@rowsella, you just jogged my memory. When I'm out with a group of boisterous people, even if they are my friends, I can become really exhausted. I also used to think it was because of my introversion (although I'm not a really strong "I"). One of my friends once remarked about me that, in some of those situations, "you make yourself small."
Maybe so. But it's what I call "self-preservation!" ?
I've taken the Meyer's Briggs test several times. It says I'm in INFJ. First letter I= introvert. I've never been totally comfortable with the thought that I'm an introvert. Yes, I do cherish my alone quite time. But I can be very social given the right mood and occasion, and I'm the kind that people ask for help when there are many others around who could be asked. I wish I could remember where I read it or who said it, but I came across the description of introvert and extrovert that finally resonated with me. An extrovert is someone who looks outward for approval and answers, while an introvert looks inward for approval and answers.
So I answered a solid "yes" to 11 of these questions, while for 4 others my answer was "maybe, it depends." One of those "maybe" questions was #18, about recuperating after being with difficult people or energy vampires. There's really no one I interact with on a daily basis who fits the definition of an energy vampire, which to me suggests two possible scenarios. Either I'm not sensitive to energy vampires at all, or I'm so sensitive that once I detect the faintest whiff of an energy-sapping individual, I unconsciously steer far away from them (or perhaps my spirit guides are doing the steering). Does anyone else experience this dynamic?
Also, I'm hearing-impaired to an extent. If I'm focused and really engaged, I can understand everything being said in a conversation. But I can choose not to focus, and when that happens spoken English starts sounding like a foreign language. So maybe difficult individuals/energy vampires don't effect me much because whenever I'm around them I choose to disengage by not listening to what they're saying.
Have you ever taken the 16Personalities test? www.16personalities.com it's quite interesting. Every Meyers Briggs test I've taken says I'm INFJ, and 16personalities is just a fascinating site, full of info. I'm wondering how many empaths are INFJ.
I believe how empathic one is also depends upon the strength of their yes. My 15 score might not be as strong as someone else with the same score. . I know my children would be a much stronger yes on some of those questions than I am.
I don't think you need to be a strong empath to feel either. Someone with an open heart like you will feel what this President has done very strongly no matter what they scored. Being a part of this community has given me hope that we will get through these times. It has allowed me to then give hope to and calm other brokenhearted people I know who are not members of this community.
In your day to day activities, look for good, beauty, joy and things that will bring a smile to your face. It will help balance the things Turd Face is doing and their effect upon your spirit. When you feel more of those crushing moments happen, consider doing Jeanne's meditation on this site. It can be very helpful.
15. Do I absorb other people’s stress, emotions, or symptoms?
3. Do arguments or yelling make me ill?
For me, this is the strongest hit. When I was a young child, if kids were fighting, I'd feel their aggression and want to join in the fight....if for no other reason than to fight the both of them to make the aggression stop! I'd absorb it like a sponge.
Even as an adult, if I hear fighting (or see a child crying from pain or especially frustration) I really have to check myself. I feel their pain and frustration. I look for the source of it, because I want the source to change or acknowledge the issue.
The whole thing with the US is causing me to eat my feelings (#9). Ugh! Stupid carbs.
HI All, I scored 14 out of 20 on this test. Explains a lot to me. I always knew I was sensitive, (which is how I used to be a "card" reader on a line) I wasn't really good at the tarot, it was more a sensitivity to others on the phone. My specialty was helping the folks on the phone understand their and others emotions. I helped them to see and figure out feelings. I could always do this more comfortably on the phone than in person because I didn't absorb as much of their energy remotely.
One of my best and dearest friends died in December, 2004. Sue was a psychic medium who became a mentor, friend and I miss her everyday. When we first met many years ago, She told me I was psychic (which at the time I didn't believe initially). She taught me how to read for others. She was a Virgo with many Virgo planets and her mother was a Pisces. Sue had a hard time understanding her erratic mother's emotions (her mom had some mental health issues too). I understood them easily so I would explain what she was feeling and why. Which is how I started reading. Sue foretold and knew she was going to die at the age and time she did. She even said there would be a disaster in which she was needed to help those to cross over of a great magnitude. She died 12/16/2004, 10 days before the Indonesian Tsunami.
This site and these topics have been such a blessing. I have had only a few people like Sue to speak to since her passing. This site has opened up that ability again. Thank you Jeanne, and all of you, for being such a loving community.
I feel that I finally have a reason to join the conversation! I am a 17 . For the longest time, I have been reading posts here on the forum, but since I didn't feel that I had the extraordinary gifts you all have, I would just read and learn. But I have been declared a full empath by psychologists in the past. So how can I help others using this quality? Currently, it is just causing me to be reactive to my environment. I do lead and teach in performing arts circles where I am.... I feel that this is how I help others but can I be doing more? Needless to say, I am sensitive to the current state of affairs with Twitler. But I rely on you all to give me peace through your psychic visions...