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Domingo, 12 / 04 / 20

How to Handle Emotional Overwhelm as an Empath in a Crisis

How to Handle Emotional Overwhelm as an Empath in a Crisis 

Becky Storey.

https://www.learning-mind.com/

April 11th, 2020

 

Being an empath means constantly picking up on the emotions of other people. Be it positive, or more often negative, empaths can feel and manifest emotions that aren’t their own. This is usually uncomfortable but manageable under typical circumstances. Unfortunately, we aren’t under typical circumstances right now, and negative emotions are everywhere. Empaths everywhere are taking on more feelings than ever, and rapidly developing emotional overwhelm.
The whole world is under constant stress. I can’t imagine there are many people who are handling the current coronavirus pandemic with ease. For an emotional empath, this means being constantly exposed to very intense emotions.
Empaths are often able to pick up on the emotions of others through means other than being up close and personal with others. Television, posts online and phone calls are all possible sources of emotional overwhelm.

What Is Emotional Overwhelm?

You enter a state of emotional overwhelm when the intensity of emotions you feel outweigh your ability to handle them. When empaths are exposed to a lot of serious negative emotions, they can be quickly overwhelmed and find themselves unable to process what they’re experiencing.
In a state of emotional overwhelm, your ability to think and be rational is hindered because of the mess of thoughts in your mind. This painful state of mind can get in the way of daily life if it’s not addressed well. It could even disrupt relationships if it prevents proper rationalization and communication.
It’s common for non-empaths to experience emotional overwhelm too. There are a whole host of possible causes, such as stress, trauma, difficult relationships. Major life changes or events, just as we’re all experiencing right now, can bring on emotional overwhelm for anybody. This means empaths could be taking on multiple doses.

Signs You’re Suffering from Emotional Overwhelm

In any situation, it’s important to be able to detect when you’re developing emotional overwhelm before it’s too late. Most notably, emotional overwhelm will cause a big reaction to seemingly small problems. When your bucket is full, even the smallest droplets will cause it to overflow.
When your mind is cluttered with too many thoughts, feelings, and emotions, as empaths often are, you might have difficulty focusing on tasks you’re supposed to be doing. You might even find yourself struggling to sleep, despite feeling more tired.
Emotional overwhelm can be similar to depression. The inability to process negative thoughts means you might not feel the same joy during usually “good” experiences.
Emotional overwhelm, much like any mental health issue, can cause physical symptoms. The tension in your body caused by being under inescapable stress can lead to headaches and muscle pains and even nausea and dizziness.
Ultimately, emotional overwhelm can result in missed meals, failed work projects and lost relationships. Fortunately, emotional overwhelm doesn’t have to be a long-term issue. There are ways to cope with it.

How to Cope with Emotional Overwhelm

There’s no need to let the emotional overwhelm take over your life. Handling emotions as an empath is almost second nature, but in very tense situations like we’re in right now, even the most experienced empath needs some guidance.

Remove the Stimuli

The easiest way to cope with emotional overwhelm is to reduce the influx of negative stimuli. Try to stay away from places online where people might be sharing their negative feelings. It might feel wrong at first, but any empath should also consider limiting their time as a friend’s “shoulder to cry on”.
Right now, everyone has very intense emotions and if it’s not going to be healthy for you to take on multiple cases of distress, it might be best to be honest and admit you can’t be their go-to for now.
Obviously, no one should be out in public now unless it’s really essential, but if you needed more reasons to stay in, here’s one. As an empath, you’re going to pick up on an awful lot of stress and sadness even if you’re only visiting the store.

Learn to Release It

Of course, it’s easier said than done for anyone, especially empath, but it’s very beneficial to learn to let go of those emotions. Letting negative emotions, especially the ones that don’t belong to you, sink too deep will really harm your mental state.
To reduce your emotional overwhelm you could try a number of activities, like meditation or yoga, or even screaming loudly to release the tension if that’s your kind of thing. When you feel those emotions bubble up, breathe and release them. It’s important to remind yourself that they aren’t yours to harbor.

Let It in

You know what they say – if you can’t beat them, join them. If you find yourself totally unable to release the emotions you’ve taken on that have caused emotional overwhelm, then let them in. Don’t wallow in them, simply acknowledge and greet them.
Note what each feeling is, be it anger, sadness or anxiety. Note whether you feel they’re your own or something you picked up from the external world.
File those emotions in their correct place, and suddenly you’ll find it easier to think straight. A cluttered mind is hard to function with. Consider journaling, or just opening up and confiding in someone. Once you can see things more clearly, the emotional overwhelm will reduce significantly.

Mental Distractions

When processing and talking, meditation or other mindfulness activities don’t seem to be doing the job, you can always try distractions to reduce the impact of emotional overwhelm. Everyone needs some peace in their minds at times. There’s nothing wrong with involving yourself in something that will occupy your mind.
Reading, drawing and other arts are great for absorbing your attention. There’s also nothing wrong with video games and computers if you aren’t of the arty persuasion.

