Do you have any idea how frustrating it can be to be an empath??

Being an empath is like being an entirely different species to be honest. It's hard, it REALLY is. I can easily point out who else is an empath as well. Let me tell you, their lives are not easy either. I am the only one I have met face to face that is not either on an antidepressant, or an alcoholic.

We love unconditionally. We are unable to judge someone by anything other than who they really are. We are incapable of judging you because of your religion or lack there of. We are incapable of judging you because of your financial status, or where you were raised. Judging because of skin color is a concept that we really can not imagine.

A LOT of people I am around are really more animal like than they think. "MINE" is always in their mind. I dont think they even realize it. The need to feel superior than everyone else - someone else, it is so incredibly sad to feel. I think it is because they have not found anyone who thinks of them, loves them, more than the stranger they are sitting next to.

It is frightening how far a person will go in order to push someone down beneith them so they can feel superior. Sometimes physically, most often emotionally.

This time of year - this year especially, is difficult. I try to stay home as much as possible. So many people are so depressed, and frightened. They are so consumed with material things. The "gift of giving" is a joke. Its not a gift its a sacrafice. Finding people who are giving something to someone because they want to see them smile, knowing it is something they would truely enjoy. Because they saw it and thought of that special person. - rare. If you buy this season for these reasons then bless you.
So many give because they feel they have to, and they have to give a certin amount, and certin things to these people because everyone else gives them this, and if they dont it might mean they think less of them than the others, or they dont want to disapoint yadda yadda yadda. Then there is the wonderfull "oh so and so better get me one of these" yea love that one. The people around that person, not just the one the comment was made to, feel ill at their stomach when they hear this. They usually can not pinpoint the emotion they feel at the time which confuses them. But it does make them sick to their stomach and fills them with a need to leave the room.

The stress, and depression people put on themselves because they want to give someone the world and they cant. It comes from so many. Its overwhelming.

Why do people not step up and say, dont get me anything this year, lets just get together and truely enjoy each others company?



Do you have any idea how many people watch horrible acts being committed and do nothing? How many people know of horrible acts being done and do nothing. Even to children, they do not try to help. They ALLOW it to continue. Because they dont want to taint their lives. Do you have any idea how that makes that victim feel. That child feels hopelessness. When someone makes them feel loved and wanted, - hope - then turns their back on them when the really need them. It destroies them. Do you have any idea how many children feel like this? What makes matters worse is that they have no one they can talk to, confide in. No one to lean on for stregnth. They often learn the hard way that doing so just adds to the grief. Not because of being repremanded, but being shunned by their piers. Again with pushing people down so they can feel superior.

Communities are saturated with people who have no thoght for the innocence of children. Only thoughts of themselves. You would think that they became that way because they were once one of those children themselves. Saddly that is not he case. Most of those children know how it feels so decide early not to ever treat someone like that. That or they waste away.

People so often look for miricales. They look for big earth shattering mind blowing ones. I see miricles every day. Well, every day I go out and about. Often it is one truely kind soul being there when someone needed it the most. Even if it was just an honest smile, a truely caring jesture. It ment more than the world to the person who recieved it. I love those feelings.

I find the saddest thing being the lack of emotion. At times I wish I lived in a war zone. Crazy right? But those people feel more emotion than some around here will feel in a lifetime. The amount of love they are capable of feeling for someone is beautiful. They feel so much with all they are that at times it hurts to breathe. True tears of joy, not just a pretty idea written on parchment by someone who had an outstanding daydream.

People around me are so numb. They are only capable of feeling a few emotions. Anger, resentment being the two most prominent. I think they realize they are numb and they fight to be able to feel, not understanding exactly what they are fighting. That is all most of them have left so they actually work at feeling those as much as they can. They fight for those like a dying man fights for his last breath. Perhaps they are fighting to keep their souls that have been trying to escape this twisted life they were attatched to. There is nothing natural about how we live. Nothing.

I love to surround myself with innocent ones. They see the magic in life. To see the world through their eyes is a miracle for me. I guess you could say it charges my batteries. Help me to realize there is hope.

I am finding myself becoming more and more doubtfull every day though. It is becoming more and more segregated. Us and them. Decisions are being made, people are taking sides. They reach a point where they conciously decide what side they want to be on. And they do not want us to cross that line. They do not want us to be around them. They will be polite about it... at first.

reply to post by mrsdudara


For years being an empath was very confusing to me. I didn't know what it was or why I was the only one I knew that seemed to automatically understand the real crux of a situation.

Crowds are the worst. It's like a sensory overload. Took a long time to learn to separate what other people were feeling from what I was feeling. I thought their emotions were mine. It's harder to maintain that separation in crowds or large groups.

Children are the best because they don't really judge you and aren't freaked out that you understand what they're feeling. They assume it's natural. To me, it is.

I often joke with my children that I'd rather take a beating than go to Wal-Mart on a weekend. I'm not really joking. There are such negative emotions among shoppers that it's not a pleasant place to be at all. Especially at this time of the year. I've had all my holiday shopping done since September.

Being an empath does come in handy (sometimes) in my line of work-nursing. Often people don't have the insight into their own feelings that I have so it requires a level of diplomacy to coax them into facing their real feelings. It's a gift in child-rearing and pretty much a burden any and everywhere else. Especially since most people consider being an empath to be self-delusional BS.

