Och, okay. I have been seeing these articles about “The Dark Side” of being an empath or some nonsense like that. I admit, being an empath is not an easy gig and it can be pretty rough, especially in a society where emotions are not only unvalued but actively shamed. No doubt, it’s rough and it’s hard to figure out and learn to handle – not only do you have to figure out your emotions, but also everyone else’s around you. As I said in my last post, this usually means locking everything down and doing your best to live an emotionless life – or at least faking one. But, believe me, that isn’t the dark side.
I’m not going to talk about the REAL dark side today, though – I’m going to talk about the BRIGHT side!
Guys – being an empath can be pretty awesome! There are a LOT of advantages in this ability! Like all other psychic abilities that relate to getting information from other human beings, it’s actually a two way street – not only do you receive feelings from other people, you can also share yours with them as well. Which could definitely be bad if you were feeling depressed, but it also means that if you want to connect with a room of other people, perhaps in a team meeting, presentation, performance, or other group activity – you can do so pretty easily. It is a simple matter to become the life of the party, it’s an easy thing to bring peace to a tense situation, to relax a group of upset people, or create understanding and compassion where the otherwise wouldn’t be any.
I am a teacher and performer and I have found that being an empath is EXTREMELY helpful in creating a safe and creative atmosphere where my students are less frightened of making mistakes, feel more positive about their abilities, and genuinely find more enjoyment in the learning process. They leave my classes feeling better about themselves and their abilities and like they’ve become part of a community and made a group of trusted friends.
In my performances, I am able to evoke the emotions I want to relatively easily – not only through my use of music, movement, and emotiveness, but also through the way that I use and manipulate energy. I can draw the attention of a room by shifting my mental state alone, which can be very handy.
I am better able to express my sincerity in gratitude and appreciation because not only do I express it through my words and body language, by I also express it with my energy.
Animals are AMAZING and delightful! Very straightforward creatures. I frequently go over to friends houses and they apologize because their dogs are excitable and have no manners, typically jumping up on people and being boisterous. Instead of having to lock them up, I am able to tell my friends that I love dogs and to not worry about it and in maybe a minute, the dogs are calm and curled up at my feet. It is very easy to communicate with animals as an empath because they perceive the world entirely though instinct and emotion. Children are much the same way. I calm children, command their attention, and work with them very well – often surprising my friends who are parents since I have none of my own and am rarely around them.
This is just the tip of the iceberg in the ADVANTAGES of being an empath. So though you, as an empath, may view it as a curse, please know that it can also be a huge advantage in life and that you can use it to improve your environment, improve your life, move things forward, and help the people around you.
And I WILL get around to talking about the REAL dark side of being an empath, but I don’t want to cause hysteria. Yes, I am talking a DARK side. Talk again soon!
~ Nathara
