30 Traits Of An Empath - How To know If You're An Empath

[rgray222]

This list has been added to and slightly modified to be a bit more accurate.

What is an empath?

Being an empath is when you are affected by other people’s energies, and have an innate ability to intuitively feel and perceive others. Your life is unconsciously influenced by others’ desires, wishes, thoughts, and moods. Being an empath is much more than being highly sensitive and it’s not just limited to emotions. Empaths can perceive physical sensitivities and spiritual urges, as well as just knowing the motivations and intentions of other people.

You either are an empath or you aren't. It’s not a trait that is learned. You are always open, so to speak, to process other people’s feelings and energy, which means that you really feel, and in many cases take on the emotions of others. Many empaths experience things like chronic fatigue, environmental sensitivities, or unexplained aches and pains daily. These are all things that are more likely to be contributed to outside influences and not so much yourself at all. Essentially you are walking around in this world with all of the accumulated karma, emotions, and energy from others.

Source: Spirit Science & Metaphysics: To Read More



Here are 32 of the most common traits:

1. Knowing: Empaths just know stuff, without being told. It’s a knowing that goes way beyond intuition or gut feelings, even though that is how many would describe the knowing. The more attuned they are the stronger this gift becomes.

2. Being in public places can be overwhelming: Places like shopping malls, supermarkets or stadiums where there are lots of people around can fill the empath with turbulently vexed emotions that are coming from others.

3. Feeling others emotions and taking them on as your own: This is a huge one for empaths. To some they will feel emotions off those near by and with others they will feel emotions from those a vast distance away, or both. The more adept empath will know if someone is having bad thoughts about them, even from great distance.

4. Watching violence, cruelty or tragedy on the TV is unbearable: The more attuned an empath becomes the worse it is and may make it so they eventually have to stop watching TV and reading newspapers altogether.

5. You know when someone is not being honest: If a friend or a loved one is telling you lies you know it (although many empaths try not to focus on this because knowing a loved one is lying can be painful). Or if someone is saying one thing but feeling/thinking another, you know.

6. Picking up physical symptoms off another: An empath will almost always develop the ailments off another (colds, eye infections, body aches and pains) especially those they’re closest to, somewhat like sympathy pains.

7. Digestive disorders and lower back problems: The solar plexus chakra is based in the centre of the abdomen and it’s known as the seat of emotions. This is where empaths feel the incoming emotion of another, which can weaken the area and eventually lead to anything from stomach ulcers to IBS (too many other conditions to list here). Lower back problems can develop from being ungrounded (amongst other things) and one, who has no knowledge of them being an empath, will almost always be ungrounded.

8. Always looking out for the underdog: Anyone whose suffering, in emotional pain or being bullied draws an empath’s attention and compassion.

9. Others will want to offload their problems on you, even strangers: An empath can become a dumping ground for everyone else’s issues and problems, which, if they’re not careful can end up as their own.

10. Constant fatigue: Empaths often get drained of energy, either from energy vampires or just taking on too much from others, which even sleep will not cure. Many get diagnosed with ME.

11. Addictive personality: Alcohol, drugs, sex, are to name but a few addictions that empaths turn to, to block out the emotions of others. It is a form of self protection in order to hide from someone or something.

12. Drawn to healing, holistic therapies and all things metaphysical: Although many empaths would love to heal others they can end up turning away from being healers (even though they have a natural ability for it), after they’ve studied and qualified, because they take on too much from the one they are trying to heal. Especially if they are unaware of their empathy. Anything of a supernatural nature is of interest to empaths and they don’t surprise or get shocked easily. Even at the revelation of what many others would consider unthinkable, for example, empaths would have known the world was round when others believed it was flat.

13. Creative: From singing, dancing, acting, drawing or writing an empath will have a strong creative streak and a vivid imagination.

14. Love of nature and animals: Being outdoors in nature is a must for empaths and pets are an essential part of their life.

15. Need for solitude: An empath will go stir-crazy if they don’t get quiet time. This is even obvious in empathic children.

16. Gets bored or distracted easily if not stimulated: Work, school and home life has to be kept interesting for an empath or they switch off from it and end up daydreaming or doodling.

17. Finds it impossible to do things they don’t enjoy: As above. Feels like they are living a lie by doing so. To force an empath to do something they dislike through guilt or labelling them as idle will only serve in making them unhappy. It’s for this reason many empaths get labelled as being lazy.

18. Strives for the truth: This becomes more prevalent when an empath discovers his/her gifts and birthright. Anything untruthful feels plain wrong.

