Is Being An Empath Driving You Crazy?

Empaths are like a sponge that easily absorbs the feelings and emotions of people around them. Empaths need to learn to balance this ability to enjoy this gift.

Empathy is usually described as a wonderful gift, because it allows you to connect better with the people around you, by seeing things from their point of view. With the ability to keenly feel what others are feeling, many empaths become compassionate healers, helpers, or even just confidantes to family, friends, and even strangers.

Of course, there is such a thing as being too empathetic, especially if you don’t learn to manage and balance your gift. A lot of empaths get drained and exhausted when they’re “open” all the time, since they find themselves being assaulted by everyone else’s thoughts and feelings, all day long.

In a nutshell, you become an emotional sponge. A single person’s pain can drive them to depression or anxiety, so imagine the agony of having to feel the pain of every other person you come across.

When an empath has not learned how to balance empathy, it easily becomes more of a burden than a gift.

Tell-Tale Signs That Your Empathy Is Hyperactive

The first step in managing your empathy is by recognizing it when this psychic gift has gotten away from you and is causing you more harm than good. If you’re empathetic, it’s always helpful to take a good look at yourself once in a while and assess how you’re thinking and feeling, so you can nip any issue in the bud before it begins causing you more problems.

One thing that’s a good indication of overactive empathy is frequent mood swings with no rational explanation. It’s possible that you are having a good day at home and at work, then for an explainable reason, you find yourself being overcome by sadness, anger, or some other negative emotion, that doesn’t quite match the conditions around you. If you feel these sudden waves of emotion often, it could mean that your empathy is hyperactive and it’s time to get it under control.

When your energy field is extremely open and you are absorbing too much of the energy around you, you will eventually find it tough to distinguish between the emotions that are yours and those that are from other people.

All the negative energy you’ve been taking in will also attract people who will drain even more of your energy! The presence of these so-called “energy vampires” will become exhausting on your psyche.

Since you are extremely exposed, you’ll find that it can also be very hard to focus on your everyday life and responsibilities. Some empaths even experience physical pain as a result of their overactive empathy.

Potential Effects Of Overactive Empathy On Your Life

If you leave the symptoms of overactive empathy unchecked, it can escalate and lead you into a downward spiral.

For one, since you are having trouble being able to tell your emotions from other people’s emotions, you might start questioning your identity and losing a sense of who you truly are. By being so in tune with everyone else’s thoughts, feelings, and beliefs, you lose sight of your own, and you forget the things that YOU want or need.

A number of empaths even go on to develop mental afflictions, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder.

As an empath, you may find yourself preferring to retreat into isolation and loneliness, instead of constantly being assailed by negative thoughts, feelings, and sensations, all day long. The trauma and disappointment that often results from too much empathy can affect your social skills dramatically.

Finally, a lot of empaths who have yet to realize their special gift, often blur boundaries between themselves and other people. If you are an empath, you’ll find that you feel the feelings of your family and friends so storngly that you find yourself more invested in solving their problems than you should be.

Since you empathize with their problems and care so much about their well-being, you will tend to become overprotective and controlling, even to people who are not necessarily looking for help.

It’s true that you have the best intentions, but when people refuse your support and assistance, you tend to take this rejection to heart.

How To Get Your Empathy Under Control

Don’t worry, there are various ways you can get your empathy more balanced and positive. Of course, professional help with a therapist can be a huge help for those who are struggling mentally and emotionally, but it’s also possible to work it out on your own, if you think this is the better option for you.

The most important thing you can do to avoid drowning under the weight of everyone’s emotions is to develop empathetic boundaries. This doesn’t mean that you need to cut people or even their emotions out of your life, but simply that you want to take care of yourself, as much as you want to take care of other people.

It’s important to know where to draw the line and protect your energy, because this is the only way you can grow and develop enough as an empath, to help others as well.

For one, hang on to your true self and constantly check in with your energy throughout the day. With every wave of negative emotion, ask yourself, is this mine or someone else’s?

Then, practice finding your way back to your personal energy by visualizing something that makes you happy, whether it’s a personal experience, a loved one, or even your favorite song. It should be something deeply personal to you, so you know that you are focused on your own positive vibrations and you aren’t trapped within someone else’s energy field.

Another essential part of developing empathetic boundaries is limiting your exposure to negativity, including people who make you feel bad and drain your energy. This could mean spending less time and energy on certain people in your life, but it is truly a must-do if you want to achieve a healthier and more peaceful state of mind.

Alone time, whether you are spending it in nature or in meditation, also benefits many empaths, so make sure you schedule personal time in your sacred space regularly. Take time away from other people to make your soul joyful and grateful again, especially if you’ve been feeling the strain of everyone’s pain and problems recently.

Just as you need your space from other people, you want to learn to give them their space as well. While it’s okay to provide guidance and advice to people who want it, you want to avoid being too controlling or fixing someone else’s problems for them. When you do this, you not only blur your own empathetic boundaries, but you also run the risk of breeding resentment between you and the other person.

It’s important to take care of your physical body, since this is connected to your mental, emotional, and spiritual bodies! Get into a well-balanced daily routine that consists of proper diet, exercise, and sleep, and you’ll find that you’re much more refreshed and ready every morning.

If you need help understandfing your emapthic abilites more, during a psychic reading, I can helop you hone in, and learn how to control them even more. You can schedule a psychic reading by clicking here or by calling 614-444-6334.

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