Empathy is part of the human psyche. We are pack animals, so we feel each other. However some have it more than others and this community is loaded with it. Empathy is our natural state of feeling each other's feelings--their joy, their pain, their fear and angst.
If you are a full-on empath, how can you stay grounded and protect yourself from absorbing the feelings of others?
The solution is complex and personal. On the one hand, when you absorb the bad feelings of others, you may in part help to remove the negative feelings from them. But it doesn't have to be that way. You can have compassion and empathy without absorbing people's pain. Perhaps you can transform it. Or perhaps you can deflect it so you don't absorb it.
I'm inviting people here to share how they protect themselves while helping others. There are many ways to do this, and each person must find their own system. We can all, however, learn from each other how to care for others without losing our own joy.
Calling all therapists, healers, and everyday empaths!
@tesseract @tonyaW @earthangel @lovendures
@jeanne-mayell My job is very stressful...anyone involved in caring for the sick be they human or fur babies knows the stresses and the burn out rates...Self care and support team are VITAL in keeping one grounded, centered and connected.
The one thing I do? I love to cook! it's my creative outlet and allows me to process and nurture. My coworkers are beneficiaries of my efforts. Not sure why? but many of our clients? Bring us gifts of food to thank us for our caring and hard work for their fur babies. I also prepare meals for sick or grieving families in my neighborhood. A Southern thing I guess LOL
Anything we do for others?We are doing for ourselves. As I prepare food? I ask Creator to pour love and healing in to the foods that I cook asking that it be infused with Light,Love,Healing and bring Comfort,Sustenance and Enjoyment to the recipients.
As a single Mom I was constantly working and caring for others. Now? I also take time to work and care for me by doing activities that bring me enjoyment.... from working in the garden and tending my plants, to staying in my pajamas all day and reading all day if I want. Whatever strikes my fancy to "spend my time dollars" enriching my presence here.
I also offer mini-sessions of massage and reiki to my coworkers and as I "pull" things off/out of them.... I gather it together ( picture a tree ..with limbs..leaves..branches ...trunk...and then?the 2/3rd of the tree being the root system and send it through my body exiting out my spine end and feet in to the "roots, capillaries of Mother Earth to be cleansed , cleared and transmuted back in to the Light. It leaves me a clean, clear channel to express Creators Light and Love to those I interact with. It is important to note... what you feel... and... what is yours...and what is theirs.
I often sense what kinds of medical issues my patients/other people are having... and.. if they are open to it...tell them what I am "seeing". For instance.... one coworker was having some issues and was getting a lot of diagnostic testing... I asked her to please ask them to check for a stomach ulcer with the other things she was experiencing. There were several issues found.. one of which? was an ulcer.
I can tune in and feel it in my furry friends as well.
Do I feel it every time? No... But I have learned.... pay attention to those "feelings" ..they are part of our Creators "Guidance System"
One delightful thing I did this morning? I had coffee, sitting on the porch, watching the hummingbirds come to the feeder, listening to the calls of songbirds, the whisper of the morning breezes across my face, body and whisper through the trees. I take these moments of Peace and Joy and carry them with me through the day, no matter what else may go on around me.
@journeywithme2 Thank you for sharing your story and all you've learned to cope and thrive. You are a power house of love and strength. Helping others doing what we love is such a great way to heal ourselves. Just reading your story is such a surge of positive energy.
@jeanne-mayell I forgot to say that I do not charge them for these sessions... nor do I charge anyone for them when I do them.... It's just something I can do to make our world a better place..one caring action at a time. nothing against those who do.... I just do not.
The quiet and solitude I seek when overwhelmed from absorbing either an up-close-and-personal or “universal” dread also can become isolating and unhealthy. I was overcome w a collective sadness yesterday morning and our Circle of Light group discussed these feelings that many of us experience. Of course, the meditation and group “hug” with which we engage and heal lifted my malaise immediately. I am grateful and will utilize more self-care by attending more Circle of Light gatherings. I’d acknowledged that I have to be more diligent in taking proactive steps to heal myself out of a psychic funk, esp since we’re being pummeled relentlessly for a long haul.
I used to tell my hs students that life is a rollercoaster and we simultaneously must endure and enjoy the ride. I’m so used to rallying on and on my own that it was very difficult for way too long for me to even ask for help. I’d believed that any real aid came from outside of myself via angels and guides and I downplayed the empowerment that lives within me and that actually connects me to them. I see that simple yet complex fact more clearly now and especially after yesterday’s meditation. I’ve been blessed also w many wonderful helpful healers and psychics.