Physical Distractions

When you feel the negative effects of emotional overwhelm coming on, try bringing your attention back to your body instead of your mind. You could try fidget device for a momentary distraction. Exercise of any form is a great physical distraction.
For immediate distraction and a return to your body, not your mind, try extreme sensations. You could put your hands in hot or cold water, or even pinch yourself a little when you feel like your mind is running away from you.
Times are incredibly uneasy right now. None of us are handling it particularly well, and empaths can feel that. If, as an empath, you’re falling quickly into a state of emotional overwhelm, take it easy on yourself. Look after your mind and preserve your own mental health first. Times like these are difficult but not impossible.
References:
  1. https://www.goodtherapy.org
  2. https://www.psychologytoday.com
 
 
 
 

 

Becky Storey
 

 




 

About the Author: Becky Storey


 
Becky Storey is a professional writer who has been passionate about the way we think and the human mind since she developed chronic anxiety many years ago. Now she loves to write and educate people on mental health and wellbeing. When Becky is not writing, you’ll find her outside with her Labrador, sitting behind a jigsaw puzzle, or baking something with too much sugar.
 
Copyright © 2012-2019 Learning Mind. All rights reserved. For permission to reprint, contact us.
 



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No religious or political creed is advocated here.

Organised religion is unnecessary to spirituality.

Excellent teachings of the masters have been contaminated by the dogmatic control of these religions.

Discernment yes; judgement does not.
If you use discernment you are free to research with an open mind. 

With discernment it is possible to reach the spirit of the letter of any writing and it is also much easier to listen to the voice of the soul that comes from the heart.
Individually you can be helped to find your Truth that is different of everyone. 


Please respect all credits.

 
Discernment is recommended.
 

All articles are of the respective authors and/or publishers responsibility. 


 

 

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publicado por achama às 05:19
Quarta-feira, 25 / 03 / 20

Social Distancing from an Introvert’s Point of View.

Social Distancing from an Introvert’s Point of View.

Becky Storey.

https://www.learning-mind.com/

March 25th, 2020

 

 
 
Our world is plagued with fake people who pretend to be something they aren’t. It’s not unusual to fall for a fake, no matter what they’re pretending to be. Sometimes, we just trust too easily. When you fall for a fake empath’s lies, it could be emotionally or mentally damaging. For your own sake, it’s a good idea to know what to look for when spotting a fake.
 
Despite how wholesome being an empath is at its root, there are still people who make it into something less than that. Fake empaths are, unfortunately, common. People claim to have this gift for all sorts of reasons. Often, fake empaths are narcissists.
 
Empaths and narcissists are on opposite ends of the same spectrum. They insist that they are highly sensitive to other people’s emotions and can “just tell how you feel” in order to manipulate you in some way for their own gain.
 
What Is an Empath?
 
A real empath is a person who can tune in, or feel, the emotions of others. This extends to animals and even the emotional “vibe” of certain places. Oftentimes, empaths are portrayed as having a psychic ability similar to mind reading.
 
Fake empaths particularly love the recognition that comes with this theory. While some might believe in the psychic aspects, others lean more towards the idea that empaths are just highly sensitive to emotions and actively try to feel the emotions of others.
 
Real empaths are born with their abilities and may never know they have such a gift. They may live their entire lives assuming that it’s normal to pick up on everyone’s emotions so easily. With or without their knowledge, empaths use a whole array of tools to understand another person’s emotions. These include body language, tone of voice and even the words a person uses. Fake empaths are unlikely to even notice such subtle changes.
 
For strongly empathic people, distance has no impact on their abilities. Even live TV, documentaries and reality shows can give emotional impressions to an empath. For this reason, real empaths will often avoid seeing shows that are heavy with emotion.
 
 
5 Differences between Fake Empaths and Real Empaths
 
1. They Want to Diagnose You
 
Fake empaths want to tell YOU how YOU feel. Instead of simply trying to understand and be in tune with how you feel, as a real empath would do, they want to read you. They want to diagnose your feelings and they want everyone to know about it.
 
For example, imagine you’re having a hard time and have been a little quieter than usual. A real empath would naturally feel this and would understand why. Be it anxiety or maybe sadness, they’ll feel it too. They probably won’t tell you that they feel your emotions too, they’ll just try to help without making a fuss.
 
A fake empath will turn it into a guessing game, without a sympathetic approach. They just want you to notice that they’ve “read you”.
 
2. They Don’t Take “No” Well
 
If a fake empath comes up with an incorrect assumption of you, which is most likely, they won’t handle being corrected very well. Fake empaths pretend to be this way for attention and to feel like they have a special power that makes them superior, and sometimes even god-like.
 
