The definition of an empath is a person who can take on the emotions and moods of others as their own. Empaths come into the world with heightened senses, which are increased further by different challenges or traumas they've experienced in their lives.
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.
Spend time in nature and practice 'Earthing'
Empaths love nature and feel at ease there. Being in a fresh, clean, green environment or around water clears negativity. The Earth emanates healing.
Empaths need to be around people who accept their beautifully in-tune nature instead of trying to change them. Those people see how giving, open, and caring empaths are. They recognize that empaths can be amazing friends, partners, and confidants, and they don't take that for granted.
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.
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.
“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. It's your body's way of telling you to pay attention and to take a step back to care for yourself.
“Empaths not only feel for others, but absorb those feelings in their own system,” says Orloff, whose private practice is in Santa Monica, California. Additionally, empaths are often able to pick up on unspoken feelings as well, drawing on subtle energy fields that emanate around other people's bodies.
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.
"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."
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.
Because empaths can feel other people's energies and emotions so intimately, they may struggle with confrontation or asserting themselves in a romantic relationship.
An empath is a particularly sensitive person, someone who is able to feel and experience exactly what others do. 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.
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.
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.
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. “
Each of us gives off subtle energy, whether sad, angry, or happy. Empaths can pick up on these energy fields and translate them into a strong sensory experience. Other people's joy, pain, or frustration will dramatically affect an empath and leave them riding out others' emotional rollercoasters.
Personality types ENFP, ENFJ, INFJ, and INFPs are natural empaths per the MBTI Personality types. Empaths are also called Idealists & Diplomats. Highly Sensitive People belong to these MBTI types. Intuitive Feelers or Empaths are only 20% of the population.
If there is one type of person for an empath to avoid besides a narcissist, it's a chronic complainer. Chronic complainers, characterized by negativity, learned helplessness, and vocal self-pity, can take a bright, beautiful, positive day and quickly turn it into a massive nightmare.
Empaths share all the traits of what Dr. Elaine Aron has called “Highly Sensitive People,” or HSPs. These include: a low threshold for stimulation; the need for alone time; sensitivity to light, sound, and smell; and an aversion to large groups.