There’s nothing wrong with finding an escape from our day to day troubles (what else would you call relaxing?) But abusing addictive substances to avoid facing problems, or avoid dealing with emotions in a healthy way, will be destructive. Both in the long term and the short. When you’re by yourself, you pull out your journal and start singling out each emotion. After you think about and remember each one, you completely let it go. Imagine each emotion flowing down a river, washed away by the rain, or blowing away in a warm breeze. And once it’s gone, it’s really gone. For good. So, let’s get started. Here are 8 things I find most difficult about being an empath. The difficulties At that point, it becomes so much easier to manage the constant flow of emotions that bombard your senses day in and day out as an empath. Finally, we’ll dig into the concept of catharsis: what it is, how it helps, and how you can achieve it.

People who judge people, talk about people, or have racist tendencies should be aware that empaths can smell that bullshit a mile away. Empaths give everyone an equal chance, but if you mess it up, you are gone. 6) They Know your Feelings

I know I have the tendency to “ignore” people when really I’m connecting with them more than they realize.

There’s really no shame in it, even though it’s unhealthy. It’s a survival technique, a form of self-preservation. Evaluating your habits for any signs of addiction or abuse is always a good idea, empath or not. You aren’t the only one that often feels this way, and you’re very valid for feeling like you hate being one sometimes. Empaths are really in tune with people’s feelings and they can sense when people are jealous of them, and others. This makes it difficult for them to communicate with people, and vice versa. 4) They Sense Hatred There are ways to stop the emotional contagion and separate yourself from others. It just takes practice.You can pretend all you want, but an empath can see right through you. Whether it’s because you took something, broke something, made something, won something – whatever it is, they can read you like you wouldn’t believe. Kathryn L. Robyn, healer, artist, author of Spiritual Housecleaning, and coauthor of The Emotional House“Ora North is the wise, witchy aunt I never had, who has arrived on the scene just when this heartbroken world needs her most. How I wish I could’ve read this bracing tonic of a book when I was sixteen, and so overwhelmed by confusing, painful emotions that all I could do was bury them. Ora reassures us in her straight-talking way that it’s never too late to witness and integrate our dark, scary feelings—and regain our equilibrium. Goddess bless her for doing this groundbreaking work, and for writing this compelling, enlightening book to empower sensitive souls like me!” While I don’t always sleep the best, I do get regular, healthy sleep most of the time. It doesn’t help me from being tired.

Arden Leigh, creator of The Re-Patterning Project, and frontwoman of Arden and the Wolves“Ora tells the truth about what it means to be a deep-feeling person in this world. She blazes a way through the precarious world of self-inquiry, and she offers real-world tools that are restorative to the raw nerves of an empath. This book is a healing.” Of course, you do want to help them. As empaths, we always do everything we can to help people out. Often it feels like an obligation like we have no choice otherwise. Even when you feel like you are on the straight and narrow, an empath can sense that something might be missing from your journey. Maybe you took a job, but you really wanted to start your own business. Empaths can tell you what you should be doing with your life, whether you want to hear it or not. 9) They Can See Fake People It may seem foreign and strange, but self-compassion is vital for empaths. Giving yourself the grace and self-care you need will benefit you immensely. You shouldn’t feel guilty about doing it. The constant emotional drain, the inability to turn off your feelings. Crowds are almost always overwhelming–the list goes on.Usually, I’m already overwhelmed and at capacity when I “ignore”. The last thing I want to do is open that connection up even more. Their response is usually something like “but you’re always tired.” Or they advise me to get more sleep. Ora North brings a raw and powerful look at the reality of being an empath. It’s not always glitter and unicorns; we must take a long, hard look at the wounds and shadows we hold; we must get real to heal. Ora skillfully guides us through this process so we can take off the spiritual mask and claim our true power as empaths.” Lisa Campion, Reiki master teacher, and author of The Art of Psychic Reiki“What a relief this book is! At turns fresh, familiar, frank, and funny, author Ora North manages to distill recovery models, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and shamanism into a coherent and accessible program for empathy management, self-healing, and relationship building. Don’t take the title seriously, though. After working the exercises in I Don ’ t Want to Be an Empath Anymore, you will not only be more comfortable being so deep in the world of emotion, you will have become adept at it and found yourself embracing what an asset your sensitivities are to yourself and others. Highly recommended.” Even when you aren’t sure what you are feeling, empaths can read your body language and tell you what you are experiencing.

But it doesn’t always have to be like that. Just because we can take other people’s emotions on doesn’t mean we have to keep them. The problem is that you, one person, can’t help everyone. An empath can feel the pain of every person they meet in their life, but they can’t help them all. Even if they want to. For example, let’s say you’ve been keeping a journal: each time you feel yourself absorb an emotion you write it down.

These will bring you away from the feelings that threaten to overwhelm you. Grounding yourself will help you regulate your emotions, and the emotions you feel from others. Doing so will inform you as you are exposed to more emotions. You’ll start to better understand all the countless nuances of people’s feelings and why. The more people an empath interacts within the day to day, the less space they have to deal with their own emotions. That’s where addictive habits can become a huge difficulty. It’s all too easy to begin overusing drugs, alcohol, sex. Really anything that suspends feeling or emotion and replaces it with euphoria or numbness.