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Are You An Emotional Empath?
Are You An Emotional Empath?
Adapted
from Dr. Judith Orloff’s new book “Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself From Negative Emotions and Transform Your
Life” (Harmony Books, 2009)
Empaths are highly sensitive, finely tuned instruments when it comes to emotions.
They feel everything, sometimes to an extreme, and are less apt to intellectualize feelings. Intuition is the filter through
which they experience the world. Empaths are naturally giving, spiritually attuned, and good listeners. If you want heart,
empaths have got it. Through thick and thin, they’re there for you, world-class nurturers.
The trademark of empaths
is that they know where you’re coming from. Some can do this without taking on people’s feelings. However, for
better or worse, others, like myself and many of my patients, can become angst-sucking sponges. This often overrides the sublime
capacity to absorb positive emotions and all that is beautiful. If empaths are around peace and love, their bodies assimilate
these and flourish. Negativity, though, often feels assaultive, exhausting. Thus, they’re particularly easy marks for
emotional vampires, whose fear or rage can ravage empaths. As a subconscious defense, they may gain weight as a buffer. When
thin, they’re more vulnerable to negativity, a missing cause of overeating explored in my book Positive Energy. Plus,
an empath’s sensitivity can be overwhelming in romantic relationships; many stay single since they haven’t learned
to negotiate their special cohabitation needs with a partner.
When empaths absorb the impact of stressful emotions,
it can trigger panic attacks, depression, food, sex and drug binges, and a plethora of physical symptoms that defy traditional
medical diagnosis from fatigue to agorophobia. Since I’m an empath, I want to help all my empath-patients cultivate
this capacity and be comfortable with it.
Empathy doesn’t have to make you feel too much all the time. Now that
I can center myself and refrain from shouldering civilization’s discontents, empathy continues to make me freer, igniting
my compassion, vitality, and sense of the miraculous. To determine whether you’re an emotional empath, take the following
quiz.
QUIZ: AM I AN EMPATH?
Ask yourself:
•Have I been labeled as “too emotional” or
overly sensitive?
•If a friend is distraught, do I start feeling it too?
•Are my feelings easily hurt?
•Am
I emotionally drained by crowds, require time alone to revive?
•Do my nerves get frayed by noise, smells, or excessive
talk?
•Do I prefer taking my own car places so that I can leave when I please?
•Do I overeat to cope with
emotional stress?
•Am I afraid of becoming engulfed by intimate relationships?
If you answer “yes”
to 1-3 of these questions, you’re at least part empath. Responding “yes” to more than 3 indicates that you’ve
found your emotional type.
Recognizing that you’re an empath is the first step in taking charge of your emotions
instead of constantly drowning in them. Staying on top of empathy will improve your self-care and relationships.
Emotional
Action Step. How To Find Balance
Practice these strategies to center yourself.
•Allow quiet time to emotionally
decompress. Get in the habit of taking calming mini-breaks throughout the day. Breathe in some fresh air. Stretch. Take a
short walk around the office. These interludes will reduce the excessive stimulation of going non-stop.
•Practice
guerilla meditation. To counter emotional overload, act fast and meditate for a few minutes. This centers your energy so you
don’t take it on from others.
•Define and honor your empathic needs. Safeguard your sensitivities. Here’s
how.
•If someone asks too much of you, politely tell them “no.” It’s not necessary to explain
why. As the saying goes, “No is a complete sentence.”
•If your comfort level is three hours max for socializing--even
if you adore the people--take your own car or have an alternate transportation plan so you’re not stranded.
•If
crowds are overwhelming, eat a high-protein meal beforehand (this grounds you) and sit in the far corner of, say, a theatre
or party, not dead center.
•If you feel nuked by perfume, nicely request that your friends refrain from wearing it
around you. If you can’t avoid it, stand near a window or take frequent breaks to catch a breath of fresh air outdoors.
•If
you overeat to numb negative emotions, practice the guerilla meditation mentioned above, before you’re lured to the
refrigerator, a potential vortex of temptation. As an emergency measure, keep a cushion by the fridge so you can be poised
to meditate instead of binge.
•Carve out private space at home. Then you won’t be stricken by the feeling of
too much togetherness. (Chapter 8 discusses nontraditional living settings compatible with an empath’s comfort zone.)
Over
time, I suggest adding to this list to keep yourself covered. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel each time you’re
on emotional overload. With pragmatic strategies to cope, empaths can have quicker retorts, feel safer, and their talents
can blossom.
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About
Judith Orloff
Judith Orloff MD, an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA and intuition expert, is author of
the new book Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself From Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life (Harmony Books, 2009) Her
other bestsellers are Positive Energy, Intuitive Healing, and Second Sight. Dr. Orloff synthesizes the pearls of traditional
medicine with cutting edge knowledge of intuition and energy medicine. She passionately believes that the future of medicine
involves integrating all this wisdom to achieve emotional freedom and total wellness. www.drjudithorloff.comFREE MINI VIDEO CLASSES ON YOUTUBE FOR YOU!
Please check
out “Dr. Orloff’s Living Room Series” to find out more about the special method Dr. Orloff recommends to
remember your dreams and other topics to build the power within. Stop by www.youtube.com/judithorloffmd anytime.
http://www.drjudithorloff.com/Free-Articles/emotional-empath-EF.htm
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