19. Always looking for the answers and knowledge: To have unanswered questions can be frustrating for an empath and they will endeavour to find an explanation. If they have a knowing about something they will look for confirmation. The downside to this is an information overload.

20. Likes adventure, freedom and travel: Empaths are free spirits.

21. Abhors clutter: It makes an empath feel weighed down and blocks the flow of energy.

22. Loves to daydream: An empath can stare into space for hours, in a world of their own and blissfully happy.

23. Finds routine, rules or control, imprisoning: Anything that takes away their freedom is debilitating to an empath even poisoning.

24. Prone to carry weight without necessarily overeating: The excess weight is a form of protection to stop the negative incoming energies having as much impact.

25. Excellent listener: An empath won’t talk about themselves much unless it’s to someone they really trust. They love to learn and know about others and genuinely care.

26. Intolerance to narcissism: Although kind and often very tolerant of others, empaths do not like to be around overly egotistical people, who put themselves first and refuse to consider another’s feelings or points of view other than their own.

27. The ability to feel the days of the week: An empath will get the ‘Friday Feeling’ if they work Fridays or not. They pick up on how the collective are feeling. The first couple of days of a long, bank holiday weekend (Easter for example) can feel, to them, like the world is smiling, calm and relaxed. Sunday evenings, Mondays and Tuesdays, of a working week, have a very heavy feeling.

28. Will have an overwhelming feeling of deep sadness without knowing why. When a close friend or family member experiences an event that touches their soul with deep sadness the empath may feel the same and have no idea why. If they are lucky the info will eventually be shared and the reasons for the sadness will become clear.

29. Sense the energy of food: Many empaths don’t like to eat meat or poultry because they can feel the vibrations of the animal (especially if the animal suffered), even if they like the taste.

30. Can appear moody, shy, aloof, disconnected: Depending on how an empath is feeling will depend on what face they show to the world. They can be prone to mood swings and if they’ve taken on too much negative will appear quiet and unsociable, even miserable. An empath detests having to pretend to be happy when they’re sad, this only adds to their load (makes working in the service industry, when it’s service with a smile, very challenging) and can make them feel like scuttling under a stone.

31. Most people can feel music but an empath can also feel colors, art and even numbers. Many empaths can look at or hear a string of numbers and know that they feel right or wrong. Many can recite odd numbers that carry special meaning from decades ago. Also empaths (at least the one that can see color) feel something when they see paintings or strong images and colors.

32. Has occasionally felt a moment of clarity with the universe. Most empaths describe the feeling as a fleeting moment of absolute clarity that cannot be sustained for long periods.

If you can say yes to most or all of the above then you are most definitely an empath.

Empaths are having a particularly difficult time at the present time, picking up on all the negative emotions that are being emanated into the world from the populace.

[Snowflower]

Well, I was right there until #28 and #29. Other than those two, that's a description of me. One problem is putting #17 and #21 together. I can't stand clutter, but I find it very difficult to clean because I don't like doing it, lol.

[Zaya]

Wow. Thanks so much for this. This literally describes me to a T.

I did not know I was an empath for most of my life (because I did not know what that was -- had never heard of it), but I always always always knew I was different. Being an empath is definitely considered a gift, but take it from me: it is something you have to take an active role in or else you will end up like I did -- medicated for extreme anxiety and panic attacks and a huge wreck. If you are an empath, the best thing you can do for yourself is cut out all those "energy vampires" from you life RIGHT NOW. My life has greatly improved since learning that I had to do that.

[Blacklight43]

Yes to 28 of the 30.
thanks for this thread. Confirms my suspicions of many years.

[Shezbeth]

Add me to this list. Only 24 and 29 seem less/not applicable; all others carry from strong to emphatic agreement.

I would especially like to hang banners and ribbons around Zaya's above post; 100% consistent with my experience.

Food for thought: Is a greater empathy the natural (unmodified and/or unadultered) expression of human potential?

[DeDukshyn]

Hmm ... the only trait I don't have on that list is 28 .. heh, but at the same time, the antiques have to "feel" right to me. Not surprising, I always have been an empath - extremely strong traits as a child.

Being an empath is a horrible double edged sword. Number 9 is the story of my life ...

[Tesla_WTC_Solution]

14.

if an empath is introduced/pressured into hunting during childhood, the talents may develop in a different (dark/evil) direction.

respect for life in general MUST be enforced or there is a chance that the empath may become predatory.
Treatment of animals also affects what kind of positive/negative entities may focus/inhabit an empath.

Just FYI, and one of the reasons these people can be really scary in addition to really wonderful.

