In the past several months, I have been learning more about what it means to be an empath. It’s the part of my sensitivity that is most troublesome for me. Unlike crowded places and loud noises, things that I can often avoid, I am still learning about this aspect of my sensitivity – how to not get thrown off constantly by other people’s energy.
There was a time when I used to be constantly absorbing emotional energy — feeling curiosity, anger, or anxiety jumping out at me and wrestling me down to the ground. It was exhausting and enervating. Now that I am in a space where I am more consciously aware of being an empath, I have started to discover people and ideas that might help you, if you are an empath too.
One of them is Anna Sayce, whose blog I recently stumbled upon. She reads Akashic records and does intuitive work, and even if you don’t believe in “alternative stuff,” what she says in this post about the connection between our struggles and our soul gifts will likely resonate with you. It gave me food for thought and shifted things a little for me.
Anna says that “our biggest soul gift and biggest struggle in life will usually spring from the same source.” She talks about how she often sees this with her clients, this idea that our struggles and our gifts are two sides of the same coin.
For people who have the empath gift, this is how it often plays out: “On the upside, these people were born with the ability to experience what life is like for another person. They make great mediators because they can see two sides of a story and can switch their point of view easily. They are the ones who are good at caring for and looking out for others. But they can sometimes have so much compassion and understanding that they might not always look out for their own interests sufficiently. Or they might be easy to exploit. They may fail to take care of themselves while taking care of everyone around them. Most often, they may feel like their sensitivity is a burden.”
You might feel this acutely. The same thing that makes up your essence also creates problems and difficulties. It is as if we can’t have the gift without also being handed its shadow side. The challenge is to fight the monsters before you can really enjoy and utilize the gift.
If you have been struggling with your empathic abilities, this connection might give you some relief. The reason that being empathic feels like a double-edged sword is because it is double-sided and tricky. Like me, you might deeply value being empathic when you can mediate in a stressful situation and contribute something of value. And yet, the blurring of boundaries, the taking on of other people’s stuff might leave you feeling as if you are caught between a rock and a hard place.
I want to explore this dynamic and what being empathic means in more posts. In the meanwhile, do check out Anna’s blog. She has some great stuff there, and it could help answer some of the questions you might be struggling with.
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