Despite popular belief that an empath is nothing more than a fairytale, empaths are people who have a greater sensitivity to energy and as such, can sometimes find things to be overwhelming and difficult. However, being an empath also has a world of wonderful benefits. Even though an empath may be susceptible to feeling the negative energy projected by those around them, they can also revel in the joy and happiness that is felt too and this can be a great way of bringing loved one closer together.
But sometimes, sensitive people just need a bit of shielding. Shielding can be done in a variety of ways but one of the most effective is meditation.
In this article, we are going to be looking at this excellent shielding technique and showing you three ways that you can meditate if you are highly sensitive. Each of these meditations has been designed specifically for an empath who is feeling at their wit’s end and what’s more, these techniques can be easily brought into your day to day living, even when you are in some of the most demanding situations.
What Is An Empath?
One of the leading researchers into the empath is a physician called Dr Judith Orloff who has frequently described an empath as being someone who is like an emotional sponge. She talks about how these sensitive people are susceptible to energy in ways that the rest of us are not.
One of the most notable things about Dr Orloff, however, is not just her research but the fact that she is an empath herself and so perhaps knows better than anyone else how this ability can affect someone. Her book gives a lot of information on how to survive in a life as an empath as well as giving strategies and protection tips. The book also talks about how a person who is an empath might not be able to control their level of stimulation meaning that it is often excessive and they end up soaking up the energies of everything and everyone around them.
Judith Orloff also goes on to say that whereas most people are able to protect their energy, if you are an empath, it becomes much more difficult to protect your energy field and this can become draining, particularly if you spend your time around the energy vampire. These are people who can deplete energies far more quickly but don’t know that they do this to others. It can be pressing for empaths to be in relationships with people who are considered to be energy vampires as this can quickly overload them.
An empath may struggle to be around a person who has a big personality, similarly, they may feel overwhelmed when they are in a hectic environment such as in the waiting room of a train station or at a party. Empaths often find that they can feel the emotions and feelings of another person and sometimes this is something of an emotional overload.
One of the most interesting things about empaths is that there is more than one type. There are emotional empaths who might be able to pick up on the feelings of their friends or a family member. This isn’t all about negativity, however, since someone with this ability would also be able to bask in the many positive emotions of others.
Then there are physical empaths who often experience a lot of negativity as they are able to feel the physical sensation of another person in their own body. For example, the may feel like they have pain in their own body when someone close to them experiences it in their body.
Intuitive empaths are known to be able to pick up on subtle things that everyone else would not. Many of these people are also emotional empaths but it is important not to confuse this as many people would consider this to mean that the person is a mind reader, where this is not strictly correct. There are situations and times in which a person with intuitive empathy would be able to pick up on the unspoken thoughts and emotions of others but this is different to a supernatural gift.
Furthermore, there are those who can empathise with the earth, plants, animals and even dreams; everyone has different abilities and can demonstrate this in different situations.
Many people become confused over whether they might be an empath and what it might feel like. Some of the most common traits of sensitive people are:
- A deep connection to nature. You may find that you like to spend time in nature as this is a great way to pull the pin on the stress that you feel at times when you are overwhelmed, especially if much of the energy you pick up on is filled with negativity. This can be something of a healing process that many empaths love.
- As an opposition of someone who likes to spend time in nature, an empath might feel as though their energetic boundaries are vastly overcome when they are forced into more stressful situations. This is because someone with sensitive empathy might be more susceptible to picking up on both emotional aspects and those that are present in the physical body of all of the people in the situation; this high level of negativity can be incredibly overwhelming.
- You might struggle with relationships even with those who you love deeply. This may be because you place a heightened focus on certain aspects such as someone talking too much or may feel that you experience intense negativity just from being close to someone that you love in life. Some empaths may also find that they struggle with physical intimacy and that too much touching can be too much to bear. It is essential, for this reason, that you are able to seat healthy boundaries – this is one of the best strategies and is described in the book we mentioned by Judith Orloff.
- One of the most common yet ignored signs that you might be an empath is that you have a very accurate ‘gut instinct.’ We often hear this term loosely thrown around but when we look closer, it is not difficult to see that it is, in fact, very real. You may be able to pick up on dishonesty or may simply get a feeling that some things are just not right – this is not anything that should be ignored.
- A lot of empaths find that despite their hardest efforts, they are unable to stop caring about things or persons even those who have hurt or betrayed them in the past. Say, for example, that you have a partner that you love but who has been unfaithful; you might still feel an overwhelming sense of responsibility for how they feel and may experience conflicting emotions as you feel everything that they are feeling. For this reason, you may find it excruciating to stop caring regardless of the situation.
- Those who are empaths have a tendency to be excellent listeners and for this reason, they usually find that they are one of the first sources for advice or a shoulder to cry on. Their friends and family members may not even notice that they immediately go to them for advice but in the long run, it can feel incredibly overwhelming for the empath to be the one that has to absorb all of this information.
Do Empaths Absorb Negative Energy?