[Zaya]

Posted by DeDukshyn (here)
Hmm ... the only trait I don't have on that list is 28 .. heh, but at the same time, the antiques have to "feel" right to me.

Being an empathy is a horrible double edged sword. Number 9 is the story of my life ...

Number 9? HECK YES ME TOO, DeDukshyn. And it is ROUGH. I actually started writing a book at one point that told the stories of strangers who offloaded on me. I called it Conversations with Strangers ha. I decided to abandon the project because I found that it caused me to hold on to their problems rather than get rid of them.

Sometimes, I feel like I must be "pinging" them a bit more than usual because there will be certain periods of time where it just overflows! I even avoid grocery shopping because of it sometimes. Do you fid that too?

The worst, though, is definitely not the strangers. The worst is when your friends/acquaintances/coworkers or even boss start doing it. I have noticed that it becomes almost an addiction to them. I have unfortunately had to cut out a few close friends from my life for this very reason. It hurts because I still care the exact amount I always did for them, but emotionally I cannot support them and stay sane. And when I make the mistake of letting space and time make me believe that we CAN fix it, they fall immediately back into their dumping habits.

Being an empath is a paradox for this reason. You feel totally connected to almost everyone like you know them -- because you DO! You know them on a deeper level than would be possible. However, no one really knows you on that same level, so it can be very isolating.

[DeDukshyn]

Posted by Zaya (here)

Posted by DeDukshyn (here)
Hmm ... the only trait I don't have on that list is 28 .. heh, but at the same time, the antiques have to "feel" right to me.

Being an empathy is a horrible double edged sword. Number 9 is the story of my life ...

Number 9? HECK YES ME TOO, DeDukshyn. And it is ROUGH. I actually started writing a book at one point that told the stories of strangers who offloaded on me. I called it Conversations with Strangers ha. I decided to abandon the project because I found that it caused me to hold on to their problems rather than get rid of them.

Sometimes, I feel like I must be "pinging" them a bit more than usual because there will be certain periods of time where it just overflows! I even avoid grocery shopping because of it sometimes. Do you fid that too?

The worst, though, is definitely not the strangers. The worst is when your friends/acquaintances/coworkers or even boss start doing it. I have noticed that it becomes almost an addiction to them. I have unfortunately had to cut out a few close friends from my life for this very reason. It hurts because I still care the exact amount I always did for them, but emotionally I cannot support them and stay sane. And when I make the mistake of letting space and time make me believe that we CAN fix it, they fall immediately back into their dumping habits.

Being an empath is a paradox for this reason. You feel totally connected to almost everyone like you know them -- because you DO! You know them on a deeper level than would be possible. However, no one really knows you on that same level, so it can be very isolating.

Having these traits quickly led me to be able to see the disease that exists in almost all human minds. It is a complex disease and has a life or energy of its own, or rather, it feeds off emotions. Empaths feel their emotions much more strongly than others, and thus are good food for this disease.

Imagine a foreman getting reamed out and basically **** on by a grumpy manager for no reason. The disease has now affected the foreman if he in any way has any reaction to the verbal / emotional vomit that was directed at him. Once he contracts this disease he becomes angry and subconsciously seeks to rid it so he yells at a worker for no good reason, and feels better. Now if the worker reacts emotionally in any way the cycle starts again. Strangely the "disease" seems to be able to pick its own targets.

Thus, this concept has been "personified" as the work of demons or archons but it really can be seen as a simple disease of the mind that affects everyone.

The only way to combat it is to work on a healthy relationship with your emotions which means distance from them -- not detachment, because your strong emotional system also allows you to "feel" and is responsible for other empathic traits. But to distance from them means you stay fully aware that you are not your emotions, and others people thoughts or problems have nothing to do with you. This can help tame those emotions from reacting, and with practice immunity to reacting to other peoples emotions is the goal, while maintaining your subtle communication system (your emotions) so you can still be a good empath.

All that said. it is still rough and requires constant self "training"

My 2 cents This is a conceptual description.

[heretogrow]

Yes to all but 28 and 29. I would also add that empaths can feel the negative and positive values of sounds and frequency.We can also feel plants crting for water or sunlight. We seem to be very much influenced by the actions of our sun and solar system, and storms both natural and manmade. The winds from a natural storm seem to invigorate and stir our creativity. Manmade disasters have the feeling of being an evil entity or spirit, like someone's death or pain was used to conjure up the storm.

We are also food for the energy suckers, and I would go so far as to say that maybe we smell different, because those narcistic, vampiring types can pick us out of a crowd any day.

These are just a few personal observations. Thanks for this thread!

