Tips to Help with Over-Active Empathy came from the inspiration of fellow blogger jay-wolff who wrote:
“Hey there, I’m an Empath as well, and I just read your last post. My questions are, how do you distinguish who’s feelings you’re receiving? Most of the time I can pinpoint the source, but sometimes I can’t.
I just get confused on what I’m feeling, and don’t know whether it’s mine or theirs. Same thing when someone says one thing, but the feeling I receive is another. I feel like it’s cause some people aren’t honest about their feelings and intentions, but I remain open to them cause I also don’t want to assume something that’s not.
With that said, How do you stay grounded, and desynchronize yourself from others?”
— jay-wolff
Very Good Question to Ask! Many Sensitives as they start becoming more susceptible to energy, experience the Awakening Heart. The Awakening heart is what gives us the gift of empathy. The ability to feel others emotions as if they were our own. This can even create an unconscious wound trigger if we’re not careful. With that being said, the gift of empathy can be both a gift and a curse.
People who are hyper-sensitive towards energy suddenly are propelled with feeling and reading energy. This also creates a very common problem of overactive empathy aka the emotional sponge. This can happen when our empathy becomes so strong that we start having an overactive heart chakra which can lead to being an Emotional Sponge. Some call this over-active empathy but what is really happening is you’re tapping into their frequency so that you are feeling their emotions strongly in alignment with your own.
HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU’RE EXPERIENCING OVERACTIVE- EMPATHY?
If you were to imagine yourself in a bubble this is your aura. Everyone else has a bubble but when you are sensitive you can feel the emotions/thoughts of other’s bubbles interweaving with yours. This is a big issue many sensitives face because once we start opening up our energy, we begin feeling everyone’s emotional *everything* which can get claustrophobic, overwhelming, exhausting or even demanding.
SIGNS OF OVERACTIVE EMPATHY
- You may feel a deep desire to “fix” other people
- A feeling of intense overwhelm with an inability to focus
- A sudden wave of sadness for no reason when you were happy the entire day
- You often unconsciously attract energy vampires or people who drain your energy
- Your emotions are completely out of control where you feel a bit like a manic-depressive
- You feel people’s emotions especially loved ones distant or far.
- You possess the gift to heal but also struggle with energy management
- You sometimes are confused on what emotions are yours & what aren’t
- You physically feel others pain to the point where it becomes your own problems, such as aches/pains, emotional upheaval, depression, situations or even sympathetic pain at distance.
Being Empathetic is truthfully a beautiful gift because it teaches you so much about other people’s energy, their emotions and why they behave the way they do. It is also a great tool to read energy bodies or heal others through shamanism or healing methods such as reiki.
However this gift can be a curse if you don’t know how to guide it or understand it.
9 TIPS TO HELP FOR AN EMPATHETIC SPONGE:
1. DAILY CHECK-INS
You have to think of yourself like a fishing pole, you’re hooking into these emotions which aren’t necessarily yours so you have to detach yourself from them. Come back to your own energy, repeatedly. Focus on something only you would know, experience, or something that makes you happy. I used to have this problem a lot, so i confessed to my friend one day and he told me:
“This is because you are living inside of these people, you are neglecting your own center“.
Let that sink in really deep, You are neglecting your own center.
Find your way back to your own energy.
Ask yourself: Is this me or someone else’s pain?
Soul Medicine: Pick something only YOU would know where you can shift the focus like thinking “I love that dress” or “the clouds are gorgeous today”. Song lyrics, your favorite color, a mantra or affirmation. Anything to switch the focus and “Check-In” with your own energy body. This helps move the energy instead of cycling the reactive emotion. You need to repeatedly come back to your home frequency by thinking of something only you would know.
2. RAISE IT UP
Your frequency that is…usually when you are stuck in an empathetic sponge loop it is spiraling your energy downhill. The crazy part is deep down You know this isn’t you which is why it makes it feel so paralyzing and debilitating.
When we feel other’s emotions we take them into ourselves. So to counterbalance that, you have to push back into your own emotions by raising them. Instead of feeling by expressing reactive thought, try raising your emotions positively through understanding and compassion by observation.
Ask Yourself: Am I stuck in a negative loop?
Soul Medicine: Find healthy ways to raise your moods so you don’t keep sucking in the negative empathy on accident and fall down again. Chances are you will see it was the other person’s energy you were feeling, not you. Raise their mood with you.
For instance dealing with someone who is always depressed or stressed, you have to react differently than what they are emitting. This is the start of healing energy, when you project back from a higher place of love, understanding and compassion.
So rather than giving back those feelings of grumpiness or stress, bring the conversation upward. Maybe find something funny to say or something that would make this person smile instead, change the topic even if it’s bringing you down. The idea here is shifting focus is key to transforming emotional reactions into Conscious Actions of our own home frequency.
