Want To Know If You're An Empath? The 7 ways to protect your energy.

Help! I think I’m an Empath!

“I'm always left drained and empty?"

How can I stop feeling written off after socialising?"

Statements like these are constantly bandied around, you may have heard about empaths, somebody may have even suggested you might be, but how can you tell and what does it all mean?

Surprisingly to many, most humans are born with empathic skills but don't realise it...

Unlike the well-known skills of curiosity or listening, it's most often referred to, as a gift.

And unless you’ve had an upbringing that cultivates and appreciates it, you probably don't think of your ability to listen as a ‘gift’.

Mainly, it’s taken for granted, ie it’s something most of us do, without actively pursuing to advance our ability of it. 

The same applies to empathy, it can be advanced or ignored, either way, it’s there, but why?

I believe the point of empathy is to support inter-human connections as well as the creatures and nature around us, but we unlearn them as we get older. For many, the concept of tuning into other people or things has been made wrong, yet we do it in science and medicine all the time.

We use energy waves in all sorts of frequencies for all manner of purposes, good and unhelpful. From radio and wifi waves to radiation and microwaves, energy is around us all the time, empaths just have a 'tuned up' ability to sense it from non-electronic devices.

There has never been a time in history where the ability of empaths has been such need to support raise the vibration of our earth and species. And it’s important that as a collective we don’t take advantage of these innate strengths and their associated goodness.

Being an empath isn’t necessarily a special power, but it’s still a relatively uncommon term, and it doesn't help that it’s been made out to be 'woo woo'. In fact, it’s becoming the new norm with more and more scientists such as Dr. Bruce Lipton appreciating how energy functions and how humans can use it to add value to their lives.

EMPATHY STRIKES BACK

There are many degrees and variances of empathy. And as an empath, it’s likely that you reach different degrees of empathy during different times of your life.

Frequently, empaths have reported emotional, physical, and even mental struggles for most of their lives without realising why they are ‘feeling something out of sorts.

My empathetic abilities were revealed when I was feeling anxious and happened to mention my confusion to my associate, as I had ‘nothing going on’ to give cause to the butterflies and knots in my tummy.

The person I was talking to replied “Oh no honey, that’s not yours! It’s my anxiety about a massive business deal I’m waiting for the conclusion of’. As soon as she shared this, the feeling left my body!

WHAT ARE EMPATHIC ABILITIES?

There are different ways empaths tune into what’s happening around them and some of us, have multiple empathetic abilities.

1. Physical &/or Medical empaths or intuitives can pick up on ailments being experiences by those around them
2. Cognitive empaths tap into what other people are thinking and processing
3. Emotional empaths feel the same emotions as others in their own bodies
4. Animal empaths can pick up on what animals are feeling
5. Environmental empaths feel the vibrations of the earth and can feel the discomfort of development in their suburbs.

No matter what type of empath you are, you are most likely to feel exhausted or debilitated when in the circumstances of your traits.

For example, cognitive and emotional empaths are very likely to suffer from trips to crowded and busy places. Just going to the shops can be exhausting if you don’t know how to protect your energy reserves. 

Global empaths will most likely suffer greatly during a natural disaster or world event.

SUPER TRAITS

Most empaths as a rule are very good at forming connections and strong relationships, even with strangers. It wouldn’t be uncommon for the topic of their empathic ability to come up naturally in conversation.

Deeply trusting, optimistic and agreeable with a willingness to advance social and environmental issues, we can pick up on those that resonate around us.

In addition, they are natural helpers and fixers, which is the principal reason they are drained before they realise their skills.

Being susceptible to energy vampires and clever narcissists, empaths need to learn how to protect and top up their energy tanks.

You may decide to avoid gatherings and loud venues because they make you feel anxious, overwhelmed, or drained.

Environmentals and Globals may choose to skip museums and other low-energy places like graveyards and historical grounds.

