Have you walked into a room and immediately sensed the atmosphere or mood of the people in it? Do you get acute gut feelings about whether or not to trust someone within just a few seconds of meeting them? If so, you may be an empath. Being an empath means you’re unique. They are special people, and because of this they require a special form of self-care to protect their energy.
I’m an empath. Are you? In case you’re unsure here’s the definition of an empath. An empath is a person who can intuitively pick up on and even absorb the emotional and physical feelings of others. They are usually very giving of themselves. Empaths simply feel too much when it comes to the energy around them, because they are a lot more emotionally aware and compassionate about other people’s needs. They are also far more sensitive to unhealthy energy frequencies in the environment. They need alone time every day in order to clear energy that isn’t theirs and process their emotions.
We are all sponges to the energy around us, but empaths have the ability to absorb it more powerfully than others. It’s crucial that we must be particular about the actions that we take to relax, refuel, and get refreshed, because taking on all of the energy that we encounter throughout the day can be completely draining. If we don’t learn to properly care for ourselves, we risk complete burnout.
Being an empath myself, I’ve come to realize that for empaths it’s so important to have solid self-care tips to put into practice. Today I’m going to share my favorite self-care tips for empaths. These tips are sure to help you not only feel better, but bounce back faster, and renew your energy. Turn to these tips whenever you’re absorbing the stress or symptoms of others and you need ways to release them. Remember there is nothing wrong with being an empath. You are not broken or defective. You simply have a gift that requires you to handle yourself with some special TLC.
1. Take an Online Break
Everyone needs a regular time-out from technology, especially empaths. Technology today inundates you with too much information. Online media can trigger your emotions. Your feeds from Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube can transfer negative energy onto you, and impair your ability to fall asleep. It’s very easy to pick up energy from the online world, so make sure take some breaks, as many as you need and devote your time in nature, meditating, or participating in other off-line activities that restore you.
2. DeclutterYour Space (Physically AND Mentally)
External clutter can lead to internal mental clutter. Have you ever experienced this? Often times when your home is cluttered, so is your mind. Decluttering your home, can lead to less clutter in your mind. Take a good, hard look around our home and zero in on a particular area that is cluttered. When things pile up around you, it’s easy to feel that things are piling up on you mentally and emotionally too. Make it part of your regular empath self-care practice to clear out the clutter of your surroundings.
3. Learn to Meditate
One of the grounding principles of self-care is meditation. Meditation is especially important for empaths, and you don’t have to spend a long time doing it, 5 to 10 minutes can make all the difference. Meditation allows us to learn to focus our minds. It teaches us to not let
every bit of stimulation distract us and overwhelm us. Meditation allows us a chance to be still. Meditation allows you time just for just yourself.
4. Nourish & Nurture Your Body
Learn how to love and nurture your body, just like you would nurture, love and care for a child. You deserve to be loved and cared for the way you care for others. Give your
body the right fuel, the right liquid, the right nutrients. Stop filling it with caffeine, sugar, nicotine. When you take care of yourself from the inside, you’ll shine on the outside.
When you’re a highly attuned person, you need daily alone time in order to let your system
have a break and release what isn’t yours. No matter where you are, it’s possible to find a quiet place for even just a few minutes, a bathroom, closet, car, etc. Find a quiet spot away from others, take deep breaths and just let your body and mind be still.
6. Adjust Your Schedule to Exclude Exhausting People
You know the people and personality types that wear you out. The constant complainers, the whinners, the pessimists, the drama queens, and the gossips. While you may not be able to completely cut them out, do try and limit the amount of time you spend in their company. Adjust your schedule and carve out time to be around more positive and uplifting people, as
much as you can. Limit the time that require you to socialize with exhausting people. Choosing to strategically avoid the energy vampires in our lives is much needed self-care for empaths.
7. Spend Time in Nature & Practice Grounding
Empaths love nature and really feel at ease there. Being in a fresh, clean, green environment or around water clears negativity. The Earth radiates a healing vibe. Try being outdoors and soaking up the sun and all its energy in your body. Grounding means going barefoot and
feeling the earth’s power through your feet. To shed other people’s energies, take
your shoes off and feel the grass between your toes, walk in the sand or the soil. It’s a calming and refreshing experience.