Are you an empath? If you are, do you know how to embrace being one? If you or someone you know is an empath, keep reading to learn more about how to embrace being an empath and live an amazing life.

The word empath is used a lot more lately, but what exactly is an empath? According to Dr. Judith Orloff, an empath is someone with an extremely reactive neurological system. Empaths absorb the positive and negative energy around them. I am an empath myself and understanding myself has been a key component to living well. A side note, did you know there are different types of empaths? I will write more about that in another post.

If you are an HSP (highly sensitive person) you could be an empath and it is likely all empaths are HSP’s.  The truth is that about 20% of the population falls into the category of being an HSP. So, empaths are an even smaller subset of the population. The small number of empaths in the world can make it challenging to understand yourself and even find role models/examples of successful empaths.

How does being an empath impact your life?

Besides it being harder to find examples of yourself in the world, being an empath can impact your life in many other ways.

Empaths are able to sense energy and may even be able to sense how a person is feeling. Some empaths can pick up how physical sensations from individuals, while others are able to sense all of these things in animals.

Empaths are most likely exhausted from absorbing all this energy, they also don’t enjoy the same activities as others (such as large crowds and loud concerts) and rarely feel like they truly belong.

As an empath you may have been told things like “you are too sensitive” or “why do you take everything so personally?” and many other messages there was something wrong with you. Human beings have an inherent need for community. It is essential for our survival.

So, what is an empath to do when they don’t feel like they are truly part of a community?

Usually, adapt. Empaths find ways to “fit in” and attend loud concerts. We keep the truth of how somethings make us feel to ourselves. Because we want to belong we may even deny our feelings.  Numbing through substances, working too hard, or just pushing through our days is very common.

How can an Empath be happy?  

If you are feeling some deep sadness as an empath, learn more about “Does being an Empath Cause Depression.” I am here to tell you that you are OK exactly the way you are. You were born this way and designed by Divine to be an empath. If you believe that you were made this way on purpose, or even if you are just starting to believe that, it is time to embrace being an empath and live an amazing life. Here are some strategies.

Notice your strengths

You may not enjoy what the other 80% plus find fun, you may not react the same way to situations or scenarios, and you may get tired sooner when you are out in public AND you have strengths that others don’t. When you think of how to embrace being an empath, you must focus on what you bring to the world.

What are your strengths? Can you make a list? What are your superpowers?

1. Do you have the ability to really listen and support others?
2. Can you easily support others?
3. Are you a calming presence?
4. Can you immediately tell how someone is feeling or what they need?

These are just some questions to ask yourself to begin the exploration of your strengths. I am going to encourage you to spend some time with this exercise. Ask others what they love about you in addition to your internal exploration.  Take a good look at all the things that come easily to you.

Discover what you really like

In order to live an amazing life, it is vital that you understand yourself and what you enjoy. Once you have explored your strengths, then take a look at what you really want to do, what your activities you look forward to.

Examine how you spend your time on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis and pick out the things you really enjoy. You can also write a separate list of things you really dislike and still do only because you think you need to in order to fit in and have a social life.

Take a look at your list and make some choices, increase the amount of time that you spend doing things that you truly enjoy. Decrease or eliminate the things you don’t like or just do because you feel like you have to.

An important note: When you make these changes some people may not like that you are changing and that’s ok, the people who really care about you are willing to adapt to your way of doing things.

Forgive yourself

Forgive yourself for saying no to things that you don’t want to do. Let go of the need to examine your past and wish you embraced who you are different. You needed those experiences to make you who you are today.

Imagine that wounded inner child and send her love. If you need to work on self-forgiveness, this is part of the work I do with my clients, please contact me for a complimentary 30-minute clarity session.

Learn more about being an Empath

I am going to encourage you to learn more about your strengths, more about what it means to be an empath this how to embrace being an empath. The more you learn about yourself, the easier it is to embrace who you are. When you understand yourself then you can make decisions to honor you and your uniqueness.  Honoring yourself is key to living and amazing life.