Much Love,
Julia

PS- As children growing up we don't have the knowledge of what is polite or tactful so we blurt out what we know or sense. We can be miss understood as sneaky, or eavesdroppers or know- it-alls. In our innocence, we feel everyone else is just like us and we do not know we are doing anything wrong. It is too often to our disadvantage when people find out how different we are for that can be used against us in manipulative ways.

[Imagift]

When I first saw this "30 Traits of an Empath" I was shocked as I finally found something that clicked. All of them apply to me. I've always been sensitive, so much that I absorb peoples handwriting when I sit next to them. Thanks for posting.

[Lone Bean]

I fit the bill for most by far except I have no problem buying second hand. Often I sense the previous owners of clothing/items have passed on. I tell them "thank-you" and that I will treat the items with respect. A large cooking pot was a particular favorite item of a lady who had passed, but she was glad I got it and that i enjoyed using it.

[Tesla_WTC_Solution]

Posted by heretogrow (here)
Yes to all but 28 and 29. I would also add that empaths can feel the negative and positive values of sounds and frequency.We can also feel plants crting for water or sunlight. We seem to be very much influenced by the actions of our sun and solar system, and storms both natural and manmade. The winds from a natural storm seem to invigorate and stir our creativity. Manmade disasters have the feeling of being an evil entity or spirit, like someone's death or pain was used to conjure up the storm.

We are also food for the energy suckers, and I would go so far as to say that maybe we smell different, because those narcistic, vampiring types can pick us out of a crowd any day.

These are just a few personal observations. Thanks for this thread!

Much Love,
Julia

What if the outgoing vs. narcissistic people who "prey" on them, are as I was saying, just two sides of the same coin;
i.e. both classes have high-grade psychic ability, but one one side you have energy incoming, on the other side, outgoing,
much like a black hole, lol.

In the other post I mentioned behavior toward animals, i.e. hunting animals vs. nurturing animals, as a major point of divergence in the development of "normal" and "dark" empaths.

lol

To the Batcave!!!



"Batman's Psychic Twin: Episode 155"

http://animals.howstuffworks.com/ani...ixth-sense.htm

Can animals predict death?
by Jacob Silverman

In July 2007, a fascinating story emerged in the New England Journal of Medicine about a cat that could "predict" the deaths of patients in a nursing home several hours before they died. Oscar, a cat adopted by the staff of the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Providence, R.I., has at least 25 successful predictions, in which patients died hours after the cat sat down by their beds.

After the nursing home's staff caught on to Oscar's ability, they began alerting families whenever the cat took up his post next to a patient. Most families tolerate or even welcome his presence, though Oscar becomes upset if forced out of the room of a dying patient, meowing outside the door.

Oscar's actions appear deliberate. He regularly wanders around the home's unit for patients with advanced dementia. He sniffs and watches a patient before sitting down with her. Oscar then purrs while sitting with the patient and usually leaves soon after she dies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sil...e_Lambs_(novel)

The Silence of the Lambs is a novel by Thomas Harris. First published in 1988, it is the sequel to Harris' 1981 novel Red Dragon. Both novels feature the cannibalistic serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter, this time pitted against FBI Special Agent Clarice Starling.

.....You are your own worst enemy....

....Into the mirror black.....



Jame Gumb (silence of the Lambs) dancing in the mirror

[heretogrow]

Ok so now I will let you know how weird I really am, . Some of us feel like we can communicate with mother earth and the sun as well as her inhabitants. I think I may have mentioned this on another thread a long time ago, but each time I greet the son, I do so with a melodious, Helloooo Gorgeoussss! I know some will say this is my imagination but the sun will actually twinkle or ramp up at this greeting as if to say it acknowledges my admiration. Often times, not always depending on my state of awareness, the earth seems to answer with her wind.

Laugh if you must but both of them have become a part of my everyday life!

Much love,
Julia

[Lone Bean]

I didn't know I was an empath. If those 30 traits are truly representative of empathy, then there is no doubt I am one. Thanks for the information-it helps me understand something about myself tha has been puzzling and somewhat irritating.

[Tesla_WTC_Solution]

Posted by heretogrow (here)
Ok so now I will let you know how weird I really am, . Some of us feel like we can communicate with mother earth and the sun as well as her inhabitants. I think I may have mentioned this on another thread a long time ago, but each time I greet the son, I do so with a melodious, Helloooo Gorgeoussss! I know some will say this is my imagination but the sun will actually twinkle or ramp up at this greeting as if to say it acknowledges my admiration. Often times, not always depending on my state of awareness, the earth seems to answer with her wind.

