We’re all familiar with the nature of an empathic individual. If you too have been blessed (or at the same time cursed) to experience intense sensations of another person’s mental or physical state, you, my friend are a unique and special individual.
The definition of empathy is commonly known as “the ability to read and understand people and be in-tune with or resonate with others.” Either way, it’s the ability to live in this chaotic world with an open and extremely perceptive mind. When you put it like that, it can turn out to be very exhausting.
You go through life picking up people’s colorful energies. You sense their happiness, their sorrow, all of their pain. After a while, you feel like you are an emotional sponge that just keeps on absorbing loads of emotions.
So many people are using your sensitivity like it’s some kind of a power source and they JUST keep on plugging in. And at one point in your life, all this emotional baggage transforms into some serious health issues.
The power source runs out of available storage and your body has no other alternative but to just shut your whole system off. You are worried if you’ve actually become hypochondriac or you’re just going mentally crazy.
However, as a person possessing this kind of oversensitive nature you’re bound to eventually feel like your world is crashing down, so it is important to remember that no matter how much strength you think you possess, YOUR ENERGY IS NOT LIMITLESS.
That’s why even as an empath you should learn to protect your well-being. If you avoid taking care of your energy, it will eventually run out.
One of the most commonly experienced conditions empaths face is adrenaline fatigue. It is a term that describes a mix of mentally and physically disturbed states which results in body aches, chronic fatigue, nervousness, digestive problems and most of all over-exposure to stress.
Dr. Judith Orloff, a renowned psychiatrist and author of the book ‘The Empath’s Survival Guide: Life Strategies for Sensitive People explains that empaths are at risk to experience adrenal fatigue because “they can be emotional sponges and take on the literal symptoms of others. It adds to their stress levels and leaves them more vulnerable to adrenal fatigue.”
So, in order to prevent this from happening, empaths should be able to recognize their actual state when it’s reaching that culminating point of exhaustion. One of the most important steps of practicing self-care, according to Dr. Orloff is frequent monitoring of their cortisol levels in addition to a lot of rest, a whole new diet based on healthy, nutritious ingredients and reduced sugar intake.
And when it comes down to beneficial physical activities, individuals who suffer from over-exhaustion and adrenal fatigue are strongly recommended to adopt daily meditation or any other kind of gentle exercise which can help with relieving their disturbed state of mind.
However, following these rules and practicing the suggested would mean nothing if you first and foremost don’t liberate yourself from all the negative thoughts and patterns.
As much as you like to help a person out, sometimes it’s better to just back off. Especially if you feel like you are about to collapse.
Don’t ever do the mistake to give yourself away. Take care of yourself. You are all you got.
According to Dr. Orloff, it is essential to understand that “You might not have control over some stresses in your life, but you can have control of your attitude to relieve adrenal fatigue.”
“You can remove a great deal of inner stress by surrendering patterns of self-loathing and embracing self-compassion and self-love!”
Remember, the path to self-appreciation and self-love requires a lot of work and changes. Don’t be afraid to embrace them. For only the brave ones will reach the highest of heights.
