In
recent
years,
“empath”
has
become
a
buzzy
word
in
pop
psychology.
You’ll

find
sweatshirts
and
T-shirts
adorned
with
the
word
“empath”
or
“empathy”

and
videos
all
over

social
media
about
the
experience
of
being
one.
This
may
be
because
empaths,
which
is
short
for
empathetic,
have
lots
of
qualities
that
many
people

want
to
claim
—
such
as
being
warm,
friendly
and
supportive.

“I
usually
describe
empaths
as
people
who
are
intuitive
and
who
have
a
profound
ability
to
just
be
attuned
to
the
emotions
and
internal
experiences
of
those
around
them,”
said

Joseé
Muldrew,
a
licensed
professional
counselor
and
the
founder
of

The
Looking
Glass,
a
private
therapy
practice
in
Georgia.

“Empaths
often
meet
others
in
their
own
experience,
and
they
relate
to
their
emotions
as
if
it
were
their
own,”
Muldrew
added.

There’s
a
difference
between
being
an
empath
and
being
sympathetic,
though,
said

Hallie
Kritsas,
a
licensed
mental
health
counselor
with
Thriveworks
in
Jacksonville,
Florida.

For
example,
someone
who’s
sympathetic
may
feel
sorry
for
someone
who
was
just
in
a
car
accident,
while
an
empath
puts
themselves
in
the
other
person’s
shoes
by
recounting
how
they
felt
after
their
car
accident
or
how
their
mom
struggled
after
her
accident,
Kritsas
said.

“When
you’re
an
empath,
you
really
are
joining
somebody
else
in
their
experience
….
It
can
look
like
really
being
able
to
feel
deeply
for
others,
being
able
to
engage
in
perspective
taking
and
really
just
holding
space
for
people
in
a
way
that
dissipates
judgment,
but
really
focuses
on
increasing
connection
and
understanding,”
Muldrew
said.

These
are
good
qualities
anyone
would
be
lucky
to
have
in
a
friend
or
family
member,
but
there
can
be
harsh
struggles
for
empaths.
Constantly
taking
on
other
people’s
emotions
and
problems
can
be
exhausting
and
burdensome
if
not
handled
properly.
Below,
therapists
share
the
most
common
issues
empaths
bring
up
in
therapy
—
and
how
to
deal
with
these
problems:

1.
A
sense
of
heaviness
and
emotional
exhaustion.

“Something
that
a
lot
of
empathic
clients
often
bring
up
in
therapy
is
this
experience
of
emotional
exhaustion
and
just
fatigue
from
absorbing
the
emotions
and
energies
of
others,”
Muldrew
explained.

This
is
likely
because
empaths
absorb
others’
emotions
at
higher
rates
than
those
who
aren’t
empaths,
“and
so
that
constant
emotional
overwhelm
can
lead
to
burnout
a
lot
of
times,”
she
said.

This
can
also
be
described
as
a
feeling
of
heaviness,
Kritsas
said.
The
ability
to
put
yourself
in
someone
else’s
shoes
can
be
burdensome
and
tiring,
which
can
lead
to
these
heavy
feelings.

2.
Trouble
setting
boundaries.

One
of
the
hallmarks
of
being
an
empath
is
feeling
an
elevated
sense
of
responsibility
when
it
comes
to
being
there
for
others,
according
to
Muldrew,
which
can
make
setting

boundaries
a
real
challenge.

For
an
empath,
telling
someone
“no,
I
can’t
help
you
move”
when
they
know
just
how
hard
it
is
to
move
is
going
to
be
pretty
tough.
As
will
telling
their
sibling
they
can’t
attend
their
niece’s
recital
when
they
know
how
disappointed
their
niece
will
be.
This
could
lead
the
empath
to
agreeing
to
things
they
don’t
want
to
do
or
accepting
treatment
that
isn’t
fair.

“A
lot
of
times,
empathic
clients
find
themselves
struggling
to
set
boundaries
in
relationships
because
of
this
need
and
sense
of
responsibility
to
help
and
to
show
up
for
others,”
Muldrew
said.
“It
can
be
difficult
for
them
to
set
limits
around
their
own
emotional
needs.”

3.
Feeling
taken
advantage
of.

If
you’re
someone
who
always
goes
above
and
beyond
when
it
comes
to
caring
for
others
(as
empaths
do),
it
may
become
natural
for
needy
folks
to
flock
to
you.

In
fact,
Muldrew
said
that
it’s
common
for
empaths
to
attract
co-dependent
people
or
those
with
elevated
needs.
“And
that
can
often
lead
to
the
empathic
person
feeling
taken
advantage
of,”
she
said.

Think
about
it:
If
an
empath
only
hears
from
certain
friends
when
the
friend
needs
something,
it
would
only
be
natural
for
the
empath
to
grow
resentful
of
the
needy
texts
and
calls.
If
the
empath
is
always
a
support
for
loved
ones,
but
doesn’t
get
that
same
support
when
they’re
going
through
a
hard
time,
it
could
feel
like
loved
ones
are
using
them
for
their
empathetic
behaviors.

