You may have noticed that I have taken a break from blogging for the past week or so. I could say it was because I was busy with my day job. But the truth was that I lost myself.
No. I didn't get lost while hiking or traveling. What I mean is that I couldn't find my soul. My spirit. My passion. Or whatever you want to call it. So I took a step back from this blog. Not because I wanted to stop writing but because I wanted to be authentic. And for a while I didn't know how to be authentic.
I started doing some research. And when I say research, I actually mean mediation. I looked back at my interests and passions as a child and the Universe did not disappoint.
I don't want to to talk about the epiphany I had or the direction of this blog. But I will say that inspiration came my way.
So for this blog I want to talk to you about something that has been apart of me for my whole life. Something I didn't understand as a child, rejected in my teens, and now embrace as an adult.
Empathy.
A quick Google search will tell you that Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.
Well, doesn't everyone experience empathy at some point or another? Yes, they do!
But there is much more to Empathy than that. Yes, you take on other people's emotions and feelings. But for some, it is on a much deeper level.
Based on my experience, Empathy is being sensitive to any and all energies.
Maybe you can sense someone's energy before this person even enters the room. You know what they are feeling because you can feel it to. Maybe you take on the physical sensations that another person is experiencing such as headaches and stomach pains. Maybe you can feel the energies of events that happened in the past or future. The list goes on and the possibilities are endless.
I know this may sound a little out there or too magical for some. But I invite you stay with me. Allow your mind to be open as you read on.
It's not easy growing up as an Empath. It's not so bad now. I know my limits and I am much more in tune with my feelings and emotions. It is now something I embrace.
I wish to share with you my experience as an Empath. Not because I want to talk about myself but because I understand how challenging it can be. I wish I had someone explain things to me when I was a young.
I wish to help people who are in a similar position as I was. Or maybe you have a loved one who is Empathic and you want to understand them a little better.
Now I will share with you my experiences as an Empath. If anyone can relate to my stories then you are probably an Empath too. So welcome to the club!
1. I Felt That I Was Weird
And it didn't help that I was often called weird! It was embarrassing watching movies in public. If it was happy or sad, I would cry buckets of tears. If it was scary, I would be paranoid and heightened for days to come.
Being in a room full of people was challenging. I felt anxiety on a daily basis when I was in class. I didn't know it at the time, but it was because I was occupying the same space as 20 plus people. So I was experiencing the energies of all these people. Make no wonder I went home with anxiety and panic attacks.
I was often labeled as being shy. And so I was! But the successful, popular people I grew up with were not shy. They were extroverted, social butterflies. So I would be offended when I was labeled as shy. Also, the shyness was a result of the powerful qualities I possess (empathy, introversion). Being labelled as shy did not help me to explore myself and my talents.
Needless to say, I felt below average growing up. I wasn't a social butterfly, I did not excel in school, and I was definitely not apart of any groups or clubs. I more or less just drifted in my own head space. I had quite the imagination which had both positive and negative implications. The positive being I had a safe space to get lost in. At the time, I liked to play video games, read books, and toys that required using your imagination (like barbies and dolls). I also had an artistic nature so it was pretty common for me to have a burst of inspiration where I would write, draw or paint. The bottom line? I spent a lot of my time alone. And that isn't to make anyone feel bad for me! I didn't realize it at the time either, but I loved spending time by myself.
The bottom line is that I felt very different from my peers. Empaths usually do.
2. I Felt A Responsibility For The Planet
Remember how I said that Empathic people are sensitive to energies? Well this doesn't mean that they are exclusively sensitive to the energies of other people.
Growing up, and to this day, I felt like I needed to make a difference to the planet and it's animals. I was naturally drawn to eco-friendly alternatives and conservation. I felt a need to explore vegetarianism and veganism. No documentaries were required. It is an innate quality I possess, I guess.
Eating a meatless diet is a part of who I am and I feel very strongly about it.
I wrote an article about my calling to go vegetarian that I will link here.
3. I Always Felt Scared
I was told that I had an overactive imagination. And I believed that to be true as it helped me to feel less afraid.
I often thought I saw things in the corner of my eye. I often thought I heard whispering outside my bedroom window. I often thought I could hear the television when it was turned off.
I embraced this as a child. But when I got older I learned that it wasn't "normal" to see or hear things that weren't there. This made me worried I was either seeing a ghost or going crazy.
Well, Empaths are also sensitive to energies outside of the physical world too. And when I realized this, it brought to light a lot of experiences I had as a child.
This is still a concept that is relatively new to me and I understand some people may have a hard time accepting and understanding it. But I do believe there is a spirit realm. What it contains I have no idea. Maybe it's spirits, spirit guides, or residual energy of past events. But I do believe there are energies that we cannot experience with our 5 senses. Those who are Empathic, though, may be able to pick up on these energies.
But these experiences were frightening as a child. And I'm not going to lie... they can be frightening as an adult! But now that I understand and accept these experiences, I am more intrigued than afraid. How many people can say that they have experiences with the spirit realm? That's pretty cool.
4. I Am Sensitive To Stimuli
This one is pretty basic, but I am very sensitive to bright lights, loud sounds, and harsh smells. I rarely use ceiling lights. Sometimes I actually feel like I need to use a blind to cover my eyes. Harsh smells especially scents of chemicals and perfumes make me feel like I'm choking. I am very reactive to loud, sudden sounds. I thought it was because I just startled easily!
I guess that is sort of true. But when you think about it, if Empaths are highly sensitive to energies, their baseline for how much stimuli they can tolerate is probably lower compared to less Empathetic individuals.
5. I realize I have A Gift To Share With The World
Like artists, dancers, and songwriters, being Empathic is a gift and talent that can be shared with the world. There are an endless amount of careers you can have that require Empathy. I am choosing a a nontraditional route by sharing my experience as an Empath via blogging.
If you feel that you can help people on a very deep level, you are probably an Empathy too.
That is it for my list. I hope you find it interesting and I hope it sheds some light on the topic. If you have any questions regarding Empathy, let me know in the comments. And please subscribe to Confessions of an Awakened Youth and share this article. It would mean a lot :)
You can also expect more blogs about Empathy. I have been very inspired lately!
I am sending positive vibes your way.
Ang
Here is a link to my previous blog:
A Cause Of Anxiety No One Talks About | Your Intuition
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