Empathy for Self

Empaths are highly sensitive individuals, who have a keen ability to sense what people around them are thinking and feeling. Psychologists may use the term empath to describe a person that experiences a great deal of empathy, often to the point of taking on the pain of others at their own expense. However, the term empath can also be used as a spiritual term, describing an individual with special, psychic abilities to sense the emotions and energies of others.”-psychalive.com

Most often the gift we carry is also our curse. In my case I am an empath. I feel deeply, I understand deeply and most times I understand a situation to it’s deepest core.

I know I’m not alone, there are so many out there the same as me. This gift is useful when I’m utilizing it as a therapist professor or a yoga teacher; but at times it has been my curse.

It becomes a curse when a battle emerges within me. When I start to understand people so deeply that it’s at the expense of lowering my expectations of relationships, because I understand them better than they understand themselves.

It becomes a curse when I start making excuses for others, as they hurt or belittle me and then when I finally get angry at them, shame sets in and I get angry towards myself. 

Asking myself why I can’t be a bigger person, because after all I understand them. After all I’m a therapist. After all I’m spiritual.

Yes, I am all of those things but after all and the most important; I AM HUMAN.

I can understand but I can still have boundaries. I can be spiritual and still say “f%*! that, I can love and still let go.

I can steady the battle inside of me by holding on to my humanness; my truth 

….allowing my gift to reach others but at the same time, this gift of empathy has to reach ME!