“Highly sensitive people are too often perceived as weaklings or damaged goods. To feel intensely is not a symptom of weakness, it is the trademark of the truly alive and compassionate. It is not the empath who is broken, it is society that has become dysfunctional and emotionally disabled. There is no shame in expressing your authentic feelings. Those who are at times described as being a ‘hot mess’ or having ‘too many issues’ are the very fabric of what keeps the dream alive for a more caring, humane world. Never be ashamed to let your tears shine a light in this world.” ~Anthon St. Maarten
Are you the type that becomes overwhelmed when you are with crowds and do you easily become affected by emotions that you cannot control at times? Then there is a chance that you are likely an empath, and being an empath is not easy. Anyone who is an empath can easily confirm that. What are exactly the signs that you are one? Let’s look at 5 of those signs right now:
1. You Are Extremely Sensitive
There is no going around that. Empaths are very sensitive and will be touched easily by negative or positive stimuli. This means whenever they achieve something they have worked hard for, and have been rewarded, they will cry tears of relief and happiness. And whenever they hear news about a car crash, even if the affected individuals were not seriously injured, they will cry tears of sadness.
Those who are not empaths will smile and pat themselves on the back after they achieve something and are rewarded. And those who are not empaths after hearing bad news will be worried and will ask if everyone involved is okay, but unless there is devastation, they will not cry over bad news.
2. You Feel The Feelings Of Others
Empaths will pick up on feelings of everyone else around them. This can be quite overwhelming especially if they are surrounded by those who are stressed, anxious, or sad on a constant basis. Even if someone is happy those feelings can be overwhelming as well. Empaths need to ground themselves when they are going to be around too many people for this reason.
3. You Are Overwhelmed by Negative And Stressful Situations
This is not just about picking up on someone’s negative emotions. This is about empaths being in situations that are negative. For instance, if they are having bad marriages, this can stress them out even more than someone who is not an empath being in a bad marriage (and even so, that is not easy for anyone). Additionally, empaths would not make good caregivers of those who are ill or disabled because that can spark too much negativity due to the fact that it is a job that can easily cause burnout.
If an empath is overly stressed and burned out, they end up shutting down. This is a way to protect themselves.
4. Crowds Creep You Out
Crowds are difficult for empaths for various reasons. There is too much energy from people around them that are from positive and negative and all of it is too much. This is why empaths prefer to stay home or to only hang out with a few friends who are in a neutral state.
5. Your Intuition Is Strong
Empaths have very strong intuition and psychic abilities. Many times if they are feeling overwhelmed, they feel as if something unsettling will happen. However, they also rely on their intuition when it comes to people or situations that they can easily avoid and that can save them from a lot of stress.
Are you an empath? Do you have anything else to add if you are?
Bonus: This video by Angie Atkinson offers 10 signs you’re an empath.
