How to Know if You’re an Empath

One way to know if you’re an empath is to reflect on how many times people have accused you of being too sensitive. Emapths are highly empathic and sensitive to the energy, emotions and suffering of others.

According to Yvonne Perry, “as spirit or energy, we are all empathic to some degree, but some people have the uncanny ability to feel energy more easily and intensely than the average person.”

Being an empath has its pros and cons. Knowing how another person is feeling and what they are experiencing is a great skill to have as a counselor, coach, or therapist of any kind. It’s also a quality that many people are drawn to in friends.

On the downside, being highly empathic can be overwhelming. Feeling an array of emotions that don’t belong to you, taking on other people’s problems, and feeling compelled to help others solve their problems is downright exhausting and sometimes debilitating.

In Yvonne Perry’s book Whose Stuff Is This?: Finding Freedom from the Negative Thoughts, Feelings, and Energy of Those Around You, she offers a comprehensive explanation of what it’s like to be an empath along with a variety of solutions for protecting yourself from other people’s energy so you can live a normal, balanced life. But first, read on to find out if you are an empath.

How to Know If You’re an Empath
There are a variety of signs of being an empath. See if you relate to one or more of these.

Taking on other people’s emotions.
Do you have strong mood swings – feeling angry, sad or depressed for no reason? You may take on the emotions of friends, family, and co-workers without realizing it. Do you cry or react easily watching the news and other television programs? You might also carry the problems of the world.

Uncomfortable in large crowds.
“Empathic people can be psychic sponges that absorb energy everywhere they go,” says Yvonne Perry. If you feel anxious, pressured or tired at large gatherings, it may be because you are sensitive to all the feelings and moods of those around you. This can be overwhelming if you don’t create healthy boundaries.

Listening to everyone’s problems.
Are you the one friends and family come to when they have problems? Do you lend your ear, insights and anything else you can give? Because empaths are so good at understanding others’ feelings, people (even strangers) tend to dump on them. This can make them vulnerable to energy vampires who drain their energy.

Feeling responsible for others.
Empaths are often kind and caring people who want to heal others’ pain and suffering. This is partly because they have difficulty separating their emotions from others. If you tend to be over responsible in caretaking and rescuing others, it may be because you are taking on problems that don’t belong to you.

Physically and emotionally drained.
We can’t process other people’s emotions and problems for them, so carrying these within us feels heavy and draining. If we don’t release other people’s energy it can lead to physical illness Some highly empathic people even match the physical symptoms of loved ones, compromising their own health even further.

If you relate to the above signs of being an empath, you’ll find comfort and helpful solutions by reading Whose Stuff Is This? by Yvonne Perry – I know I did.

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Gini Grey is a Transformational Coach, writer and teacher with a passion for personal and spiritual growth. After spending many years working for a mental health organization educating the public on mental illness and wellness topics, she returned to graduate school at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology to study wellness counseling and body/mind consciousness. Studying spiritual awareness, energy healing and energy reading at the Leyline Center for Spirituality, she loves to bring spiritual insights into her articles, books and CD, as well as into short video and audio clips. If you would like to know more about Gini Grey please visit her website  www.ginigrey.com

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