Spiritual Wellbeing – What is it like being an Empath
Discovering you are an empath is such an enormous relief when you’ve spent a lifetime regretting how sensitive you are. This blog will speak to what is like being an empath and how acknowledging the power in this skill brings incredible spiritual wellbeing.
Unrealistic expectations
The summer holidays are nearly over, not quite nearly enough in some respects and too soon in others; the usual mixed bag of parenting shite!
I approach holidays with naive positivity getting caught up with great unrealistic expectations. I foresaw halcyon days of endless writing and studying, whilst my offspring amused themselves in a Tom Sawyer/Huckleberry Finesque style. However, North Chailey is not Mississippi in the 1840s and my kids are more prone to shouting ‘I’m bored’ in my face than self-entertaining nicely out of sight. And let’s not mention the bloody British weather…
Social pressure conform
And, because I’d put them into a new school, I put myself under an enormous amount of pressure to set up a load of ingratiating playdates with new and old. Forgetting to just let things ride, and getting swept up into all that parental guilt bullshit. To the point that I’ve left no real time to sit and shoot the breeze, or even visit a beach, let alone write?!!! WTF
Hindsight’s a bitch
This has coincided with some deep planetary shifts and resulting deep internal transformation, bit like an Alien re-birth. So, I find myself this side of the holidays far more laid back and wishing I’d done it differently, coupled with being totally fucked off and frustrated by the complete lack of personal space I gave myself. How familiar does that sound fellow parents and or empaths?
Empath realisation
During this intermittent deep introspection, I gained an understanding worth sharing with you. Something I recognise more and more as I mature, beyond my control and worth caring for rather than wishing away. Because being an empath can’t and won’t go away!
As a ‘sensitive’, meaning psychic/clairsentient type, human interaction for me is a totally immersive experience. There is no real arm’s length observation, I’m in quick and deep absorbing pretty much everything in my wake.
Empath explained
If you struggle to get that, imagine every time you engage with someone you can see and feel everything they are experiencing, whether you want to or not. So, if you come across someone who’s angry you get to feel that or someone who’s really struggling and suddenly you’re getting that.
And I mean really feeling, like it’s you when it’s them, sometimes you don’t even realise until later on that you’ve inadvertently picked up their shit and you’re rolling in it. Your wellbeing literally overtaken and overwhelmed.
Ageing wisdom
And yes, as you get older and wiser, you can put up boundaries for protection and not take it on but it doesn’t stop you knowing and feeling the vibes being emanated.
Often, I’m vulnerable from a whole myriad of things beyond my control, such as planetary alignments, weather patterns, dreams, my kids, ill health, hormones. This challenges my ability and availability to create these protections and if I chance upon a negative flow, it can seriously screw me up for a few hours or even days unless I am on top of my wellbeing.
Group sensory overload
Now imagine a group situation, sensory overload or what! It’s thoroughly exhausting and overwhelming, and takes a hell of a lot of energy to keep those boundaries securely in place and translate all that sensory info. I often find myself a proverbial take on Edvard Munch’s the Scream! So, I can last a few hours max before I need to retreat and recoup. That’s where I’m sloping off too, it’s definitely nothing personal, I do it all the time to protect my wellbeing.
I did this in my 20s, it sums up how I feel about parenting!
But I love people
The converse, and slightly perverse, reality to this is that to get enjoyment from social interactions, I seek a full-frontal connection. I want a matching deep and intense, not shallow and meaningless. It’s all rather magnetic, some people are north pole to my north pole as opposed to south to my north.
And, I don’t need too much exposure to this rich and fulfilling experience, less is more. After an exchange, I need time to process and savour, it’s quality over quantity every time for my spiritual wellbeing.
Bland reactions
There are a few meh’s in the middle that leave you feeling rather bland and empty, soulless perhaps. Those social interactions aren’t a problem but they aren’t very nourishing either. Ok, so another way to perceive this would be to see yourself as a pot plant composed solely of energy. Some people make you grow and shine, some make you shrink and shrivel, some just leave you a little wilted. I cover this in more detail in my blog Humans are made of Energy
Substance abuse false save
Alcohol and drugs definitely take the edge off being an empath, not in the way you may think but by dulling the sensory intake. They certainly do not enhance the sixth sense when taken recreationally, and create holes in your aura!
But, there is only so much I can or want to drink these days and I certainly do not do drugs. When I’m having a really engaged time I don’t want to indulge anyhow because I don’t want to compromise the quality of the energetic experience or worse, forget what’s been said.
Living without a group
So, whereas I have often felt wistful that I was not part of a large friendship group, this is not actually an option available to one such as I. I have to police the environments into which I put myself in order to protect my sanity, health and wellbeing in general.
It’s quite a lonely path I tread and it can come across as controlling because of this need to prep in advance and avoid bad vibrations. But it’s not like a choice, it’s just taking self-care wellbeing to the next level through self-awareness.
Are you an empath?
If this has resonated with you, find self-acceptance and your own magic with my Introduction to Witchcraft Workshop. It’s one to one, just you and me and a loving, accepting space.
Empathic natural support
I offer a full range of bespoke wellbeing to support your mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing to flourish. These natural goodeys always work well with sensitive empaths, they contain nothing distracting.
Final word
You know now what it feels like to be an empath and why some of us act the way we do to protect our wellbeing. It really isn’t personal, we’ve just protecting our super power and getting through. We make excellent friends because we can really intuit what’s going on and care almost as much as you do about you.
