The busyness of Summer is in full swing – both kids are home with me during the day so the house is a wreck, there’s lots of running, swimming, screaming, and general chaos. Am I making you jealous? Ha. I find myself emotionally and physically drained at the end of most days, as I’m sure a lot of people can identify with. Because of this, I’ve found it imperative, for my sanity and the overall mood of the house, to be more vigilant about keeping my energy body refreshed. This involves grounding in nature, keeping up with daily mediation, and also doing some guided meditations that are quick and effective – easy to fit in while the kids take a little break as well. (I’ll include a couple guided meditations later)
What I want to talk about in this post is related to feeling energetically “out of sorts” or drained. While this can happen to anyone, it occurs in an even more pronounced way if you’re an empath.
How do you know if you’re an empath?
Here are a few common characteristics:
-You can sense and even feel other people’s emotions (sometimes as if they’re your own)
-You may see energy or feel it vibrating “off” of someone
-You can become overwhelmed in crowds (you may avoid crowded places)
-Highly intuitive/psychic
-You feel drained after social gatherings
-Need time alone every day
These are just a few traits, but you get the idea. Empath can be a “trendy” word in the world of energy work, but it’s a very real thing. I often felt all of the above list while growing up, but didn’t have the insight or words to name my experience. Once I was able to realize that I was picking up on other’s energy (often unconsciously) and even carrying it around with me as if it were my own, it was a big eye opener for me.
I believe most people are empathic – we are all connected after all – but not everyone is affected the same way, and not all choose to tap into it and explore it. For example, my husband, kids, and I came home from a large social gathering earlier this month and the minute we got home I needed to go sit for a bit by myself. Decompress and get centered. “Have a moment” as my husband likes to tease me. But he, on the other hand, went directly outside to visit with our neighbors. While unimaginable to me, he still craved more socializing. I’ve asked him if he ever feels “empathic”, and he says he doesn’t identify at all with picking up another’s energy. Yet I will argue that even if he’s not aware of it, it’s always a good idea to keep our energy and chakras in check. We are interconnected, and while this is how it should be, it doesn’t mean we have to carry around someone else’s energy or feel the need to “fix” something that doesn’t belong to us.
Empaths also have many admirable qualities, such as often being natural healers and good listeners. Also, since they’re picking up on energy around them easily, they can use it to their advantage and develop their intuition and connection with higher energies and dimensions.
On the other side, if an empath isn’t aware of all they are picking up on, they can take on other’s moods, problems, and energies and mistake them as their own. To put it simply, they can care too much.
Empaths are also more likely to attract people with emotional issues to them – and these people can unknowingly drain an empath of their energy. I’m sure you’ve heard of certain personality types referred to as “emotional vampires”. These aren’t bad people, they just simply feed off of other people’s energy and use it to make themselves feel better, rather than going within and using the energy that’s available to them. As an empath, you may understand the feeling of needing a three hour nap after going out to dinner with someone who talks and resonates at a low energy vibration, leaving them feeling great after your conversation, while you leave feeling wiped out. If this sounds familiar, you’re letting your energy drain without your permission or sometimes even your awareness.
Despite the downfalls, it can be a great quality to be empathic. To sense another’s energy and be able to intuitively help others is a wonderful gift. Yet it’s also a hinderance if you don’t know how to keep your core energy your core energy. However, it’s possible to be both empathic and centered in yourself and your own energy. The key to this is through knowing yourself, and getting to know the peace you can feel, while sitting in stillness. Yes, meditating! Or running, swimming, listening to music, or whatever brings you to your center and connects you to your Divine Self.
Once you familiarize yourself with this feeling, you can interact and converse all you’d like, while stopping your energy field from taking on someone else’s emotions, fears, or anxieties.
As humans we ideally strive to be compassionate people. Yet as an empath it’s important to have an energy of compassion, while also knowing we each are individually a part of the whole. We each are here to grow in our own unique way, and it’s nobody’s job to take on another person’s energy (even with the best of intentions).
How can you manage your energy field as an empath?
Two things that have helped me are:
1) Energy awareness & protection
2) Meditation & visualization
The first is simple. If I know I’m going to a social event, or let’s face it, even days I’m home with my kids, I take the easy step to surround myself with protective energy. I envision a white light coming down from above my head and simply surrounding my whole body with it; almost like a sphere or an egg. Our mind is powerful, and will directly affect and instruct our energy how to behave. Since we are made of energy, the mind is capable of performing quantum acts and telling your energy field what to do. This simple visualization can keep your energy in check.
On to meditation and visualization. I make it a quick daily practice to clear my energy in the morning (clear away the dream state from your energy) and at the end of the day (clear away all the energy you picked up that day from events and other people). Below are a couple guided mediations to enjoy. Try them out and see which visual works best for you. Once you’ve listened a few times you’ll get the idea and can then do an energy clearing and centering on your own while taking a shower or sitting at your desk at work. It doesn’t have to be a long process – it can take just a few minutes to clear, ground, and center yourself.
I promise you, as you take the time each day to clear your mind, chakras, and all the layers of your aura, you will soon come to know the feeling of being centered. And when you inevitably lose that spot (we are human) you’ll find it easy to get back – with the power of your intention.
While it’s magical that we’re all connected through Life Force (Source, God, the Universe) – we are all also on our own journey as a soul. By being aware of your own energy field, you can hold your light in the center of your self – clear and peaceful from the winds blowing all around you.
I hope you enjoy the guided meditations!
In gratitude,
Nicki
