The other day I had an AMAZING conversation with my cousin. We don’t talk on the phone very often, but found ourselves wrapped up in a call that lasted for over an hour. It was so good that I woke up missing our conversation and wishing we lived right next to each other so I could run over and hang out with her some more.
While we are several years apart in age, we share very similar life experiences. One of which is our sensitivity to other people’s emotions.
I became aware of what these feelings were when I was in my early twenties and by 24 I stopped going to clubs and large events with my friends because I was so overtaken with emotion that it felt terrible. I knew I had to learn how to be in the world and not let other people’s emotions and negative energy become my reality (especially since I live for deep conversations with people). I didn’t want this to negatively impact my life.
I started researching and discovered that I was experiencing the world as an empath, someone with the ability to apprehend the mental or emotional state of another individual.
Throughout the last half of my 2nd decade, I read dozens of books on metaphysics, spirituality, psychology, and human behavior. These books changed my life. I learned how to take care of myself emotionally and spiritually. I started:
- paying attention to what I was feeling vs. what was normal for me in a given situation;
- being more selective about the people and places I chose to hang out;
- praying for protection from other people’s energy and emotions before I went to a large event in a public place; and
- figuring out how to empathetically be around people without taking on their stuff.
I’m proud of this gift. I’m excited that I can connect with people in a deeper way. While I do believe this gift is useful and important to what I do, I know I have to keep myself healthy in order to do good, ethical work.
Can you relate to this story? Do you sometimes find yourself feeling unexplained emotions that seem to be coming from somewhere else? Leave a comment. Also, I put a few links on the Resources page about this topic that you might find useful.