Laugh if you must but both of them have become a part of my everyday life!

Much love,
Julia

I am not laughing at you, I think there's something to this stuff.

Have you tried bird-calling?
You might be very surprised -- to get them warmed up, make a few physical noises (similar to their calls).
Then when you feel like calling to them again, stop (but imagine the feeling and also imagine "sending" the request to the bird to approach you).
And see if the birds pick up on your intentions/mental image/psychic call.

You might end up feeling a lot like Snow White by the end of this.
A good time to make friends with birds is during fishing, apparently.
Since it's a mutual interest, any predatory bird will be curious about humans fishing.

they might be extremely excited about what you are doing and very open to suggestion from another fisher. lol!

Today, I had an owl, two ospreys (one directly over my head), and a crane sitting next to me, all within 75 feet,
and they were all making noises except for the crane. LOL

The ospreys were answering whistles very readily, and they were answering other sorts of summons, apparently.

i was impressed by their sensitivity.

birds of prey actually suffer great loneliness in the wild.
like wolves and dogs, they have emotional needs that humans often indulge.

p.s. owls are extremely happy and proud after making a catch/kill, and vocalize afterward. they make a sort of "coughing" noise while happy, it's sort of like a morbid owl version of a laugh. and they get super excited when they see another predator get something.

p.p.s. ospreys are hugely cheerful birds who love people. they fly over fishermans' heads looking at the stringers/buckets to see who is catching the most. they pick a "favorite fisherman" and follow him/her around. they sing and whistle constantly, and love answering whistles and are very aware of people.


p.p.p.s. cranes are not hugely social but appreciate knowing when they are "safe". they are very shy and particular about WHO they spend time with.

[heretogrow]

Thanks Tesla! I try not to be my own worst enemy, lol! Though I know in all honesty what you have stated is exactly true. The key to balancing this has been to allow those whose feel the need to use lower based vibrations or negative energies, to just be themselves. Otherwise, I take those on in an attempt of resistance and become just like them or worse. Somehow we need to learn and often relearn not to control how others process things and use the energy the way it works for each of us. I am not at all there yet! Sometimes, when it gets to be too much I react, and cause negative karma to myself. Other times I just run away. But I am really trying to learn from all of it. I will be the first to admit I have a long way to go!

Much Love,
Julia

[DeDukshyn]

Posted by Lone Bean (here)
I didn't know I was an empath. If those 30 traits are truly representative of empathy, then there is no doubt I am one. Thanks for the information-it helps me understand something about myself tha has been puzzling and somewhat irritating.

Its not a definitive test, I'd say, but an indication. Most humans have most of those traits to some extent. Having most of those as main traits is indicative.

My 2 cents

[heretogrow]

I have never tried bird calling but my mom and I joke that if we are witches the birds are our familiars. I do know birds are very sensitive to human emotion. Once while meditating in my back yard, I stopped, and it took a few seconds for my consciousness to enter back into the body. To my surprise, them moment I felt connected to the body, hundreds of birds (which unbeknownst to me in that state had settled in the bushes and trees in my back yard) all flew away in a giant flock at once. It let me know that they were attracted to the bliss that I felt during meditation.

[Tesla_WTC_Solution]

Posted by heretogrow (here)
I have never tried bird calling but my mom and I joke that if we are witches the birds are our familiars. I do know birds are very sensitive to human emotion. Once while meditating in my back yard, I stopped, and it took a few seconds for my consciousness to enter back into the body. To my surprise, them moment I felt connected to the body, hundreds of birds (which unbeknownst to me in that state had settled in the bushes and trees in my back yard) all flew away in a giant flock at once. It let me know that they were attracted to the bliss that I felt during meditation.

Your mom's joke holds water. They apparently are THE most sensitive animals in terms of raw ability.
Maybe not the most caring or emotional themselves, but the most perceptive.
Cats are hard to beat but they care less about engaging. Birds are always open, so to speak.
Parrots maybe a bit less so, they're grouchy.


Your experience must have been really wonderful with the flock of birds.
Once when I tried meditating, first time actually that I tried it myself in public, a red helicopter with water pontoons on the legs landed right in front of me in the lake.
I took it as a great insult from whoever it is told us to meditate in the first place.

With you, they are attracted to the bliss, with me, the piss lol

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taking_the_piss

Taking the piss is a British term meaning to take liberties at the expense of others, or to be unreasonable. It is often used to mean (or confused with) taking the piss out of, which is an expression meaning to mock, tease, ridicule, or scoff.

_______________________________



Do you ever wonder if you were cursed in your last life, or perhaps some unwanted godling etc lol