Many of us are familiar with the concept of empathy. There is an opinion that the world stands on super-sensitive people and their unique ability to give. But what about the empaths themselves, who find it difficult and ill from the imperfections that surround them?
In an ocean of negative information, sensitive people have the hardest time. Constantly thinking that someone is not well can lead to depression and seriously damage their health.
The idea to separate people with increased emotional sensitivity into a separate category belongs to the psychologist Elaine Aron. She found that they make up 15-20% of the population, and suggested that their brains process sensory impulses differently than other people.
Empaths are much more receptive to other people’s emotions and actions. They are natural listeners, sincere in communication and often disinterested altruists. They instantly notice falsehood and pretense and suffer from it.
When communicating with negative people, the empath feels anxious, tired, empty
Examples of behaviors that make hypersensitive people feel out of place:
- Insincere compliments in the name of practical gain.
- Exaggerated stories about yourself, playing for the public.
- Rude and tactless behavior masking self-doubt.
- Envy, jealousy or resentment, showing through in a stream of kind phrases.
- Compromise with your own moral principles in the name of recognition.
- Pretense
In response they:
- Experiencing intense anxiety and discomfort in the presence of a person who behaves this way.
- They try to avoid such people at all costs.
- They face speech problems: it is difficult to build sentences and answer questions about themselves.
- Experiencing unpleasant physical symptoms.
- They sink into silence.
Why do empaths get tired of pretense and hypocrisy?
When they interact with someone who is unpleasant or hides true intentions, they experience discomfort. Symptoms can be physical and mental: anxiety, fatigue, emptiness, heart palpitations. At the same time, they do not dislike insincere people as such and know that this is just a screen behind which people hide their vulnerability.
How to protect yourself from negativity
Emotional Freedom author Judith Orlof offers several strategies.
- Learn to separate your negative emotions from those of others. Look for the source of negative experiences outside.
- Learn to say “no” and end the conversation. This is not a disaster, this is just a refusal to which you have every right.
- Keep your distance. Don’t be afraid to move away or move away from the person you don’t like.
- Explore your pain points. Where exactly do you feel discomfort? Whether your stomach hurts, your head hurts, your neck aches, put your hand there and send a stream of love to yourself there.
- Concentrate on your breath. Listen to your breaths in and out for a few minutes.
- Use emergency meditation. Find a place where you can retire and focus on the pleasant for a couple of minutes.
- Visualize invisible protection. Imagine yourself inside a sphere of white light. In the worst cases, imagine a huge black panther that walks around you in circles and guards your energy field from intrusion.