Whilst a real empath would be apologetic and uncomfortable if they had been wrong about how you felt, a fake one would be defensive. They’re likely to insist that you’re wrong about your own emotions. After all, they’re the ones with the magical powers, right?
 
3. They Will Note Your Negative Emotions, Not Positive Ones
 
Fake empaths want to feel like they’ve caught you out, so they’ll try to reveal emotions you would be keeping secret. If they think you’re angry at someone, they’ll announce that “they can feel it” because they’re empathetic. The same goes for any sadness or discomfort they might think you have.
 
Real empaths enjoy when others feel positive emotions because they can feel it too. They get to share in the good feelings and they’re happy to tell you they’re experiencing the same emotions. Fake empaths won’t bother with noting your positive emotions, because they’re not as exciting or dramatic enough to get them attention.
 
4. They Tell Everyone They’re Empaths
 
There are very few signs that make it clearer that someone is not an empath than them telling everyone that they are. Real empaths don’t need or want the attention and confusion that comes from sharing their abilities. If you reveal that you can feel the emotions of others, you’re likely to be met with questions. Fake empaths love this. They crave the attention.
 
5. They Blame Emotional Influence
 
As a real empath, you’re constantly taking in the emotional experiences of the people and places around you. This can be fatiguing and will have some impact on your own mood. Fake empaths will let this be an excuse for their bad moods and bad behavior, while real empaths would never.
 
Real empaths understand that it is possible to be influenced by the outside world, but they wouldn’t let it become negative or impact the people around them. If emotions get too strong, they would rather take themselves away for a while than hurt their family or friends.
 
Fake empaths will become angry and even rude and snappy, then blame it on the influence of others instead of taking responsibility for lashing out.
 
Fake Empaths Can Be Dangerous
 
Fake empaths are particularly dangerous people because of their assumed control over your emotions. In order to protect yourself from these people, it’s important to know the differences between things a fake empath and a real one. If someone in your life shows signs of being fake, it’s best to stay away.
 
References:
  1. https://www.psychologytoday.com
  2. https://medium.com
 
 
 

 

Becky Storey
 

 




 

About the Author: Becky Storey


 
Becky Storey is a professional writer who has been passionate about the way we think and the human mind since she developed chronic anxiety many years ago. Now she loves to write and educate people on mental health and wellbeing. When Becky is not writing, you’ll find her outside with her Labrador, sitting behind a jigsaw puzzle, or baking something with too much sugar.
 
Copyright © 2012-2019 Learning Mind. All rights reserved. For permission to reprint, contact us.
 



Compiled by http://violetflame.biz.ly from: 
 
Archives:

 

 



No religious or political creed is advocated here.

Organised religion is unnecessary to spirituality.

Excellent teachings of the masters have been contaminated by the dogmatic control of these religions.

Discernment yes; judgement does not.
If you use discernment you are free to research with an open mind. 

With discernment it is possible to reach the spirit of the letter of any writing and it is also much easier to listen to the voice of the soul that comes from the heart.
Individually you can be helped to find your Truth that is different of everyone. 


Please respect all credits.

 
Discernment is recommended.
 

All articles are of the respective authors and/or publishers responsibility. 


 

 

Like this! please bookmark. It is updated daily

 


 
 
 
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publicado por achama às 23:11
Segunda-feira, 16 / 12 / 19

5 Signs of Compassion Fatigue and How to Deal with It as an Empath

Lauren Edwards-Fowle.

learning-mind.com

Posted December 15, 2019.

 

 

An empath by their very nature is extremely sensitive and should always be conscious of the signs of compassion fatigue. Empaths tend to be so acutely aware of the feelings of other people, that at times they can acquire those very emotions themselves.

There are many beautiful aspects to being an empath, and having the gift of being able to relate to and understand the feelings and natures of people. However, it can be emotionally and spiritually draining to be constantly bombarded with these heightened experiences.

What is compassion fatigue?
Compassion fatigue is a phenomenon that specifically impacts empaths. These are individuals with a highly caring nature, who often provide nurture within their line of work. Empaths often work as nurses, veterinarians or in philanthropic endeavours.

This condition is serious, and anybody with a strong empathetic nature should be on the look-out for signs of compassion fatigue. The reason that compassion fatigue arises is due to a sense of being overwhelmed by the influx of emotion, and the burden of carrying the distress of other people.

How do you know if you are experiencing compassion fatigue?
One of the key signs of compassion fatigue is that an empath will become desensitized to emotion. They may lose their ability to connect with people and find their emotions replaced with negative conditions including indifference, apathy and even anger. This is a downward spiral, and it is important to understand the signs of compassion fatigue to avoid falling victim to it.

The top 5 signs of compassion fatigue:

1. Feeling numb or indifferent


This is an unusual experience for an empath. When faced with a difficult situation, they automatically feel an engagement with a person or set of circumstances.