4.
Chronic
fatigue
or
anxiety.

It’s
common
for
empaths
to
deal
with
chronic
fatigue
and
anxiety,
too.
“That
can
be
connected
to
carrying
the
emotional
weight
of
others,”
Muldrew
said.

This
chronic
fatigue
and
anxiety
can
get
to
the
point
of
manifesting
in
physical
symptoms.
Anxiety
could
lead
to
difficulty
sleeping,
feeling
tense
or
trouble
focusing,

according
to
the
Mayo
Clinic.
Chronic
fatigue
can
leave
you
feeling
tired,
irritable
and
more.

5.
Feelings
of
depression.

According
to
Kritsas,
empaths
often
deal
with
depressive
feelings
because
not
only
are
they
dealing
with
their
personal
stressors
and
issues,
but
are
also
taking
on
their
loved
one’s
emotions
and
hard
times.

While
people
in
certain
professions,
like
those
in
the
mental
health
industry,
are
trained
to
handle
someone
else’s
emotions
in
a
healthy
way,
the
same
isn’t
said
for
the
average
empath.

“Someone
who
is
an
empath,
who
might
not
be
a
counselor
or
be
in
some
sort
of
related
field,
might
not
know
how
to
deal
with
somebody
else’s
emotions
in
a
healthy
way
…
it
becomes
a
lot
for
them,”
Kritsas
said,
adding
that
this
can
show
up
as
sadness
or
a
feeling
of
overwhelm.

If
you
struggle
with
these
issues,
there
are
a
few
things
you
can
do.

Kritsas
said
therapy
can
be
a
great
place
to
start
dealing
with
these
issues.

“When
it
starts
to
become
too
heavy
or
it
starts
to
become
a
burden
on
their
ability
to
take
care
of
themselves,
that’s
what
we
get
to
work
on,”
Kritsas
explained.

If
you
aren’t
in
therapy,
consider
finding
someone
to
talk
to.

Inclusive
Therapists
and

Psychology
Today
both
have
listings
of
mental
health
providers
all
over
the
country.

It’s
also
important
for
empaths
to
unapologetically
set
boundaries
and
emotional
limits.
“I
think
when
you
identify
as
an
empath,
you’re
constantly
juggling
your
sense
of
responsibility
to
others
compared
to
your
sense
of
responsibility
to
yourself,”
Muldrew
said.
“Really
understanding
how
important
it
is
to
say
no
sometimes
and
recognize
that
attunement
to
your
own
needs
is
just
as
important,
if
not
more
important,
than
your
attunement
to
the
needs
of
others.”

Know
that
it’s
OK
to
take
a
step
back
from
loved
ones
and
acknowledge
that
you
want
to
be
there
for
them
but
need
to
take
care
of
yourself
first.
“Much
like
the
metaphor
in
an
airplane:
putting
on
your
own
mask
before
you
can
take
care
of
somebody
else,”
Kritsas
said.
“We
really
have
to
do
that
with
our
mental
and
our
emotional
well-being.
We
can
be
empathetic
people
if
we
know
how
to
take
care
of
ourselves
first.”

It’s
also
important
for
empaths
to
spend
time
alone
and
doing
grounding
techniques
such
as
spending
time
in
nature,
meditation
and
deep
breathing.
“Just
any
sort
of
practices
that
you
can
consistently
integrate
into
your
routine
so
you
are
going
through
the
process
of
recentering,
and
also
just
distributing
the
emotional
weight
that
you
might
be
carrying,”
Muldrew
added.

In
line
with
this,
empaths
should
consider
limiting
their
exposure
to
draining
environments
and
people,
Muldrew
said.
So
if
a
certain
friend
constantly
trauma
dumps
on
you
and
leaves
you
feeling
depleted,
consider
seeing
that
friend
less
frequently,
or
spending
time
with
them
in
places
that
allow
for
distractions
like
at
a
theater
performance.

With
all
that
is
going
on
in
the
world,
being
an
empath
can
feel
understandably
heavy,
but
it’s
also
one
of
the
best
qualities
you
can
have
—
as
long
as
you
take
care
of
yourself.

“Being
an
empath
is
definitely
a
gift
…
but
it’s
also
important
to
learn
how
to
manage
it
effectively,”
Muldrew
said.
“There
are
great
things
that
come
with
being
empathic,
but
also
sometimes
it
can
come
at
the
expense
of
some
of
your
own
needs
—
and
so
just
really
taking
care
of
your
own
emotional
well-being
and
checking
in
with
yourself
so
that
you
can
use
your
gift
without
depleting
what
you
need.”

The
original
version
of
this
story
was
published
on
HuffPost
at
an
earlier
date.