Signs you're an empath part two!

This is fascinating!

I am so drawn to this Empath stuff! I'm having  great time doing my research, reading about other people experiences. It's interesting to see all the comparisons between the Empath traits and anxiety. It wouldn't be hard to say that all the signs are those of anxiety. At the same time who's to say that the anxiety isn't a side effect of being an empath....

So much to think about! So much to learn! The point of this post though is to cover the last few points I gathered as signs of being an empath. These are the things I related to the most, they aren't all the points I came across though.

So the first point I'm raising today is the feeling that downtime isn't a waste of time. I'm not talking about just being lazy and lounging around all the time. I interpreted it as taking those moments when all you can do is sit and chill. Quite often I find myself just emotionally and physically exhausted but not for any particular reason. It also goes hand in hand with being overwhelmed. On those days you need to just take a moment away and just decompress. Completely relax and just enjoy some quiet. I've also found that until I take those moments I'll permanently be tired and stressed. Like trying to work your spirit when it's running on empty. 

I really enjoy the days where I have no plans to do anything and I can just potter around and spend all day chilling. I couldn't do it all day every day but I definitely support recharging your spiritual batteries every so often.

This then links me very nicely into the next point which is the need for solitude. For an empath being around other people is like having constant background noise. Most of the time it's nice to have company but sometimes it's too much. It's like having a fan whirring next to you, you stop consciously hearing it but after a while it gives you a head ache. Being around others is constantly having their energy buzzing around you. Even if no one is saying or doing anything their energy is still palpable to an empath. So similar to taking some downtime, just being on your own is essential for clearing the emotions you're holding onto and getting grounded. You won't feel rejuvenated until you've released the stresses and just enjoyed some solitude.

I've never felt lonely when being on my own. If I ever do feel lonely it's when I'm amongst other people but still by myself. Left out at a group gathering for example. I enjoy being on my own. I can do what I want, when I want. Everything is how I like it and in it's own place. I find that when I'm on my own I can take everything a little slower and in my own time. I think I function at a lower vibration, a lot more chill, which is why I find chaos stressful if it goes on too long. 

Everything has it's own energy and each energy runs at it's own vibration. Hyperactive people are on a higher vibration, like a humming bird constantly moving. The chill people are on a lower vibration and are more like the sloths  just taking their time. I hope that makes sense...a lot of these things make sense in my head and then I read them back and I doubt myself.

The next point is something I get told a lot. In fact I get told the next two things a lot but I'll start with this one. Empaths are great listeners. They will sit and listen to someone without interrupting, maybe chipping in for clarification every so often, but mostly they'll just stay quiet. They will share their own problems if they completely trust the other person, this isn't  often though. 

This is something that happens to me a lot, not that I mind. I'm happy to just sit and listen to other people's problems and let them get it all out. They do get honest answers in response but I just let them talk. I've always been a listener rather than a talker. In classes at school I was happy to sit and absorb, teachers would always remark that I needed to volunteer answers more. As an adult I'm still the same. When out with friends or just in a large group I'm perfectly happy to just stand there and let someone else do the talking. I'll chime in if I have something worth adding but I won't talk just for the sake of it. I've been told this is antisocial, I don't think so though. I'm just a good listener.

Where I'm happy to listen, people come to me often to unload their problems. Again, I don't mind this, I'm happy to listen and help if I can. Offer some good advice ... 

I can't tell you how many times someone I barely know has spilled their guts to me and then said 'I'm not sure why I told you all that'.  🤷‍♀️ I'm used to it now. 

I also have a hard time saying no to people. I normally find myself in the middle of two people, each of them telling me their individual side of the same story. I'm a great secret keeper though. I could probably tell you something about everyone I know, not that it would. I am loyal and I'd never tell someone else's secret. Or my own...

The next point is being able to spot a liar or a fake person before they open their mouth. This might be from spending so much time listening to and observing people though. You subconsciously pick up on the physical tells in body language. This is also something I relate to every day. I could be having a conversation with someone or overhear something and just know in my gut that what they're saying isn't true. You know that feeling you get when you found out someone lied to you? Well I get that as they're talking, before I'm factually sure they've lied. I've learnt that it's not worth calling someone out on their lie though. I just note it and store it away for later, it's not worth the energy to point it out. 

It's not just outright lying, being deceptive or manipulative I can sense in the same way. It's like hearing an undercurrent to what they're saying. Being able to sense an ulterior motive. It can make trusting people difficult. So much bad energy.

Negative vibes are so draining. Being annoyed or angry or even being around someone else who's having a bad day can be contagious. This is probably why Empaths make good peace-makers. We'll make an effort to lift the mood and make it all more positive. Life is easier when everyone's energy is on the same wavelength. We're careful about it though, if we start to get dragged down in the negativity we'll give up and put a boundary in place instead. Being so in tune with other peoples emotions makes it easy to read someone else and know the right thing to day or do to change their emotional state. It makes us good mediators. Again I've been told that I have a calming effect on others. I don't get involved in drama, it's too stressful and draining. I'm the negative emotional neutraliser 😂👍

This last sign is probably my favourite. A love of animals and nature. A feeling of peace brought about by being outside. This I relate to so much. I love all animals. I love cats and dogs, I say a mental hello to any birds that cross my path. Road kill makes me sad, I go out of my way to save animals if I can. The other day I doubled back on a path to move a stranded worm from the pavement onto some grass. I'm a catch and release person when it comes to spiders and other bugs. I even get sad when I see trees have been cut down, it's the same as seeing a squashed animal. They're both dead because of humans who have invaded their habitat. It just doesn't seem fair.

I love being outside and exploring Woodlands. Finding secret paths through the trees. When it turns cooler in the autumn is my favourite time. I just connect with the outdoors. It's my happy place....until it rains. My emotions are effected by the weather. A lot of people get this though.

So those are the main signs in my opinion of being an Empath. Yes they could be anxiety related. Yes they're open to interpretation but I find them interesting and the more I read the more I'm believing. Recently I've been reading about alpha Empaths. The people who feel things much stronger than most. The people with the powers. They have strong intuition and can actively manifest positive things into their lives.

I'm going to do more research and then update you.

I hope this was as interesting to you as it was to me and thank you if you read down this far! When I started this blog at the beginning of the year it was just a means to get my thoughts down in writing and I didn't expect anyone to actually read them. So I'm chuffed that these are actually getting views and I can share the things I'm interested in with like minded people. Or even introduce someone to something they wouldn't have looked into before.

It's nice and I'm excited to keep posting. Thank you really, it means a lot.

L xx

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