Are you an empath? Empaths feel the emotional state of others, and without protection can pick up and absorb negative emotions as if they were your own. If empaths are unaware of how to protect themselves it can be a very emotionally unstable ride working through other people's emotions.
Here are some signs that might confirm for you, that yes indeed you are an empath:
You pick up the emotions of others. Whether it is sadness, anger or joy. All of a sudden your mood drastically changes for no apparent reason.
You can feel the energy of others, like a vibration. You can pick up on negative or positive energies. It is how you "read" people and know how to approach them in different situations.
You feel drained being in a room full of people. Without empathic protection as you mingle through the crowd, you will pick up other people's energies. When their energies mesh with your own, it can exhausting as your emotions and energies bounce around as you connect with different people.
People gravitate to you both physically and emotionally. They may engage and start talking to you about all their problems - like a confessional almost. You act as a conduit for them to "release" those negative emotions. So those people may enjoy spending a lot of time around you as it is great for them! But not so great for you.
People ask you for advice often. They have a sense of your "knowing" and people will naturally gravitate to you seeking clarity.
When you are around angry or negative people for very short periods of time (less than 10 mins) you feel completely drained of all your energy.
You feel the need to help others. You may be into holistic healing, or complimentary therapies to promote balance, stability and peace. You may be someone who helps others heal or who helps others learn new tools and techniques for their own clearing, cleansing, healing and harmony.
You have a strong sense of "knowing". Your intuition is always right, even if you haven't learned to trust it just yet. Empaths are energetically connected to the neural network, so the "knowing" empaths have is actually based in quantum physics and is a real energetic connection to the universal consciousness.
With your "knowing" you sometimes know something is going to unfold before it happens. I don't mean that you see visions necessarily; I mean you have a sense of dread and know what steps to take to prevent an accident or something bad from occurring. Sometimes the "knowing" is about happy events unfolding as well. Either way your "knowing" tells you something is going to happen before it does; and then it occurs.
You get overwhelmed in shopping malls or large box chain stores. Sensory overload is a common complaint from empaths. Too much light, too much noise, too many people, too many items to look at... it is a basic over stimulation response. You may feel claustrophobic, you may feel high anxiety or stress, you may feel like you need to flee the building.
As an empath you will be in situations where you are surrounded by large groups of people, or angry people or people that want to absorb your energy. So what do you do to protect yourself?
Below are some simple steps I personally use, and that all empaths can use to protect themselves;
1. Daily Grounding
Putting your bare feet on the earth
Working in the garden with your bare hands
Drinking lots of water
Grounding meditations
Grounding visualizations
Crystals for grounding
Epsom salt baths
Here is a great video on the "science of grounding" explaining why and how it works.
Here is a grounding meditation I produced on my Harmony Hands YouTube channel, free to try:
2. Crystals
Grounding
Black Tourmaline
Jet
Kyanite
Apache Tears
Bloodstone
Dragon's Blood Jasper
Hematite
Malachite
Obsidian
Rutilated Quartz
Smoky Quartz
Rhodonite
Protection Against Picking Up Others' Energies
Agate
Amber protects against psychic attacks
Amethyst
Bloodstone
Chiastolite
Desert Rose
Red Garnet
Labradorite
Obsidian
Quartz
Selenite
Sugilite
Black Tourmaline
Unakite
3. Meditations or Visualizations To Clear Chakras
Chakra clearing meditations also include grounding so they are great practices to have in your tool belt. Clearing your chakras regularly, helps you release any negative emotions or energies you may have picked up on your day.
4. Feeling Overwhelmed In A Crowd
We cannot avoid being in crowds of people whether we are grocery shopping or attending a dinner or family event. Small to large groups of people are unavoidable. So what can you do when you find you are in a crowd and are starting to feel overwhelmed?
Close your eyes and breathe
Visualize connecting your energy with the energy of mother earth through your feet.
Visualize a wall circling you of white, gold and purple light. The wall surrounding you goes deep into mother earth and straight up to the heavens. This makes you completely encased in the wall of divine protective love and light.
Let the anxiety or negative energies flow through you if they have already started. Don't analyze it, just let it flow as if you are a hydro pole letting a current flow through the lines.
Take nice long slow deep breaths until the negative emotions subside.
5. Return to Sender
When you pick up on other people's negative emotions, you have a "door open" somewhere.
If you don't have crystals and are not in a place to meditate or visualize, you can energetically return that negative energy back to the originator by:
Take a deep breath and relax and release any negative emotions that you can.
Now while thinking of the negative emotions or pain you are feeling say:
Return to sender with consciousness,
Return to sender with consciousness,
Return to sender with consciousness
Usually 3 times stating this in your head or out loud sends the negative energies back to whomever had sent them to you in the first place.
If you feel the energy lessen, but it still remains repeat the mantra "return to sender with consciousness" as many more times as it takes, until you feel the heavy energy lifting and releasing.
6. Aromatherapy Oils
doTerra oils are recommended as they TRULY are organic, not just partially organic, but 100% organic. Oils you can try are:
Clove - helps you to set boundaries
Peppermint - lifts your spirits, gives you a joyful heart
Cedarwood - helps to ground you while you are connecting to people (great for large crowds)
On Guard - overall physical, emotional, spiritual cleanser and it smells amazing
7. Reiki
If you have learned Reiki energy healing, you can draw Reiki in from mother earth and breathe it up your entire body and out your crown.
This is another way of clearing the negative energies.
If you have learned Reiki energy healing you will understand how to conduct Reiki self treatments. Perform a Reiki self treatment to clear any blocks and stimulate good energy flow through your entire body.
8. Epsom Salt Baths
These are great, not just for quiet down time, but epsom salt actually helps to clear and cleanse your energy. These are great to have after a long day out in the world, after a group gathering or when you are feeling "off" and may have picked up on someone else's energies.
Epsom salt baths ground you, clear your energies and cleanse your energy layers.
9. Daily Energy Exercises
Donna Eden's Daily Energy Routine helps you to align, activate and protect your meridian energies and your chakra energies before you even go out the door.
TaiChi Qigong is also a great way to refill, repair, recharge and protect your energy layers. This is one of my favorite:
There are so many more energy exercises you can do and different modalities. Explore what resonates with you such as:
Yoga
Meditation
Aromatherapy
Tai Chi
Qigong
Walking in nature
Deep breathing exercises
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Well there you have it. From my experience and learning, the various ways you can protect yourself as an empath.
If you would like to learn more, or would llike to take a Reiki course to learn how to help heal yourself, please don't hesitate to contact me at:
laur66@telus.net
250-615-6906
Namaste
Laur
Laurie Fulford, PMP
Owner Harmony Hands Energy Healing
Terrace BC