This lessens friction others are emitting and instead starts putting the energy back into harmony
3. DON’T FIX THEIR PROBLEM FOR THEM
You don’t fix someone else’s moods for them, it just doesn’t work that way. The biggest lesson about being a healer is learning the boundary of guiding vs controlling energy. If you’re a parent this is a crucial stepping stone of understanding but as a healer it’s essential to understand. We can give help, advice, & healing energy but we can’t control their will, actions or force our ideas onto them. They have to learn it themselves.
Ask Yourself: Am I unconsciously controlling the situation or Am I guiding it?
Soul Medicine: Realize they must learn this themselves. If you’re a healer stop saying you are fixing people and instead realize you are guiding them. They do the fixing. 😉
4. LEARN TO TUNE YOUR OWN FREQUENCY
Maybe country isn’t your thing, what do you do? You turn the station. You are a frequency. Remember this and you will be golden. Just like you are tuning a radio if overactive empathy is causing havoc in your life, turn the station to a different channel. Radiate towards peace instead of feeding the pain and suffering channel. Guide your thoughts to a healthier you. This Article goes into more depth about Frequency.
Ask yourself: What can I do in this moment to serve me better?
Then do it!
Soul Medicine: If it means getting some air, changing the conversation, a joke, do it. Change the channel. You always have the will power to do it.
5. FIND YOUR INNER COMPASS
Consciousness is a guide map to understanding emotional pain, this means we need to also understand our Inner world, the Subconscious. The subconscious is our container for our long term memory which also carries the deep past wounds we have had since birth.
Ask yourself: Has this happened already, Am I stuck in a past hurt?
Soul Medicine: Realize that these are Past Wounds, resistance you already let go of long ago. This is not your battle, it is not even your fight. This is memories of your Past Identity. Once you see this perspective, you will see you can either go South or Go North. I think it’s best we go upward yes? Remember this is all just memories.
6. FIND COMPASSION
Don’t ignore, shun or run away form this person. This person is entering your psychic sphere for a reason. Give them love, bless them with healing energy and give them compassion by listening to their frequency. It’s very benefical to understand the difference between helping heal with love and compassion instead of ignoring their energy completely.
Ask Yourself: Am I running away from people or Am I choosing to listen to them?
Soul Medicine: We don’t take on their energy for nothing, we take on their energy to give them love and healing light towards the pain/suffering they are experiencing. Choose love over fear every time.
7. CUT ENERGETIC CORDS
Visualize Yourself cutting a thread, a golden cord or even an umbilical cord if it’s family telling the energy I release this suffering & pain from my experience. If empathy is overwhelming you, you aren’t allowing their energy to grow. You must release and cut cords to find peace again.
Ask Yourself: Who’s energy and/or emotional pain am I not letting go of?
Soul Medicine: Cutting Cords doesn’t mean they disappear from your life, it means they are not energetically a cling monkey to you anymore. This is beneficial as a healer but is a great tool for all relationships especially toxic ones.
8. SACRED SPACE
If you are an empathetic sponge your emotions are a pin pong ball. This is the best wake up call to recharge your energy. Sometimes space is a really really good thing. Honor your personal Hula Hoop. As an empath it’s always best to recenter, recharge and realign into our own frequency. Find your recharging space.
Ask Yourself: When was the last time I was alone in my own hula hoop?
Soul Medicine: When we see that we are honoring our own space, we feel our own energy body and personal field of consciousness. Sometimes it is absolutely necessary to have a sacred space where you can recharge. If you live with others, contemplate ideas as to how you can make time for you such as reading a book, going for a bath, a nice walk, stepping outside on your porch, stargazing, or even stepping into the bathroom for a bit. Find your Recharging Space to recenter and realign.
9. MAKE YOUR SOUL HAPPY AGAIN
If you’re dealing with overactive empathy, you may be suffering from depression, restlessness, anxiety or just general exhaustion. This is why you need to raise your vibrations by making yourself happy again. Overactive Empathy connects to the solar plexus and this is why it’s really good to make your soul sing again with a happy heart and centered core. Keep it simple, find ways where you can create happiness in your energy field again so you can be YOU again.
Ask Yourself: What Am I passionate about, What makes my soul sing with joy?
Soul Medicine: The awakened heart is a heart filled with compassion, empathy and divine purpose. Go where Joy leads you ultimately. Find what feels good, be playful, stay light and open towards possibility. Bring yourself Joy again. What are you passionate about? What could help you feel better after this draining situation? How can you feel like you again? Find yourself and your world will start shifting with it to happier days ahead.
Hope this helps you on your journey!
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One Response
Hi…im 12 years old. I think i had empath when i was 10 but now i cant sence other peoples feelings..but i can sence animal feelings.. i could sence animal feeling when i was 5. Sometimes i can sence other peoples feelings.
Do u know what that means?
Please help