In short, anyone who is an empath will experience the energy of others; this energy can be both emotional, intuitive and from the physical body. Many empaths will experience a high degree of negativity in their life but not through the state of their own life but rather because of the energies that they absorb; this can cause a lot of stress and can have a devastating impact on their emotional well being.
There are times when self-care should be a priority and if you have been feeling intense negativity and not enough light in your life then it is important to address these using empath protection tools.
How Do Empaths Block Negative Energy?
As you go through life as an empath, you will likely begin to notice how the energies around you have an effect on you. In some instances, you will feel incredibly light and free as you experience the positive and joyous emotions of others. However, in contrast, there are going to be times where you feel overwhelmed and a high degree of stress. This is a prime opportunity to practice self compassion and give yourself a break.
There might be a specific place or person that exposes you to negative energy and short of ridding yourself of this completely, you will need to use self care strategies to restore your energy and protect you from anything negative.
3 Empath Shielding Meditations
There are several empath protection tools that are extremely effective and these can help you to obtain a level of self protection that you may not have experienced before.
As an empath, it is important that you learn how it feels when you are becoming overloaded or when your energy feels as though it is being frayed. If you do not, then you may end up feeling physically and emotionally drained. This can leave you feeling tired, depressed, anxious and even nauseous.
The Jaguar
The first method is one that has been talked about frequently by Dr Orloff who claims that this is one of the most effective ways of shielding your energy. It involves the power of the jaguar – the cat not the car, and is a reliable empath shielding meditation. The jaguar is seen to be a patient guard that is fierce and many people often turn to it for a profound level of protection where empathy is concerned.
Meditating with this in mind can help if you are feeling overwhelmed or if you are being exposed to a lot of negative energy all at once.
To begin with, you will need to become as calm as possible; this can be done by doing some breathing exercises; take a deep breath in and hold it, before letting the air slowly leave your body. You might also take advantage of some essential oils as these are known to promote relaxation. Lavender essential oil is one of the most effective.
When you are ready and in a calm meditative state, you can call upon the jaguar to come and protect you. It is important to be ready to accept this healing love and you can feel it even more profoundly by performing a visualization. You can imagine this powerful and magnificent creature entering your field of energy and patrolling it, keeping it safe from anything negative or any energy that does not stand to serve you. Spend time in your meditating session focusing on the jaguar and the way in which it moves. Notice that this is a graceful creature that exudes confidence and power.
You can feel secure as the animal creates a protective circle around you but it is also important that during your meditation, you take the time to give thanks to the jaguar for this intense level of protection.
Light Shield
If you need a quick form of meditating that you can do at any time then the light shield is a great option. In times of extreme stress and when you feel as though your energy is being drained, you can immediately put up this light barrier and prevent the energy of other people from having such a negative effect on you.
Wherever you are, it is important to stop and take a few moments to become centred and grounded. Start by taking a couple of slow, long deep breaths; each breath should fill you up and place you firmly in the present moment.
Once you are feeling calm and comfortable, you can visualise a beautiful white or pink light shield developing around you. Imagine it radiating from deep within you and spreading all around you. This light will serve as a method of protection and will allow you to feel much more in control of the situation.
You might also continue this visualisation by imagining bad energy attempting to get in but the aura effectively repelling it. However, if there is any good energy, the light will help you to absorb this, leaving you feeling happy, protected and centred.
The Tree
As an empath, you will be aware of the fact that nature plays an important role in your life and as such, it might come as little surprise that you are able to use nature to absorb some of the energy that overloads you.
In particular, you might choose a plant or a tree for this meditating session. You can choose whichever you like, it could be a small plant that you have nurtured inside your home or a giant oak tree in the middle of the woods.
This is perhaps one of the most simple meditations for a sensitive empath since it can be done very quickly. In contrast, if you wanted to spend longer focusing on the tree, that is fine too.
Begin by closing your eyes and breathing slowly and deeply, get yourself into a wonderfully relaxed, meditative state. Once you are there, picture your plant or tree rising up all around you; you might imagine multiple plants or trees surrounding you. This acts as a shield of protection with the plant or tree being able to absorb all of the bad energy leaving you feeling free and content.
In addition to including this visualisation in your daily meditations, you might also place a plant on your desk in your office or next to your bed. In reality, nature has a great way of absorbing energy from us and this can be particularly useful if you are often exposed to energy vampires.
Conclusion
An empath is someone who has the ability to feel or experience things that other humans and animals feel and experience; they are able to absorb energy both positive and negative and as such can often become overwhelmed. It’s all well and good when the things that they are experiencing are positive but when the energy takes a more negative turn, this can leave empaths feeling depleted, and oftentimes, physically affected.
However, it does not have to be this way and you can enjoy your abilities without feeling as though they are dragging you down. By making use of some empath protection techniques, you will be able to find effective ways of protecting yourself from energies that can cause you to feel like everything is too much. One of the most simple ways of doing this is through meditating and there are many meditations out there that have been designed with the overwhelmed empath in mind.