Many people have heard of what empathy is and maybe you believe that you are an empathetic person. Being an empath means that you are able to know what other people are feeling, no matter what the situation is.
An empathetic person will have different emotions and will pick up both negative and positive feelings. This person is usually very understanding and usually is kindhearted and loving. They learn to care for each other and will show compassion when someone loses their job or is hurting over something. They are also very happy when good news comes.
An empath is someone that puts their feelings into the way that they live. They often feel that they are not able to live their own lives because of the feelings of others are so strong.
An empath is someone that is more than just someone that shows empathy. An empath does not just feel feelings, they take it further. They not only feel the feelings of others, but they take these feelings on their own selves and they experience these feelings.
Having empathy does not automatically make you an empath because empathetic people feel deeply for other people in both positive and negative ways.
If someone feels the feelings of others, does that make them an empath? The truth is, this is a yes and a no answer.
Being an empath means that you have empathy for others, but it goes deeper than that.
Empathy Versus Being an Empath
Someone that is an empath will put their heart on the line for others. They will have feelings that make them physically, emotionally, and mentally feel the feelings of others. Empaths feel others but they also take those feelings inside of themselves and they become those feelings.
Empaths are able to pick up feelings when someone does not share them. They are able to feel the energies that others have, and they soak them into their souls. Depending on the energies that the empath is surrounded by will depend on how the empath feels. These feelings can be joy, happiness, sadness, anger, and the moods can shift at any time.
People wonder how an empath learns to care for themselves and the truth is, they have to learn to handle their emotions. They will feel the emotions of others and this can leave them confused and overwhelmed because they have to handle their own feelings on top of others.
An empath can have physical sicknesses including high blood pressure and headaches.
Empath Emotions and Other Emotions
An empath needs to learn to take a step back and look at their surroundings. They need to determine if they are picking up the energies of others or if they are reacting to their own emotions. Learning to recognize this is very important.
Enjoying this Gift
Even though being an empath can be hard, it is important to live up to it and to own it. An empath is full of love and compassion for others, they love animals, children, and people. They want to be intimate in their mind and soul with others and they want to help others when they need it.
Empaths want people to be happy. Being an empath does not make someone too sensitive, they just naturally are. They also do not need to be tougher.
An empath needs to accept who they are and learn to experience the emotions that life brings them.
Toxic Relationships
Empaths can enjoy helping others, but this can also make them co-dependent. When an empath sees someone in need, chances are they will get close to that person and sometimes that person is a narcissist.
Narcissists seem to go towards those that can give them love and attention and after they suck the life out of the empath, they often become cold and mean to their partner.
Narcissists will cause relationships to become broken and it can make the empath want to heal them, when the truth is, they cannot.
Boundaries
An empath has to set boundaries. Even if an empath is meant to be kind and compassionate, they also have to learn to set boundaries so that they can have a good well-being. This means to make sure to be able to say no, to meditate each day, to relax and take time for themselves.
Connecting
Empaths enjoy connecting with people and they can do this at home, at work or even in the community. An empath should look for a support group so that they can share like-minded conversations.
Empaths will get the energies from people around them and if they are with an empath, they will be able to have enjoyable conversations and know their own emotions from others.
‘Empaths are all about love and compassion,’ they say—until they find themselves entangled with a narcissist! It seems like a recipe for self-inflicted emotional chaos, doesn’t it?
“Empathy does not automatically make you an empath,” says the article. How astute! It’s crucial that we maintain clarity on these definitions; otherwise, we risk diluting our understanding of emotional intelligence as a whole.
“Being an empath means loving everyone… except narcissists!” A witty take! It’s a wonder how empaths manage to stay afloat in such turbulent emotional waters while simultaneously being magnetic to those who would drain them dry.
The exploration of emotional transference in empaths is indeed fascinating. However, one must question whether these characteristics truly justify the label of ’empath’ or if they simply reflect heightened emotional sensitivity common in many individuals.
‘Empaths feel what others feel’—so does my cat when she senses I’m about to open a can of tuna! Perhaps we should start labeling her as an empath too; after all, she’s pretty good at picking up on my moods… especially when food is involved!
‘Learning to set boundaries’ sounds great, but how can one establish them when their very essence seems to draw in the emotionally needy? This paradox makes the empathic experience particularly complex.
This article beautifully articulates the complexities of being an empath. The distinction between empathy and being an empath is often muddled, and it’s refreshing to see it explained so clearly. Thank you for shedding light on this nuanced topic!
While I appreciate the effort in writing this piece, it reads more like a self-help manual than a rigorous analysis. The anecdotal nature of the claims surrounding empaths lacks empirical support and feels somewhat exaggerated.