I also didn’t appreciate, til I read JourneyWithMe2’s response above, how my love of cooking for family and friends is also a healing gift to myself as well. Bc I’ve always been a giver, I’ve questioned if I’ve wanted to give too much at times. Did that make me needy or make others uncomfortable? But what JWM2 said is reassuring and enlightening. I don’t give to receive heaps of praise but bc it feels good, helps others, and brings people together.
We’re all a work in progress and we all need each other. I’m grateful for all of you. This time in this collective tragedy feels unprecedented but also feels a bit arrogant to think this way within a larger world scope when so many people have suffered for decades.
But here we are. Learning to heal, protect, and thrive w vulnerability and loving kindness feels like our overall greatest challenge. Yesterday, I spoke up on social media about “othering” and that both sides are guilty of name-calling. I believe psychic empaths may be more equipped than most to handle these challenges, especially if we believe in our gifts to see, heal, protect, and speak truth to power. And figuring it out as we go along.
@journeywithme2 I have been feeling burnt out caring for aging family, and trying to figure out best next steps. If you could distantly pull out some ick from my field it would be much appreciated.
I work with instinct as well as logic, and unfortunately I feel like both are necessary, but there are times when I am fatigued and losing patience with many who benefit from me not listening to my own center.
If you are too tired, I understand, but if not, would appreciate it.
I don't see everything as divided squarely into dark/light, as that leads to harsh judgment and division. I also believe that it's necessary to sit with uncomfortable feelings for a bit if we are to evolve fully.
I love this through, @jeanne-mayell Such great responses here. I totally agree with the idea of pursuing whatever brings you joy (even in small doses or when you have time) that @journeywithme2 mentioned in regards to cooking. For me, it is artwork of all kinds (even 5 minutes of doodling, pencil to paper, can be so relaxing) and spending time tending to my garden. I am not the best gardener, but love the explosion of plants and blooms at this time of year!
Thinking of plants reminded me of a book I read this spring that brought such wonder and fascination:
“The Light Eaters” by Zoe Schlanger.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196774338-the-light-eaters?from_search=true
Anything that allows you to step back mentally, find fascination, joy, awe, etc. can be so healing and can really help shift your focus (even if temporary) from the barrage of news and happenings.
...I’d acknowledged that I have to be more diligent in taking proactive steps to heal myself out of a psychic funk...
...I’d believed that any real aid came from outside of myself via angels and guides and I downplayed the empowerment that lives within me and that actually connects me to them.
Thank you for so many great insights all in one post.
As for asking and receiving healing from others, I've done this many times with my dearest friends, both sending and receiving healing. My experience is that it has been a life-saver that has gotten me through some difficult tasks.
This kind of healing from the outside, while a total godsend and a gift that is both wonderful and essential, is just one part of how empaths can stay in the light. The other part is coming from, as you put it so well, "empowerment that lives within me and that actually connects me to [others]."
So we need both, healing from outside and from within.
@anya I am but the instrument through which S/He Creator does the healing. Calling in the Divine to come to your aid sending you Light,Love and Healing to cleanse, clear and transmute and return to Divine Essence any and all negative entities, energies thought forms, patterns, programs leaving you a clear, clean channel to share your Light with this world. I am being told to remind you "You can not give from an empty cup. You must fill your own cup to the overflowing that you may give from that abundance". Even if it's just 10 - 15 minutes at the most...take those moments to "fill your cup" to stop and admire a sunrise, sunset, child's laugh, the warmth and taste of your favorite morning beverage (for some reason I see you as a tea drinker) in your favorite mug. Express gratitude for those moments. What we focus on we create more of. Take the time to do the exercise of seeing White Holy Light enter your crown and radiate through your body , filling it with Light, and send the fatigue, the sadness, the stress exiting through your feet down in to Mother Earth and thank Her for transmuting it in to Light returned to the Divine. I know.. it sound crazy... but... try it. You might be surprised at the Peace and Calmness that comes over you. Your answers you seek will rise in these moments. Hugs and Much Love!!! Oh.. editing to add : I know at times it is hard... but recall the good times when they were were younger and love between you all.
From @Andy, this guy's music and his impact on animals always uplifts me when I am off balance. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DI9aEghMGQo/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D