Feeling numb or not caring is an early sign of compassion fatigue. When sensory input becomes overwhelming, your response is to protect yourself by blocking acknowledgment of those sensors. If ignored, these feelings can descend from numbness to resentment and even anger.

2. Intentionally becoming isolated
When an empath is completely overloaded, they may decide to retreat and protect themselves from further sensory inputs. This can help to relax and restore your vitality, but isolating yourself can be a dangerous coping mechanism.

Isolation can become an easy solution, which may have a negative impact on other areas of your life. So if you spot this sign of compassion fatigue, try to find a way to be open and share your feelings with those closest to you. Seek help, rather than shutting yourself away from the world.

3. Unusual extreme emotional sensitivity to media
Having experienced emotional exhaustion, it is likely that if you have these signs of compassion fatigue, your emotions and nerves will become frayed, fragile, temperamental and prone to extreme reactions at the slightest provocation.


A quick to spot the signs of compassion fatigue is having a severe reaction that is completely out of character caused by a minor influence, such as a slightly sad book, movie or TV show.

4. Feeling physically and emotionally exhausted
It stands to reason that if your senses simply cannot cope with more emotional burdens, this will quickly begin to impact all areas of your health. Feeling extreme tiredness and exhaustion with no identifiable reason is an indication of compassion fatigue.

If you feel tired and disengaged with no reasonable reason, you may continue to feel this way until you unburden yourself of the load you carry.

5. Acting out of character and struggling to maintain close relationships
Any empath experiencing the signs of compassion fatigue will struggle to behave and act as they normally would. Their emotions and feelings are very fragile and cannot manage any additional senses to deal with.

This can lead to a lack of communication with loved ones, an urgent need to be left alone and create an isolated space. This can ultimately cause hurt and distance between you and those you love.
What to do if you are struggling with compassion fatigue

The first step to recovering is to acknowledge that you are struggling. Being able to identify unusual behaviours that are out of character can be the initial path to recognising the triggers for such changes.

Making a connection with your empathetic nature and appreciating and understanding both the qualities this affords you, and the pressure it puts you under, is crucial. Once you understand and reflect on yourself as an empath, it becomes much easier to identify why outside factors are having a damaging impact on your health and well-being.

If you are experiencing the signs of compassion fatigue, you need to take stock. It might be that you are not showing yourself enough self-care. You could be leaving yourself exposed to exterior emotional stressors that are too much for you to cope with.

One of the hardest things for an empath to do is to take a step back, and be able to prioritise their own well-being. However, if you see signs of compassion fatigue, you must look after yourself first, before you considering dedicating your time or emotional resources to help others.

Having recognised signs of compassion fatigue, the absolute worst thing you can do is to ignore it. This condition will not go away by itself. By failing to balance your emotions, you are not allowing yourself the capacity to stabilise.

It may be that counselling or other support will help. As an empath, it can be hard to explain to others who don’t have an understanding of how deeply you are affected by your surroundings.

Decompress and talk through your emotions first. Then implement practical emotional tools to manage your health. These are essential to moving forward in an enlightened way, without losing the part of yourself which makes you unique.
 

 
Lauren Edwards-Fowle
 
 
Copyright © 2012-2019 Learning Mind. All rights reserved. For permission to reprint, contact us.
 

 

 
About the Author: Lauren Edwards-Fowle


 
Lauren Edwards-Fowle is a professional copywriter based in South East England. Lauren worked within Children's Services for five years before moving into the business sector. She holds an MSc in Applied Accountancy and BSc in Corporate Law. She now volunteers within the community sport sector, helping young people to live healthier, more productive lifestyles and overcome the barriers to inclusion that they face. With a keen interest in physical wellbeing, nutrition and sports, Lauren enjoys participating in a variety of team sports in her spare time, as well as spending time with her young family and their dog Scout.
 



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No religious or political creed is advocated here.

Organised religion is unnecessary to spirituality.

Excellent teachings of the masters have been contaminated by the dogmatic control of these religions.

Discernment yes; judgement does not.
If you use discernment you are free to research with an open mind. 

With discernment it is possible to reach the spirit of the letter of any writing and it is also much easier to listen to the voice of the soul that comes from the heart.
Individually you can be helped to find your Truth that is different of everyone. 


Please respect all credits.

 
Discernment is recommended.
 

All articles are of the respective authors and/or publishers responsibility. 


 

 

Like this! please bookmark. It is updated daily

 


 
 
 
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publicado por achama às 02:46
A Luz está a revelar a Verdade, e esta libertar-nos-á! -Só é real o AMOR Incondicional. -Quando o Amor superar o amor pelo poder, o mundo conhecerá a Paz; Jimi Hendrix. -Somos almas a ter uma experiência humana!

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