You’re an empath. Now what?
Many years ago, when I first learned about what it meant to be an empath, I felt so seen. I finally had an explanation to my intense sensitivity to the world around me. As in continue to offer Reiki in the Houston area, I am finding that a significant majority of my clients are realizing they’re empaths but are not really sure what to do. A lot of us who don’t realize we are empaths, think we’re going crazy. With the current state of the world, a lot of us are feeling a little “off” but can’t quite put our finger on why. I feel like most of us are taking on the weight of the world which can feel very heavy at times. We often mistake the collective energy for being our own. That being said, I wanted to create a thorough run-down on the basics of being an empath and how to use this gift to empower you!
The first thing that I always say to my clients is that being an empath is a GIFT! To be sensitive to the world around us allows us to experience the depth of being human. It gives us the ability to be compassionate and loving to those who are suffering. Empaths are the healers of our world.
Here are some signs that you are an empath:
You feel anxious and overwhelmed in larger crowds.
You feel other people’s emotions. This can be a complete stranger or someone you know personally. Sometimes, you may even take on their emotions and not know it, labeling them as your own.
You experience unexplained health issues such as autoimmune issues or weight gain, especially after emotionally intense times.
You’re drawn to nature and animals.
You need alone time to recharge.
You easily become drained around certain people or places.
You struggle with mental health issues most commonly anxiety and depression. (Panic attacks in crowded places are very common for empaths. Empaths become overly stimulated, causing their body to shut down and their nervous system to move into a state of fight or flight. This is not the case for ALL anxiety disorders but this has been my personal experience).
You have been called “overly sensitive” or “emotional”.
You feel deeply and intensely, sometimes so much to the point to where you tend to shut down your emotions and become numb.
Note: Some empaths do not feel at all. From a young age, they learn to suppress their emotions due to trauma or because they are deep feelers and often attribute their emotions to pain. “Numb empaths” often struggle with mental and physical health issues. If you feel like this is you, psychotherapy and energy healing can be incredible tools for learning how to regulate emotions.
Empaths have many other characteristics and traits but I find these to be the most common. If you are drawn to healing modalities, it is likely that you are an empath.
Empaths take on the weight of the world. They are highly sensitive to their environment because they take on so much energetic information at once. This can all happen without you being consciously aware of it. Mental health issues can be common with empaths because we are not taught how to regulate intense emotions from a young age. As in empath, we take on the weight of the world and attribute these feelings to be our own. If we are not aware that what we are taking on is not ours, it can lead to bouts of confusion, low self-esteem, and low mood.
It is also not uncommon for empaths to have more health issues that the average person. I remember being in high school (a crowded, high-energy environment), coming home wiped out, with no energy for anything. Being so young, I thought I was struggling with some sort of chronic exhaustion only to find out that I was taking on way too much energy all day. It takes so much work for our energetic bodies to process all of the energy we are taking on. So I encourage you to be kind to your body as it regenerates itself. If you are feeling drained in certain environments, that is a huge sign that it may not be the best environment for you. Processing huge amounts of emotional energy can show up in our physical bodies through digestive issues, inflammation, and autoimmune issues. That is why most people see a huge improvement in their health by removing themselves from a toxic environment. Not to mention, the mental and emotional stress that can add an additional load.
Because being an empath is a gift to the world, I want to empower you to use this gift to your advantage. If you practice energetic hygiene, your empathic gifts can be a huge service to the world.
Cleanse your energy.
Use palo santo, sage, or incense
You can either burn these herbs or find an infused spray that feels good to you. Circle around your aura and visualize the smoke cleansing negative energies from your energetic field. Bonus: cleanse your space if it feels awkward and negative to you.
Salt baths
Salt baths are one of my favorite ways to cleanse my energy after a long day. It can also serve as a meditative practice and allows you to be in your body. Soak in the bath for 10-15 minutes. Once you are finished, drain the water and visualize negative energy flowing down the drain. For an added bonus, add essential oils such as lavender, peppermint, or eucalyptus. I also like to add tiger’s eye in the water for some extra grounding.
Selenite
Selenite is my go to for cleansing my aura. I like to lay my selenite wand on my chest until I feel recharged and balanced. It is ideal to do this while meditating or while winding down from the day.
