded to avoid getting overwhelmed by others.
Empaths also run the risk of getting burned out from their efforts to make their family and friends happy. They focus so much on making the people around them happy that they neglect their own state of mind, and equate their own happiness to the happiness of other people.
Some empaths are even so immersed in the thoughts and feelings of others that they lose sight of their own selves.
Due to all the strain of an empath, many are highly susceptible to unhealthy habits and addiction. They will often reach for alcohol, drugs, or even food, to suppress the emotions and escape the anxiety that comes with being so sensitive to the world around them.
When you reach this point, being an empath becomes more and more of a burden than a gift.
Many highly sensitive and empathetic people brush away their own discomfort and choose to dedicate themselves to please others instead. However, it’s essential to remind yourself that the best way you can take care of other people is to make sure you’re in a happy and well-adjusted mindset as well.
Ease The Burden Of Being An Empath
Don’t worry, the gifts of an empath don’t have to be a hardship to you forever. Once you learn to deal with the struggles, you can even enjoy the benefits of your abilities as an empath, such as great creativity, healing energy, and intuition about other people’s needs and wants.
It doesn’t have to be difficult or time-consuming to simply take care of yourself. So, what can you do to ensure you don’t burnout from everyone else’s feelings?
One of the ways you can ensure a healthier mindset is to step back and draw clear boundaries between you and other people’s emotional lives. This means that while you care about your family and friends, there’s no need to take on their problems and responsibilities as if they are your own.
It might be time to start saying no to people whenever you feel as if you’re getting too drained helping them.
Meditation is also essential in keeping your energy field clean and balanced. Take a few minutes every day to sit quietly and focus on your breathing, so you can ground yourself in the present moment and cultivate inner peace within you.
Being aware of yourself and your body through meditation, or even yoga, helps you maintain your own identity, thoughts, and feelings, even as you help others.
During meditation, you may imagine yourself inside a small house. When you’re an empath, you are so sensitive that it’s as if all the doors and windows of your home are perpetually open. All the thoughts and feelings of your family and friends constantly stream in and out, never leaving you with a moment’s peace.
Now, imagine walking throughout your house and shutting each door and window one by one. Inside this safe space in your mind, you are only touched by your emotions, your thoughts, and your wisdom.
As you engage in this practice regularly, grounding yourself and finding a safe space in your mind in your regular life becomes easier as well.
Finally, as an empath, other people’s energies are constantly influencing your energy field, so it’s important that you take time to soothe and recharge your aura regularly.
Many people use “smudging” for cleansing their aura, which involves burning healing herbs such as sage or lavender. You can pass the smudging stick over your entire body slowly, so that the smoke can cleanse the various layers thoroughly. Water is also an effective tool in cleansing, whether you choose to shower, bathe, or even take a walk in the rain.
An empath is a valuable gift to the universe with an endless well of love and compassion, but to fulfill your highest potential, it’s essential to nurture yourself with as much care as you show other people.
If your aura needs cleansed, it’s always best to seek out a professional to help you do this. You can learn more about scheduling an aura cleaning by calling my office at 614-444-6334, or by clicking here to have someone contact you.
If You Liked Reading This Article, You Might Enjoy These Other Articles, Too:
The Ups and Downs of Being an Empath
Empaths – Psychic Feelers And Emotional Sponge
What Is Empathy? – Your Psychic Powers Explained
The Psychic Power Of Smell: Using Your Nose To Read Others
Thanks. I’m an emotional empath.
Thank you for this wonderful article . It gave an sight into myself & other Empaths. I like the visualization for meditation, of the doors& windows. I will encompass it in my meditation. I will read the other articles,aswell. Thank you for your information.??Namaste
Is it normal to feel someone emotion if you’ve never met them? I feel my boyfriends emotions whenever hes upset,sick,or sad.
Very normal!
It has been a curse for me, as it has driven me away from being in small to medium groups of people and the interactions that most associate with being among a group of friends.
One-on-one is fine, and large groups are ok, because there is too much for me to process, but small to medium groups are too hard for me to deal with.