How to Know if You Are an Empath

Seeing Signs That You Are an Empath

Reading people's feelings without trying. Empaths know what a person is feeling regardless of how a person “looks” on the outside? He or she may be smiling, but you know absolutely they are anxious or depressed.

Finding people gravitating to you for help. Empaths are often drawn, almost compelled to help them? People you have never met before may open up their deepest secrets to you, for example, while grocery shopping. Empaths usually have a hard time saying no, as they want to help everyone.

Craving alone time. Empaths need time alone with almost no external input. This is not just a preference, but a need to avoid getting overwhelmed by emotional information from others. Energy is not the only thing that overwhelms Empaths. Other things that can overwhelm you are loud noises, bright lights, and crowded places.

Knowing information when it is asked for. Empaths have this trait even as children. Others perceived this to be precocious as you all too often answered adults in conversation with the correct answer. Sometimes, in school, you did not need to study but just knew the answers.

Feeling strong emotional impacts everywhere. Empaths feel emotions while walking down the street when passing complete strangers. Knowing, absolutely knowing, when someone is in crisis with their health or emotions? If so, do you often have a sense of what is wrong?

Feeling emotional impacts from animals as well. Empaths take in signals from people and animals, often equally. Have you ever felt in passing that a dog or cat was depressed? Joyous? Nervous? Can you help to calm or help alleviate depression in a pet, even someone else's that you just met?

Waking up startled by sudden and intense feelings, and know they are not yours?

Feeling emotional “ripples” in the world? If there is a catastrophe that elicits a strong emotional response from masses of people, can you feel them? See them?

Knowing who is calling without being near a phone or cell phone. Empaths can feel someone is reaching out. You might even tell others who is calling them and not think that is unusual.

Finding Ways to Survive and Thrive

Spend time outdoors, or with plants, sunshine or moonlight. Does this both energize you and help to feel calm? That means you're recharging your energy through nature.

Avoid large groups of people when needed. Empaths often sense too much emotional information everywhere. It is overwhelming. That said, remember that being an Empath is a gift and it needs to be treated as such. Instead of avoiding people all the time, create healthy energy habits to ground yourself.

Avoid the use of the television, especially for news, as it is upsetting rather than informative. You may even resent the broadcasters as they seem to have no emotional ties to what is happening in our world.

Be careful of the Empath's tendency to addictive personality. Empaths often crave substances and routines. Although any compulsive behavior will work, Empaths very often will use mind-altering substances. These can dampen your natural empathic ability. Not all Empaths like being Empaths. All Empaths have times when they wish they were not. Being an Empath does make parts of life more difficult. Drugs or alcohol can, for a while, help to minimize the overwhelming thoughts and feelings of others.

Do not deny being different. The truth of what sets you apart from others will not always feel like a gift. At times, it may feel like a prison or a curse. But it is a gift.

Using Empath Ability for the Good

Avoid danger or warn others when you sense hostility. Hostility is a large and unmistakable emotional mass for an Empath. Once one has sensed this specific set of vibrations and learned that it means hostility or danger, it can be avoided or sidestepped rather easily. Even if others to not know you are an Empath, in most groups it is easy to suggest taking one hallway, road or path versus another, thereby bypassing the threat.

Knowing always if someone is telling you the truth or not saves time and energy. This knowledge eliminates confusion and frustration in many aspects of life.

Being good custodians of the earth is a given with Empaths. Most Empaths are very strongly connected to the earth and all living things.

Helping others using both a professional skill and Empathic ability is also a calling for many Empaths. For clients, this ability paves the road for trust, feeling safe and supported and having someone value you for exactly who you are. Getting angry at an Empath is a big mistake and feels like having a bucket of water thrown in their face. An inexperienced Empath is likely to wonder what's going on and feel very upset. An experienced Empath might respond rather more abruptly. Either way you won't understand just how offended the other person feels. Remember that although you will always feel driven to some extent to help others and be a good custodian of our world, it is not up to you alone. Do not allow yourself to be depleted or taken hostage emotionally.