Visualization and meditation
This is the easiest way to cleanse your energy because you can do it just about anywhere! I like to do this as I am going to bed and falling asleep. Meditation helps reset the nervous system and can help you recenter yourself. There are tons of great visual meditations out there that can assist you and cleansing your energetic field. Find one that works for you. Here’s one that I always recommend for my clients:
Bring your awareness to your breath
Visualize a waterfall of white light flowing through the top of your head all the way down to the bottom of your feet
Imagine this light generating itself throughout your body as it cleanses out energies that are no longer serving you
Remember to take deep breaths and release all that is no longer serving you
Bonus: call on your guides and angels to assist you in cleansing your energetic field
Get out in nature (my favorite)
Nature is such a gift. Empaths are naturally drawn to nature because it takes us away from all of the excess noise of life. Being in nature helps cleanse our aura, rebalance our nervous system, and process our emotions. It also helps us ground and become present and whole with Mother Earth. It also gives us a great opportunity to spend sometime alone and regroup ourselves. Take a moment and let yourself stand in the sun. I like to point my third eye at the sun with my eyes closed and allow it to cleanse my energetic body though my third eye.
Adopt an emotional release practice
Find ways to process and release your emotions through modalities such as breath work, talk-therapy, dancing, journaling, art, exercises, and mindful movement. This can help alleviate stuck emotions.
Do not judge, label, or try to disect your emotions
This is really important and is something that I am constantly practicing for my own well-being. It can be easy to label our emotions as “bad” or “negative”. We often want to hyper-analyze our emotions as if something is “wrong” with us. There is nothing wrong with wanting to understand where your emotions are coming from. However, if we want to allow our emotions to flow freely, it is important that we feel safe in our own body. We won’t feel safe if we come from a place of judgement.
Protect your energy.
Get out of that toxic work environment or relationship
I know it’s easier said than done. Part of being en empath is knowing your worth. It can be easy for us to want to people please or “keep the peace”. However, we should never sacrifice our own happiness for the sake of others. What is best for you is what is best for everyone involved. Make choices that support your spiritual and physical wellness. If you are in empath, it is highly likely that you are also sensitive to toxic household products and foods. Cut out all toxicity in your life by adopting a whole foods based diet and swapping toxic care products for more natural ones.
Set Boundaries
“No.” is a complete sentence. Limit your time with draining friends or family members. You can use all of the sage and crystals in the world, but if you are constantly allowing others to drain your energy field these things won’t do anything for you. If others are not respecting these boundaries, they probably should not be in your life. Be mindful of codependency.
Visualize a sheild of white light energy around your body
Yes, this actually works! Intention is key here. Make it part of your meditation practice or morning routine. Call on your guides to assist you in protection throughout the day.
Wear black tourmaline, clear quartz, and smokey quartz (or any other protection stone that resonates with you)
It is important that you intuitively pick a stone that you feel drawn to for protection. You can either where these stones as jewelry, such as a bracelet or necklace, or put a stone in your pockets or bra.
Limit your time in or avoid heavily crowded places
Malls. Who else hates them? They’re my worst nightmare. Online shopping is the best thing for empaths. However, life does happen and we do have to live in the real world. Make sure you are using some of the practices mentioned above when around more people than you are used to.
Know your limits
When I was in college, I worked at a large and very busy grocery store in my town. After every shift, I came home absolutely depleted. I conversed with multiple customers per day taking on their energy without even noticing. Eventually when COVID hit, I had no choice but to leave. Not only was it an extremely toxic environment, but my health was suffering because of all of the worry and stress I was taking on from other people. I moved to smaller retail positions that involved working with less customers. Eventually my body was screaming, “please stop working retail!!!”. We have to know when enough is enough. Your body will speak to you. Listen to it!
Why Reiki is great for empaths
So many empaths are drawn to Reiki because it helps release stuck emotions and heal the nervous system, leaving them feeling lighter. As empaths, we are sensitive to emotional stress and it can often be taxing to our nervous system. Not only does Reiki provide the many benefits of hands-on touch, but Reiki revitalizes the energetic field which can easily be weakened for empaths. Reiki also allows us to be able to go inward and see our emotions for what they are. It creates space for us to be able to acknowledge our feelings instead of pushing them away and ignoring them. Lastly, consistent Reiki healing and integrating self-love can facilitate an ability to draw strong boundaries. It helps us increase our self-worth and can shed light on where we are allowing our energy to leak. This brings about an empowering healing path for many people.
Once we heal, we can use our empathic abilities to help heal the world. It becomes our superpower rather than a burden. I used to hate how I was so sensitive because I saw it as a weakness and I felt like I “couldn’t hang”. But now I realize that being an empath has allowed me to understand people on a deeper level and hold space for them. That is truly the best gift I could have.