We always hear about spiritual awakenings, and they intrigue us. These are moments when your whole life change upon a profound and life-affirming realization that makes you want to go door-to-door hugging strangers and sharing with them your new-discovered existential secret.

I haven't gotten that far myself. But I am slowly learning some realities about being an empath.

You see, having a strong intuition to understand what people are feeling is both a blessing and a curse.

On one hand, you easily understand mysterious emotions, which is pretty cool. But you also have to deal with the reality of suffering the pain and anguish in the emotions of those around you.

I have even tried some remedies to deal with anxiety and confusion. And I started cutting some people off my life for my own sanity, which, frankly, made things worse.

But then I made it a mission to learn more about being an empath because I was getting pissed off at everything going to hell and feeling like I couldn't do a damn thing about it.

Here are some things I learned.

1. Everything Is Connected, Accept It

When you are an empath, you see synchronicity wherever you go. It's like living in a dream where even weirdly unrelated scenes are somehow strongly tied together by a deeper mystical meaning.

Sometimes you are just daydreaming, but sometimes you just see nightmarish signs, and that can drive you crazy.

But what can you do? The synchronicity means you are not off your game as far as empaths go.

2. Mixed Feelings Are Part Of The Deal

I don't mean this in the regular way. Being an empath means you feel other people's emotions as deeply as your own, and you can sometimes forget which feelings are your own or the other person's.

You will often wonder where some strange feelings come from, because they don't make sense.

But rather than drive yourself crazy over the genesis of this emotional confusion, the best you can do is embrace them regardless of their origin and deal with them.

It's not exactly ideal, but it's the best option you have.

3. It's Hard Making A Genuine Connection

As an empath, you will mostly attract characters that want to feed off your compassion and care, and not people genuinely interested in connecting with you as a person.

So, the day you find someone with whom you have a real connection, don't let go, because it rarely happens.

Don't worry, you will know when you find this special person. Trust me, you will know without a shred of doubt.

4. The Sense Of Community Differs

I often felt alone, like no one could understand what I am feeling or going through. But I have discovered that I was focusing on the wrong potential community.

Once I found people like me, I felt I belonged, just as they did around me. I was so relieved to discover that I was not going mad.

So, if like me you have been wondering why you feel you don't belong, know that you are not alone. Understand that it will be easy once you find someone like you and me to be around.

5. Boundaries Matter, Like A Lot

As an empath, I need plenty of personal space. After spending my day giving off all that energy, I need time to recharge to restore my emotional health and get my energy back.

When an empath is around people, there is always an energy flow towards them based on what they are going through.

Be ready though, stepping back to recharge your batteries might come off as being standoffish to some. But understand that you are different and that you really need this or you will go crazy.

I got to admit, this was not easy for me to write. It's not like me to tell other people how I feel.

Yes, the fear of being misunderstood still lingers. But I had to write this, especially for someone like me out there who is struggling with the reality of being an empath like I have all my life.