June 15, 2011

Why Do I Feel Too Much?

If your coworkers leech your energy; you have mysterious illnesses, aches, and pains; are depressed or angry for no good reason; feel drained around certain people; or are super sensitive to the negativity around you, you may be an empath picking up on the thoughts, emotions, attitudes, and even the illnesses of others.

As you know, “empathy” is the term used to describe putting ourselves into the situation of another person in order to feel for them or to empathize with what they are going through. Some people are so empathetic that they actually feel with or on behalf of another person.  We call these folks empaths or highly sensitive people. Empaths are often found doing volunteer work and may serve others through emotionally demanding careers as childcare givers, medical professionals, hospice workers, midwives, and such.

Thoughts, feelings, and beliefs are a subtle form of energy. Empaths are so energy sensitive that they easily become over stimulated by the energy of other people. Many are unable to be in public without feeling drained because they take on the burdens of complete strangers.

When a tragic world event occurs, empaths may feel the sorrow, loss, and despair of those in another state or country as if their own family had been affected. Some empaths sense the physical pain, and even the illnesses, of others. Feeling too deeply can cause depression, fatigue, and unexplainable mood swings. Therefore, this intuitive ability is life disrupting for some empaths.


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PURCHASE paperback book, Whose Stuff Is This? Finding Freedom from the Thoughts, Feelings, and Energy of Those Around You at http://tinyurl.com/EmpathAmazon. The e-book version is now available for Kindle, iPhone, iPad, and other digital reading devices.
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15 comments:

  1. Dear Yvonne,staff,whomever,
    I have a wonderful 8 year old..Too sensitive,no such thing in my eyes.However, his Father blocks all feelings of hurt,pain,etc... anger oh! he has feeling that towards himself,felt by my son and me..I'm an empath healer,clear-feeling,clear-seeing,many other wonderful curses/blessings on both sides of my family.Many go to heaven young,we just go till we drop,literally.How can I help my son's father?I felt his openness a bit today,I'm trying,but in the meantime I'm very sick.I need to get my son's Dad to trust me..A happy us,is a happy son,we both love him soo much ,as does he us!! Help me ,help without continuing to get sicker. Thank you & God bless

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    1. Yvonne I was wondering how does this, since a lot of folks don't even know about it, how if any way, does this affect one's religious beliefs?

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    2. Knowing that you are sensitive to the moving of Spirit (which is the energy in all things), I can only see how it would help a person with religious beliefs to know that what they are sensing is accurate. One of the gifts in the list of spiritual gifts in I Corinthians 12 is the gift of prophecy and that is where this intuitive gift aligns with scripture. My book tells my story of being an intercessory prayer warrior in a fundamentalist church when my gift was being used while I was still ignorant. That was a detriment to me in many ways. Others felt great after I prayed for them; I felt drained. I now know how to minister in such a way that it actually uplifts my spirit and refills my energy.

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  2. Sometimes the ability to feel as much as some empaths do causes us to shut down emotionally. It is common to erect walls to keep others from hurting us or from being affected by the energy of others--family or otherwise. That is going to be one of the topics covered in our upcoming telesummit on relationships. See http://heartwiserelationships.com/2011/12/fizzle-to-sizzle-virtual-conference-presenters/ for details on this free telesummit.

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  3. I too feel too deeply. Not just for people I know and strangers, but for people I've invented in what if situations. It seems to be that I feel negative emotions most: sadness, depression, shame, guilt. My level of empathy increases every year. It's gotten to the point that I'm constantly experiencing panic attacks. I can't watch TV, listen to the radio or read a magazine w/o finding something that causes me to feel bad for someone. Exactly as if it were me in that situation. This is giving me a negative outlook on the world. How can I shake this off?

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    1. I'm SOOOO glad to read this!! This is the answer I've been looking for! Now it all makes sense!!

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    2. The worst are sad baby videos :''''''( I can't watch them.or any sad video lol

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  4. That's why it is so important for empaths to focus on raising their own vibration, keeping their energy field clear, and keep a close monitor on our own thoughts and emotions. The higher-self mind, not the emotions, should be the leader of the body, emotions, mind, spirit group. My book deals with this topic. I could write an essay here, but since I've already written a book on the topic of helping empaths manage their energy, I hope you can get a copy. It's available in print, PDF, for Kindle and Nook Readers, as well as an audio book in MP3 format.
    http://whosestuffisthis.blogspot.com/p/purchase-book.html

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  5. I'm in my late thirties now and it is becoming unbearable. I limit my time with others but focus on them all the time. I try to avoid news but am overwhelmed any way. It's becoming hard to focus on my life.

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    1. I encourage you to read more articles on this blog and get a copy of Whose Stuff Is This?. There are two dozen exercises to help empaths like you learn to set boundaries and manage energy. I'm also available as a coach if you are interested. See http://weare1inspirit.com/services/coaching/ for more info.

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  6. Dear Yvonne, I'm a 30 year old Female and I think I am an Empath. Everything I have read hear or else where sounds like what I'm going through and feel on a daily basis. I have always been extra sensitive to my environment and those in my environment, I cant be in big crowds or in close proximity to a small group of people for long before I start to get so overwhelmed I have to leave for a bit. I cant breathe, my heart starts to pound my head hurts, and a lot of anxiety. Since I was a child I have always been sensitive people really wouldn't understand why and would just tell im overemotional and to get over it, I have always felt out of place never fitting in anywhere. I can tell when people are lying or hiding something I can also sense others character like if they are a good person or not. The last couple years have been really overwhelming, I got sick and found out that I have chronic pelvic pain and I couldn't leave the house because of the pain Now when I try and go out its an overwhelming world, I feel so many things and sometimes the pain is worse. Sometimes I will see someone and all of a sudden I get dizzy, my heart starts pounding, and my stomach does flips like when your on a roller coaster. Why does that happen?? I have tried to explain it to others and they just look at me odd and tell me its my imagination but its not!! I don't know what's worse feeling like this or feeling completely alone with it.

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    1. Oh, you really are picking up a lot of stuff from other people. These are the kinds of occurrences many people have when they first realize they are empaths.I wrote a book that I know will help you. It's the manual I wish I'd had 20 years ago!

      I offer a free group coaching call at 2PM Central Time on the second Tuesday of each month for empathic people to share with one another and gain insight on energy management. Please plan to join us by phoning (206) 402-0100 and entering pin code: 187842#. Hear replays of these calls http://tinyurl.com/empathreplay

      Additionally, I would be happy to talk with you to determine whether coaching with me would be of benefit to you. See other helpful services at http://weare1inspirit.com/services/.

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  7. So thankful I found this article, I'm glad I'm not the only one who has to handle this. The weight of others' emotions tear me apart because I care way too much and I can't just not care, I can't turn it off

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  8. My problem is more with the environment and animals though. I pick up earth worms from the sidewalk so they're not stepped on. I will make sure I don't step on a bug, I've even caught asian bees, brown recluses, and black widows if inside and put then outside. I feel for trees that have been damaged, I cry for animals of all kinds. Is this the same thing? Thank you

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    1. Yes, this is the same empathic sensitivity to energy. Everything is energy--even stones have consciousness. Therefore, the ability to feel for any creature or connect with any object is indeed possible.
      t can be felt with anything

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