We all know people who are very good at empathy, understanding what someone is feeling and responding to those feelings in a caring and appropriate way. This is different from being an empath, which is a term to describe someone who feels what other people feel. 

Empaths don’t like crowds, not because they don’t enjoy being around others but because there is too much information coming through their energy system that they don’t know what to do with. An empath can feel other people’s feelings, hear their thoughts, and sometimes feel their physical pain. Imagine being able to feel someone’s pain and attending a football game. Depending on their sensitivity, they would feel every tackle as if it were happening to them. Anywhere there is strong emotion, empaths suffer. Hospitals, concerts, and sports events can be overwhelming for empaths.

When people used to shop in malls during Christmas, empaths would have difficulty with the mix of excitement and anxiety. They might be able to hear the thoughts of people hoping for things and worrying about the cost of everything. Even grocery stores can be booby traps as they might be standing in line behind someone worrying whether or not they will have enough money to cover what’s in their basket or about something happening at home.

Empaths often feel emotions or pain or hear thoughts that don’t belong to them. Unfortunately, the ability is almost impossible to turn off, which means the person is constantly bombarded with the energy projections of whoever is around them. They could be having a great day and suddenly feel angry or sad for no reason. They might also feel fine physically but find themselves unexpectedly stiff with pain. Many empaths walk through life with constant headaches.

Most empaths are born empathic. They have been this way their entire lives and have learned to live with it. I did. I had headaches all the time as a kid, so much so that my family took me to the doctor often to make sure it wasn’t anything serious. It wasn’t until years later, after I learned how to build an energy shield, that my life and how I viewed energy changed.

I love it when someone comes to me not knowing they are an empath but complain about headaches and mysterious thoughts and feelings. I ask them if they have ever had an energy shield over them, and they shake their heads. I ask permission to put one over them, and they breathe a sigh of relief every single time. They feel more comfortable, and the room seems to get quieter. For the first time, they are alone in their energy. They can acknowledge that the thoughts they hear are their own, their feelings belong to them, and whatever mysterious aches and pains they carried are gone.

Empaths absorb energy. It makes it difficult when they can’t distinguish what belongs to them and what doesn’t. If this is you, try creating an energy shield around yourself before you leave the house for the day and see how you feel afterward. Think of it as an energy experiment, and you get to judge how well it went. Whatever the outcome, this will help you determine whether you are an empath.