If you have empathy as a significant strength, you probably readily identify with other people's situations and can see things clearly from their perspective. You probably find it relatively easy to 'put yourself in another's shoes' and appreciate not only what people are saying, but also why they are saying it.
The balance of empathy takes strength, it is a skill and ability of those who are centered and strong. One of the most challenging aspects of empathy is to step out of our own private world.
In this infographic, we've highlighted facts and statistics from recent research studies that indicate that empathy in leadership is in fact a strength, not a weakness, and will be an essential skill for leaders to embody moving forward.
They are superb listeners. They consistently show up for friends in times of need. They are big-hearted and generous. Empaths also tend to be highly intuitive and emotionally intelligent.
1 Being an empath comes with a lot of positive traits. For one, Brown says, empaths are "highly intuitive and emotionally intelligent," so they can read the room, pick up on other people's energy, and be very aware of their own emotions, too.
Empaths might experience burnout or emotional exhaustion; they can also be hurt through the actions of others with less empathy. Learning to say no, setting healthy boundaries, and practicing self-care can help empaths recover.
Heyoka empath
“Heyoka” means “sacred clown” or “spiritual fool” in the Lakota and Dakota Native American dialects. Heyoka empaths are said to be the rarest and most powerful variety, acting as a spiritual mirror to those around them to assist their growth.
Perhaps you have always had the ability to feel the emotions and physical symptoms of others as if they were your own. If this rings true in your life, you may be an “empath.” Only 1 to 2 percent of the population experience this type of sensitivity, having the ability to feel and absorb the emotions surrounding them.
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.
It was found that highly intelligent people are more likely to behave in ways that contribute to the welfare of others due to higher levels of empathy and developed moral identity.
Of those surveyed, 86% said they are more successful at balancing their work and life concerns when they have a leader focused on empathy, while just 60% without an empathetic leader felt successful.
The narcissist has the opportunity to exploit the empath's need for love for their own fulfillment. In this sense, the narcissist is unlikely to consider their actions as problems. Until they are able to reflect on their own behaviors and feel their feelings, the narcissist will not change.
Empaths might experience burnout or emotional exhaustion; they can also be hurt through the actions of others with less empathy. Learning to say no, setting healthy boundaries, and practicing self-care can help empaths recover.
Heyoka empath: Heyoka empaths are one of the rarest and most powerful kind of empath.
Some babies enter the world with more sensitivity than others—an inborn temperament. You can see it when they come out of the womb. They're much more responsive to light, smells, touch, movement, temperature, and sound. These infants seem to be empaths from the start.
The concept is not recognised formally by the medical or mental health professions. However, the following indicators are suggested by those who promote the empath concept (1): Taking on the feelings of others. Feeling stress experienced in other people.
“Empaths tend to excel in industries that provide a service to others—like hospitality, medical, teaching, and social work,” Enjolie says. “The jobs in these industries require an enhanced sense of intuition, sensitivity, and connection in order to effectively serve others.”
Compared to someone who is highly sensitive (empathetic vs. empathic), an empath has a greater sensory awareness and feels extremely emotional about others, their surroundings, and the visual images or media they're exposed to. (You'll often hear empaths say even TV commercials can elicit spontaneous crying).
Empaths and intimate relationships
Empaths tend to love hard and intensely, experiencing deep feelings of connection. They are fully in tune with their partners - reading not only what they say but also what they don't say - their body language, their silence and even their lies.
Yet in recent years, researchers have found that misplaced empathy can be bad for you and others, leading to exhaustion and apathy, and preventing you from helping the very people you need to. Worse, people's empathetic tendencies can even be harnessed to manipulate them into aggression and cruelty.
Myth #1: Empaths do not get angry.
Although many empaths are typically good-natured and, thus, uncomfortable with their anger, it is an important emotion. In some situations, the heightened anger experienced by an empathic individual is data that something unfair is occurring in a relationship.