You may have heard the word empath. You may feel a connection to this and feel you are one but are unsure if this is you. So what exactly is an empath?

As an empath, you are open to picking up emotions and or physical sensations from others and absorb them into your own body. As an empath, you don't have the usual filters that non-empaths have; therefore, you feel everything!

You can feel the invisible energy and vibrations around you. You are capable of deep love, intuition, creativity, and connections with others, but you have to learn how to set clear boundaries.

If you are undergoing a lot of stress in your life, you may be aware of becoming extra-sensitive and empathetic, so you need to practice an increased amount of self-care. Your challenge is how to stay open and loving but not try to "fix" everyone or take on the stress of the world into your own body.

Other People's Energies And Vibrations Effect An Empath

Besides picking up other people's energies and emotions, you also have an innate ability to feel and perceive others intuitively. Being an empath is not just being highly sensitive, nor is it just limited to emotions.

Empaths can perceive physical sensitivities and just knowing the motivations and intentions of other people, especially if the intentions of the other person are not good.

Without even trying, you can pick up and all the tiny details. How people speak, tone of voice, use of words, what they don't say, body language, shifts in energy, and vibrations are all picked up by an Empath.

Some empaths pick other people's physical pain as well as feeling emotional pain.

You Either Are An Empath Or You're Not

To be an empath is not a skill that is learned. An empath is always open, so to speak, to process other people's feelings and energy. This means that you really feel, and in many cases, take on the emotions of others.

This can be confusing for an empath in differentiating between their's and another's emotions. Many empaths experience things like chronic fatigue, environmental sensitivities, or unexplained aches and pains daily.

These are all things that are more likely to be contributed to outside influences and not so much yourself at all. Essentially you are walking around in this world with all of the accumulated karma, emotions, and energy from others.

You Need And Crave Solitude

Recharging your batteries is a must for empaths. To do this they need and crave solitude. They need quiet time away from everyday life. Because you soak up everyone's emotions and energy as an empath, you need this time alone to bring yourself back into balance and know how you are feeling, without the interference of others.

Spending time in nature, meditating, taking a bath, reading, and doing anything that brings you peace are great ways to bring yourself back into balance with your own energy.

Being an empath doesn't just mean having a lot of compassion. In many ways, empaths don't have the normal filters other people do. They take in a lot of what's going on around them and are very sensitive to noise, smell, and excessive talking. This means they are easily overwhelmed in crowds and can be exhausted after just short periods of time in social situations.

To Find If You Truly Are An Empath, Here Are Some Of The Common Traits Of An Empath

Claircognizance

As an empath, you just know stuff without being told. It's a knowing that goes way beyond intuition or gut feelings, even though that is how many would describe the knowing.

It's important for an empath just coming into awareness of their gift to trust this knowing. The more attuned they are, the stronger this gift becomes, also known as Claircognizance.

Know When Someone Is Lying

The truth has a different energy frequency, which empaths can feel. They know when someone is lying or not. Basically, empaths have a built-in BS detector!

You can tell when you are being told a lie almost immediately, you won't always let the other person know you know, but you know! If a family member or a close friend is telling you a lie, many empaths try not to focus on this too much as it can be painful to acknowledge.

If a person is saying one thing, but their vibration tells you something different, this is very obvious to an empath. The more attuned you are, it can sometimes be difficult to hear what the other person is saying verbally if their vibration is telling you something different, as the vibration is "speaking" louder to the empath.

Being In Public Places Can Be Overwhelming

Places like supermarkets, stadiums, concerts, airports, or the movies, anywhere there are lots of people around, can be an overwhelming experience for an empath. Being hit by such a huge array of emotions coming at them from all directions simultaneously.

Without room to breathe and focus, it can be hard to discern one emotion from another for the empath. This can be extremely draining and confusing.

In situations like this, many empaths have difficulty figuring out how they feel themselves, as they feel so many conflicting emotions. And for most empaths, it's not just sensing all these emotions around you; you actually feel them as if they are your own. For example, if someone has anxiety, you feel anxious.

Feeling Others Emotions And Taking Them On As Your Own

This is a huge one for empaths. As I mentioned above, it's not just sensing other people's emotions. You actually feel them as if they are yours.

Some feel emotions off those nearby. With other empaths, they will feel emotions from those a vast distance away, or both. The more adept empath will know if someone has bad thoughts about them, even from a great distance.

Taking On Physical Symptoms Of Another

An empath will almost always develop the ailments of another person (colds, infections, headaches, muscle strain, body aches, etc). Especially those they're closest to, it's sort of like going out in sympathy for another.

Like emotions, an empath can feel another person's physical pain without them having to be anywhere near them. If you are not fully aware of your power as an empath, this can be very confusing. Often it can lead to numerous doctor visits to have all your random ailments checked out.

Negativity Can Be Too Much

Negativity can be too much to handle for empaths. Where others can tolerate raised voices, conflict, or anger, it sends you over the edge. You almost feel physically sick or in pain as a result of the negative energy around you. You crave peace and calm.

Empaths Are Highly Intuitive

An empath needs to trust their gut feelings about people. If you just realized you are an empath, it is important to develop your intuition.

An empath's intuition is their guide through which they experience life. You know things without being told. You sense what needs to be done or what's about to happen. Your gut feelings always prove to be correct. And the more you trust your gut feeling, the stronger and louder your intuition becomes.

Always Looking Out For Others

Empaths have big hearts, are always giving, and are great listeners, nurturers all the way. Anyone who is suffering, in need of a lift, in emotional pain, or being bullied in any form draws an empath's attention and compassion almost immediately. They simply can't help themselves when they see or feel someone in need.

Others Will Want To Offload Their Problems On You

An empath can become a dumping ground for everyone else's issues and problems. Which, if they're not careful, can end up as their own. Strangers feel at ease, telling their very personal stories to you. You have the ability to step into their shoes, feel and understand their pain, and it makes them feel heard.

An Empath Is Sensitive To Sounds

Loud noises or sudden dramatic movements can startle you. Empaths are sensitive to energy frequencies. Sound is vibration, and vibration is the frequency of energy.

Therefore empaths actually take them into their core being. As sound vibrations move through an empath, it will either flow with their energy or disrupt their personal vibration.

Feel What Day Of The Week It Is

Odd as it may sound, but empaths can feel what day of the week it is, each day has a specific "feel" to it.

Highly Tuned Senses

An empath can get frazzled and nerves frayed by certain noises, smells, or excessive talking.

In busy environments or social gatherings, an empath usually always brings their own cars, so they have an escape route when the sensory overload gets too much.

Empaths Are Selfless

Empaths often put their own needs last. They are usually more concerned with the well-being of others. It's not uncommon for you to think other's needs are far more important than your own.

Because of this, you tend to put others before yourself. An empath needs to honor themselves and take time for self-care. You cannot pour from an empty cup.

Empaths Are Highly Compassionate

You have a huge understanding of other people's insecurities, weaknesses, and mistakes. Nearly everything you can relate with. You can see yourself in others or put yourself in their position, and you treat others with kindness.

Find It Difficult To Say "No"

Empaths can find it difficult to say no to anyone. They deeply understand how hurtful it can be to be rejected. They intuitively know how upsetting a no can be when someone really needs help. Because of this, empaths often take on responsibilities that exceed their own limits.

Free-Spirited

Being under control, rules, and regulations is soul-destroying to an empath. Having to comply with fixed rules and adapt to routines set out by other people feels like a prison. Empaths love their freedom and go by their own timetable.

If you find most of the above traits resonate with you and describe how you feel and describe who you are, you are more than likely empathic.