Empath help
Hi
Does anyone else feel really affected by other people's moods? I feel like a sponge and a yoyo!
@modestLion158
Hi there! Thank you for your post! 
As for me, I have taken the opportunity to do a little bit of research about the topic. Just Google and not overly much though. I guess someone brought up to me that they felt I was an empath a couple of years ago. I didn't know what that meant. I thought it sounded a little science fictiony at first. I was confused.
But I kept reading. All I ever knew was how I am. And we are all beautiful and different in our own ways. The more I read, the more I saw myself in some of the explanations of what an empath means. I think all of us present in different ways. So this could be a very real phenomenon. As for me, I can walk into a room filled with people and just "feel" them as in how they are feeling. It could be a cocktail party full of complete strangers. I think I have a more heightened sense of awareness of how others are feeling in the moment. I have sensed things and most quickly. Right on target and been asked, how did you know this? Same with people that I am connected to, family members, friends, loved ones and animals. I have felt things from others that I know that have been far away from me geographically at the moment. Unfortunately, I have known of heart attacks, deaths, car accidents, etc. and was the first one to know of this before it was ever reported to me or my family members.
Animals just "get" me I guess. It's great to have a heightened sense of awareness with your own pet. People wonder how I have this connection with mine. Sometimes moments are very beautiful this way even with wildlife. A frog that keeps coming to visit you, butterfly that lands right on your finger. I agree, it's weird, its strange! It gets to be a problem though at times with animals like squirrels even. Even though I thank them for trusting me and coming that close even though I have never fed them, 8 inches away feels risky. Rule of thumb, if it has teeth, it bites. And I'm not that good where I can always predict everything that will happen!
I think some empaths absorb the energy of others. That can make it difficult at times. But it also makes us highly caring,compassionate and considerate people. I think somehow, just through living, I can feel it, embrace those good feelings, but also know when to keep loving and caring for others if they are feeling highly negative. Yes, I sense it, I feel it.
And so I think of it as the "feeling brain" versus the "thinking brain" in really difficult instances. I know those are the times, to set boundaries in motion, do visualization techniques, If the situation is so very negatively charged ,if someone is just tipping the scale and I know I had nothing to do with it.
I am a listener here on this site. I make sure to only take one chat at a time. I also walk away between chats as to not have any, for lack of a better term, emotional "bleed over". I give respect to each of my members and know that they have the right to be heard and to have their unique situation stand all on it's own. In ones personal life, of course, we are there to fulfill the needs of others as well. I'd like to think that I'm pretty good at that. But again, for me personally, I have to disconnect at times, go be by myself, decompress and engage in self care.
I have no idea if this is just me? I don't know if I am empath or not. I hope some of this was helpful and I hope you might consider researching this even more! I will say, it is the most interesting thing, magical thing, when two empaths collide!
@SparkyGizmo thank you for your reply. I relate to a lot of what you're saying. Boundaries are so important for us but it is also hard for us to say no when we want you help people and feel so much compassion. It's nice to connect with another empath
@modestLion158
I'm glad you enjoyed my reply! I know it can be hard to absorb it all! I stay plugged in and make a commitment to help others around me. It's my job, my role, I care so deeply for others. It really is when others are with me and need my help, I plug in and full tilt. They could be hurt, sad, angry, need resolution. I keep my head in the game and support them, but again, I feel like visualization techniques are key for me when in the moment in my real life situations for helping those close to me. I still feel it all but focus more, focus harder on the higher order thinking, the "thinking" brain. I take care of them but know that my time will come. I focus on the task at hand and focus on me later!
It really is so very nice to meet another empath! *hugs*
@modestLion158
The imagery of a spongy yo-yo was not something Id ever have imagined, Im not gonna lie, but this is a pretty clever metaphor! Empaths feel so deeply and thats why self-care and learning how to set and maintain boundaries can be so important for anyone like us! ♡
@zaatarHoney absolutely agree. Life is exhausting when you feel so much. I've definitely got better at boundaries.
@modestLion158 Both me and my mother are intuitive empath when I was 10 years old she taught me how to meditate and because she did i was able to create a shield so that I don't respond to emotions that are someone else!The most important thing for a empath is self knowledge because we need to know what is coming from outside and when it's me!If you want to know how to shield yourself the best way is for you to be alone with a mirror and look at the reflection as a different person and let yourself in the hard part is you have to accept what you learned of yourself the good and the bad and once you know yourself take that understanding and imagine it as a blanket and rap yourself in it that makes a shield of self knowledge and you will not be influenced by another person emotions the more you can learn of self knowledge the less likely you will react to a situation that you are not in!
@modestLion158 yes! It can definitely affect me at times.
yeahhh i always feel that way, when my friends crying it's made me feel bad too, and my mood goes down idk whyy
@modestLion158
That sounds really exhausting. I wonder if you’ve noticed whether it happens more around certain people or situations. Sometimes it’s empathy, but sometimes it’s our mind becoming too focused on others emotions rather that checking in with our own.
@modestLion158 I completely get how you feel. Being an empath can be so heavy sometimes, it's like you're constantly soaking up everyone else's energy until you feel completely drained. It is totally okay to feel overwhelmed by it. Please remember to take a deep breath and give yourself some quiet time to recharge. You're definitely not alone in this🫶🏻😊
Yung is great. When my sister was born i was sent away for a week to my gran, i learned not to ask for help but to try and control by taking on my mums and others energies not to repeat.
@modestLion158 I definitely do! Like when I'm at home, I'm fine. When I get ready for work, I would box breathe and give myself a pep talk, and I'd be alright. But when I get to work, all I have to do is hear someone say how bad the work environment is and how bad they feel, and all my positivity goes straight out the window! So yeah, I do feel like a spongy yoyo, and I HATE it! I'd love some advice as to how to stop it so I can continue feeling fine, or at least alright.
@modestLion158
all the time!!
