Let me start this post with defining what makes an individual an empath. An empath is a person who can feel the emotional and/or mental state of other people. They can walk into a room of people and, as I call it, feel the vibes coming off of everyone.
Personally, I hated being an empath up until about six months ago. I could not stand having all of these extra emotions that didn’t make any sense. I didn’t understand why I got so mad when the people I love got mad, or why people with anxiety cause my anxiety to sky rocket. I always looked at my empathic nature was a negative part of my being. It was a stressful part of who I was.
As I battled my depression and won, my perspective on being an empath has drastically changed. I focused on the negative so long that I never gave the positive side a chance. I was never aware of the positive impact that being an empath had on my life and my relationships.
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5 Reasons Why Being an Empath Isn’t All That Bad
1.You feel emotions on a deeper level than others.
The first phrase that comes to mind with this first point is “You’re so sensitive” or “You’re too intense”. At one point in my life, I was really self-conscious about this. I tried to put up this fake barrier to act tough. I pretended that I cared less or didn’t care at all when in reality, I cared a lot.
Living in denial of my true self did a slight bit of damage to me.
I’ve since began to embrace this part of myself. To those that call me sensitive, I now respond with So what? To those that see me as too intense, you probably aren’t worth my time and emotions anyways. There is absolutely nothing wrong with expressing emotion. There is nothing wrong with feeling much deeper emotions than others. I’ve come to accept that my ability to care so deeply about situations and people connects me on a totally different level and strengthens my relationships. Which leads me into my next point.
2. Your relationships with those that you care about will be stronger
When you feel as deeply as I do about most aspects of life, you tend to stay loyal to those that you care about. You build much stronger connections in your life. You tend to be the go-to person for advice. You are loyal and dependable.
This loyalty doesn’t just work with relationships in your personal life. It also can overlap into your career. I was a General Manager for five years and I had the lowest turnover rate of any other store. That’s not common. My employees stayed with me because of my ability to connect with them. They were not just a number or a position. I saw them as humans and I treated them as such. I had compassion for those that worked for me and I also had a different mindset towards my customers. They referred to my staff and I as there family.
3. You can identify bad situations and bad people
There are people in this world that just are never going to be good for you. There will be decent individuals that you will never vibe with. You will know as soon as you meet these people. This has helped me avoid some rather sketchy situations and individuals. I’m not going to participate in an activity or event when I’m getting off vibes. When I meet someone, it’s not instantaneous. I have to put my feelers out and gauge the individual as they are talking or doing whatever. It typically takes me around 20–30 minutes to figure out whether I’m okay with someone or not. If I make my decision to quickly, I may read them wrong. I’ve had some bad reads on people and after a little bit more time spent with them, it changed.
4. You see the world in a different color
I don’t mean that you color issues with your eyes. You look through a different lens that other people. We tend to be very observant individuals. We catch facial expressions and body language that other people might miss.
When you see the world differently, your perspective on situations and problems is different, as well. This is the most likely reason that people come to you for advice. Have you ever wondered why people just feel comfortable in your presence? They just open up without any coaxing. People are comfortable with you. They’ve been around you and seen the way your mind works. You are more open in general. You are a safe place, because you have better understanding of the world around you.
5. You can heal those around you
I’ve had people approach me and tell me that just being around me makes there day better. In the deepest part of my depression, the people around me still referred to me as a ray of sunshine. As empaths, we radiate our energy. We put out vibes that are welcoming and free of judgement. We meet everyone with open arms mentally and emotionally.
I used to complain that I only attracted broken people. They only came to me so that I could fix them. Why am I fixing everyone? I’m fricking tired. I realized that I was not taking care of myself properly. I was pouring from an empty glass. Once I started taking better care of myself, I realized that I could help those around me and be a beacon of light for others.
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You have the capability of making people feel better just by existing. That’s pretty amazing in my opinion. You get to feel situations and people before anyone else does. I feel as if empaths focus on all the negative effects it has on our lives. We tend to lose sight of just how wonderful our ability truly is.
If you are an empath, embrace the positive. Be that ray of light you and I both know you can be.
If you have an empath in your life, remember that they see and feel the world differently than you.Embrace it with them.
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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Photo credit: Ashley Whitlatch on Unsplash