Survival Skills For Empaths

When life is too much for an empath

I consider being an empath or having empathic tendencies a gift, but one that must be closely guarded. The weight of the pain of those suffering can crush you if you aren’t careful.

Here are a few ways I have found  to stay reasonably sane in the midst of the chaos and distress.

First, this key concept. (I don’t remember where I read it but I try to repeat this to myself daily)

“Stop absorbing the pain of other people. Recognize what belongs to you and what doesn’t.”

But how?

6 things to make it real

1. I start the day writing (on actual paper) three things for which I am grateful.
2. I limit “news”. I have a couple of middle-of-the-road news sources that I look at once or twice a day because I also don’t want to feel like I live under a rock.
3. I limit social media to a few friends, art, music, travel, funny animals and cephalopods.
4.  Exercise. I find lifting weights to be meditative and grounding..nothing like a definite understanding of my relationship to gravity to get me out of my head and back into my body. I get outside for at least a few minutes every day. -7 degrees F this morning makes me grateful I don’t have to work outside because I would be a popsicle. (see #1)
5. Drink water and eat healthy foods. Pet dogs. Snuggle with cats. Feed the squirrels and birds. Find something that makes you laugh enough to snort or spit your drink.
6. I do a “brain dump” by writing for a few minutes at the end of the day. My sleep suffers if I don’t because I am the Queen of Overthinking.

Then I do this:

Recognizing what doesn’t belong to me enables me to be useful instead of paralyzed by sadness.

• I try to not be a jerk in my everyday life. Someone might be having a really crappy day and I don’t need to be part of the reason. Return the  &^&$! shopping cart. Buy Girl Scout cookies and donate them to the helpers and others who might otherwise go unnoticed.
• Also, “I try to be a good person, but then someone pulls out in front of me doing ten below the speed limit and I gotta try again tomorrow”. (see #5) Then try again. 😉
• Donate to reputable relief agencies. Support your local first responders and schools/scout troops who collect for disaster victims. Support search and rescue dog organizations.

Here are a few of my international relief agency favorites:

World Central Kitchen 

International Fund for Animal Welfare

Doctors Without Borders

 

It will get better