When an empath or a highly sensitive person witnesses others suffering, they automatically go back to the traumatic moment that made them feel unsafe and powerless. Therefore, a wounded empath finds it easier to shut down and not deal with the mess that's going on in their soul.
Empath Shutdown is a short-term solution that protects you from painful emotions and experiences. It saves you from the discomfort of feeling your own pain or the pain of others. Our primal survival instincts tell us to do whatever we can to avoid pain.
The signs of empath burnout can differ from regular burnout but usually include feeling overwhelmed or unable to cope with disconnection from others' emotions and emotional exhaustion.
Spiers tells us, “With depression, an empath may feel overwhelmed by the pain and suffering of others. This may lead them to withdraw from their usual routine as a means of self-protection, but by isolating themselves and breaking links with their families and friends, the depression can then be exacerbated.
They may become easily overwhelmed by negative emotions or feel as though they are responsible for the emotional well-being of others. Additionally, because empaths are so in tune with the emotions of others, they may struggle to express their own feelings, leading to difficulty in forming close emotional connections.
Some people, known as dark empaths, understand the feelings of others but don't feel these feelings themselves. They might act like they care, but deep down, they don't feel sympathy for you or have a desire to help.
With post-traumatic stress, your system can't fully return to its calmer state before the upset or even the initial incident. You are never quite at rest and remain aware of protecting yourself from further threats. Empaths are at risk of becoming hypervigilant which is draining for empaths.
The symptoms of empathy fatigue are feeling overwhelmed or emotionally drained, difficulty sleeping, difficulty concentrating, physical exhaustion, apathy, irritability, and/or feeling emotionally disconnected or numb.
“Empathy fatigue is the emotional and physical exhaustion that happens from caring for people day, after day, after day,” explains Dr. Albers. “Over time, we start to see people experiencing a sense of numbness and distancing or difficulty continuing to care.” Empathy fatigue is a defense mechanism, she continues.
"A challenge of being an empath is to practice boundaries between the physical and emotional experiences of others and yourself," Villegas says. "It can be easy for empaths to take on, and even physically experience, someone else's discomfort or exuberance."
Empathetic Reactivity – When too much empathy is bad
Unbridled empathy can lead to concentrations of the stress hormone cortisol, making it difficult to release the emotions. Taking on other people's feelings so that you live their experience can make you susceptible to feelings of depression or hopelessness.
Empaths need not think that they are destined to be alone. What I've discovered is that it is a choice as in any. By incorporating strategies to protect themselves from being overwhelmed by other people's energies and setting clear boundaries, they too can experience fulfilling relationships.
If someone has been through such a traumatic event that their body tips into shutdown response, any event that reminds the person of that life-threatening occurrence can trigger them into disconnection or dissociation again. People can even live in a state of disconnection or shutdown for days or months at a time.
In fact, empathy is often a personality trait among people driven to help others. Sometimes, however, having the ability to understand what someone else is going through may be used for personal gain or as a manipulation tactic. This is what some people refer to as “dark empathy. “
Traits of an Empath
Because they can become easily overwhelmed by absorbing other people's energy, they may look for outlets through substances or behaviors. Binge eating, shopping sprees, and substance abuse are all behaviors that can lead to compulsive habits that eventually turn into addictions.
however when an empath is damaged they'll be prone to becoming physically and emotionally fatigued. this can be due to being burnt out from harboring the emotions of those who damage them and trying to console them which can also be known as compassion fatigue.
While empaths can make wonderful caring friends, in a romantic relationship they can often find it difficult because they tend to quickly become very intense. Empaths and narcissists are often drawn together but this rarely, if ever, leads to a successful and happy relationship in the long term.
Childhood neglect or abuse can affect your sensitivity levels as an adult. A portion of empaths I've treated have experienced early trauma such as emotional or physical abuse, or they were raised by alcoholic, depressed, or narcissistic parents.
The data from our research highlighted the relationship between a history of childhood adversity and a lack of empathy concerning emotional abuse, physical abuse, and emotional neglect.
Watching violent news; being around sarcastic, critical, or narcissistic people; or spending days at an amusement park are not things empaths enjoy. To feel their best, empaths need to minimize or avoid situations like this unless they want to end up feeling exhausted, drained, used, or anxious.
Intellectuals can make good partners for certain empaths because their sense of logic compliments and grounds an empath's emotional intensity. Ask for help. Intellectuals love to solve problems. Be very specific about ways they can assist you with a problem or task.
Being alone not only allows you to disconnect from others at the emotional level, but it also allows you to put a physical barrier between yourself and people who may otherwise ask a lot of you. This is important if you're an empath because you will naturally find yourself putting others' needs before your own.