A Bad Time To Be An Empath?
To some people, these are worrying times, no doubt about it.
I don’t often do “worried”, because there’s rarely much point in it, but a few weeks ago I had a scare. I started feeling strangely low. The logical part of my brain knew that it didn’t stem from lockdown blues. Even in more normal times, I’m good at isolation!
So, what was going on? I was absolutely stumped, until I remembered. I’m an Empath. If someone close to me is feeling something, I’ll feel it too. Physical, mental, emotional or spiritual. If you’re feeling something and we’re close (permanently or in-the-moment) I’ll be right there with you - whether either of us wants it or not!
And many of you are also Empaths. Having realised that, and that you may also be similarly affected, I decided to share my solution with you in the hope that it’ll help.
At that time (early March), as you’ll remember, there was widespread panic and huge anxiety about the spread and effects of Covid-19. The virus formed a subtext to everything, even if it went unstated. That, along with the sad fact that I couldn’t even get a hug, (I’m massively into hugs), led me to tap into the prevailing Zeitgeist and I became very anxious and depressed.
I’m often asked how I protect myself from the “empathy fallout”. Recently, it’s been harder than usual and I find I need to take breaks.
I’ve tried the “protective bubble” thing for years, and it works beautifully in everyday life - but not when I’m giving a tarot reading. When I’m reading cards for you, I want to be as close to you as I can get. No filters, no bubble. You deserve 100% of me, and that’s what you get.
So, prior protection doesn’t work, for me at least. I needed to remember to question my feelings, my emotions, after a session. Did they actually belong to me, or had I “empathed” them from someone else? And while I was dwelling on this thought, I found that I did indeed have a technique to find out and, yes, it does work!
I use a technique from kinesiology - the muscle test. Place together your thumb and forefinger of your left hand and then do the same with your right hand, this time placing your forefinger through the gap between your left thumb and forefinger. Your fingers should look like two chain links. Then, ask yourself a question, followed by “Body, show me yes”. Try to pull your right fingers through the chain link you’ve made with your hands. If you can, your body and intuition is telling you that the answer to the question is yes!
It takes a bit of practice, if you’re new to it, but it really works! It can bring you back on track, when you’re overwhelmed by other people’s angst whirling around your head!
Thanks for taking the time to read this. I send you all much love and many virtual hugs, and remember, there’s never a good time to be an Empath. But then, at the same time, there’s never ever a bad time to be an Empath!
Jill – PIN 500731