There may additionally be a desire to not fully share themselves ie there is an unanswered reason to hide or blend in. This may have become a subconscious form of self-protection.

Yet for many empaths, no matter how much they protect sometimes it isn’t enough, mental and physical fatigue along with illness can be a constant part of life. 

But there is hope.

Whilst it may feel that the best strategy is to isolate or avoid those situations that impact us, we don’t have to lock ourselves in the sanctuary of our home.

I’ve found the more inner healing and releasing of my own negativity that I’ve done, the stronger my abilities have become. Then the more of an asset I’ve found my developed empathic skills to be. Rather than holding me back, I’ve realised I’m an empath on several fronts which has been a wonderful slow revealing, and helpful in so many ways.

Often we are carrying negative energy (or stuffed down) from experiences earlier in our life.

Being told you’re too sensitive or to ‘toughen up princess’ are common phrases that have a damaging impact on empaths. Instead of recognising and processing those scenarios at the time, they have been locked into our psyche as ‘wrong’.

Working on accepting our uniqueness and then healing anything that doesn’t support our gifts, is the key to protecting our own energy field.

As a bonus, when we drop our negative load, we increase our vibration and directly serve and support those we most care about. Merely being ourselves supports the planet and earth.

HOW DO I PROTECT MY ENERGY FIELD?

There are several approaches as there is no correct way for all. It’s a case of trialing and seeing what works best for you, adapting for different situations may also be helpful.

There is toxicity everywhere in so many different forms and depending on the type of empath and the degree of your abilities and own state of being on each day, you can employ several modes as you feel intuitively you need.

TOP 7 SUGGESTIONS FOR PROTECTING EMPATHIC ENERGY

Here are my 5 practical tips and 2 further spiritual approaches.

1. Prevent overwhelm by clearing your home and work environments from clutter and other people's treasured belongings. Nana’s needlework may be beautiful but it may be attracting or holding a lot of ‘stuff’ from her past. (Having emotional attachments to belong means there is residual energy ‘in’ that thing, some serve us well and some don’t.)
2. Ensure to balance your own stress levels, recharging yourself as soon as symptoms appear is critical to stopping it from taking further hold.
3. One of the most life-changing steps I took about 15 years ago - although I didn’t realise I was an empath back then – was clearing out the drama people from my social circles. Nearly everybody knows somebody that leaves us feeling drained after we hang out with them. Limit and vary the way you hang out with these friends, they may not realise they are sucking your life force from you!
4. Speaking your truth is a massive part of releasing negativity. Holding back for fear of rocking the boat can be a huge reason for exhaustion. We all have a view and opinion and if what you’re biting your tongue about is having a detrimental impact on your life, it's fair for you to speak out.
5. Manage self-levels, knowing what you need each day is the self-love you need to respect and live through. There are several ways I recharge depending on what I’ve been doing. Also pay attention to what type of frequency that is, high energy or soft and relaxing, you may not always need the same thing.

• Reading - it could be a soft romantic novel or a drama exciting story
• Going to watch a movie – powerful for shifting a stuck state due to its immersion of auditory and visual stimuli.
• Going for walks - again if the beach is roaring and powerful this could charge or deplete
• Time with pets – is very soothing and relaxing, be careful not to expect them to make you feel better, you could be inadvertently draining them
• Time out to meditate is my saviour – not silent, guided empowering, and energising tracks.

6. Use a cloak of protection like Harry Potter’s cloak of invisibility. You can also use your imagination to build a wall or conjure a warrior's shield if particularly confronted.

7. Cutting the energetic ties to things or people that we are karmically tethered to can be another massive breakthrough for empaths. We’re not cutting them off just breaking the energy connecting to them. Think of it as an electrical wire that is ‘always on standby mode’, instead we need to switch to airplane mode and choose when we plugin.

IN SUMMARY

If you’re looking to improve the quality of your life, establishing whether you’re an empath and where on the scale you are is a fantastic start to changing it.