Yes... Call me what you like. 'sensitive, empath, psychic, telepathic' It has been very very difficult for me growing up and relating to other people because of this, as i'm only 18 and have had these types of feelings since i was a young child. Being very observant,understanding, smart and sensitive has its ups and downs. I'm starting to finally be able to harness what i have, as well as the other things. As frustrating as it can be i always believe there are reasons why. I've isolated myself from most of the outside world for reasons i've only come to understand as i've gotten older. They just don't understand and never will, which is why i understand. Though i feel this is a gift,i feel it to be a curse sometimes. I met someone, a great girl, a few years ago who is also like me and i have gotten so much more understanding of myself because of it. I do not know how i can use this to my advantage in life besides being able to be a human bull# detector. I feel every persons vibes(vibrations) i come by. I finally figured out this is why i have anxiety around groups of people. Its like a sensory overload of emotions, thoughts and feelings. It was a real struggle growing up and being intuitional around groups of different people. Reading your post has made me upset and i feel what you mean. Knowing without knowing can be a big mind # sometimes and sometimes i kind of try to prove myself wrong when i know i'm right. If you ever feel like talking more about this in private, feel free to contact me somehow off of ats.

if i had any idea how you felt, i'ld be empathic!!!

okay, nothing constructive to add, but maybe a joke will make you feel a little better.

pieman, you crack me up!

whitewave, diplomacy, that is the perfect way to put it.

jvm, thanks for your adding your story.

I am not upset about being an empath. I truely am not. I have had years to adjust to it. My sadness comes from the other empaths I know, and the sadness in their eyes. Their confusion. Their pain. Watching them be shunned by those they thought loved them. Not understanding why some people avoid them like the plague. Knowing they are different, but not being able to pinpoint why. They are so precious but they can not see it. How can they when they can only feel how others feel about them? That is what my rant is about.

I am just feeling more and more protective of them. Especially right now.

I expected the depressed, worried, stressed emotions that come this time of year. I expected them to be worse this year because of the financial crisis. I did NOT expect those emotions to turn into the level of Anger, Resentment, animosity, and hatred that it has.

Everything is going to be a lot harder on them now.

Just as the unhappy child plucks the wings off a butterfly, these unhappy people will take it out on the innocent first. It used to be that I would feel sadness for those unhappy people, because most of them truely did not understand what they were doing or why. If that child understood how that butterfly felt, Surely, if he could feel what he was doing to that butterfly - he would not do it.
BUT the gut wrenching FACT is that most of them still would. They find a revolting comfort in it.

I wish I had wings to wrap these innocent children up in so I could protect them.




After reading this, I realize I have labeled them innocent children. I would like to explain the reason I use that term.

They are all ages, not just children. Most of them would not consider themselves innocent. As many of them have not obided by the morals most relate with innocence. The reason I call them innocent children, is because that is how they see everything. Even the 80 year old lady, who has done her fair share of living - wiggles eyebrows - can be an innocent child to me. She still 'feels' (empathy wise) the same as an innocent newborn child. Honestly I'm finding it hard to put into words the more I think of it.

Star for you pieman. Good one. You always make me smile.

I didn't know what it was or why I was the only one I knew that seemed to automatically understand the real crux of a situation.

Spot on!

This thread is awesome. I was actually thinking of setting up an E-Z board for other empaths. Idea came to me a few weeks ago. Whaddya think? I dnt wanna pay bandwidth but if someone would help with the admin I'd go there every day. I reckon there's loads of us.

OK. I've dealt with this myself and I know the harsh side, but I'm going to give some tips that helped me to realise the gift aspect of this...

1) A raw food diet great for emotional health. We have a physical immune system, also an emotional immune system, which is closely related to diet. It sounds like you'all have low emotional immune systems.
Also bad vibes from meat will hurt you.

2) Be selective about company. Don't let people catch on that you're an empath cos they'll use tricks to make you feel like **** and vamp your energy

3) OK, we are radios right? Well, you guys are only tuning into the pain. You can't really switch off completely (more later) but you can try and tune in to the holy joy of life. Even if people are depressed there is an underlying joy. I know what you mean about walmart and crowds giving you a beating!

4) I've hung around in an international community for years and I'll tell you; A lot of cool people I know are Yanks, so Im not bashing them, but- 90% of the American people are really emotionally messed up, passive aggressive in the extreme. To top that, most of them have managed the awful art of telegraphing utter contempt and disrespect under a veneer of politeness. You know all that "intonation". Drives me up the wall. It's actually very painful. I feel for any empaths over there cos I literally couldn't take it. Again, I've had some good American friends but...

5) You are all focussing on the passive aspect. We are not just receivers but powerful transmitters. We're not supposed to go around picking up everything, we can broadcast a bit of peace too.

6) YOU CAN SWITCH OFF! Learn how to do it. Again, it comes down to immune systems and practice. If you're taking a beating everytime you go shopping you'll be drained and ineffectual. Believe me I've been there.

7) Hang around with Asians or central Europeans!!!! I've been doing this for a while now. I'm actually out in China now. A) Asians, in general, are a lot more self-contained and emotionally mature. It's such a breath of fresh air being around them. Ruskies and Poles are very direct and open people, same with Germans. B) As far as being around Asians, I'm European, so even if they are feeling bad it's pretty hard for me to tune in! I'm literally 90 per cent oblivious to they're bad vibes! But if I even so much as walk past a European here I can tune in immediately and their contempt, anger and self-hatred literally clings to me for hours.

8) Watch comedy. Helps to transmute the bad vibes.

More later... How about that forum???????????? If only two others say yes I'll set it up.

EDIT: Empath forums already exist, wow!






[edit on 6-1-2009 by HiAliens]