One of the motivators for writing my book, “The Secrets of Elimeare, Wielder of Light,” was my strong belief that every person is born with certain gifts.  I believe that when we try to ignore or bury those gifts it creates anxiety and depression.  

An example of one of those gifts is the gift of being an empath. The dictionary defines empath as:

“(chiefly in science fiction) a person with the paranormal ability to apprehend the mental or emotional state of another individual.”

I’m here to tell you that empathic abilities are not science fiction.  Four of my children and I are all empaths.  Everywhere we go we feel the emotions of everyone around us and, yes, it can and does cause anxiety.  Identifying it is the first step.  

Judith Orloff, M.D. has a great website online that shows the top ten traits of an empath and ways to handle those specific traits.  You will not necessarily identify with all ten of them. For example, I’m not overly sensitive and do not get offended easily.  However, if you find that most of those traits resonate with you, you are probably an empath.   

The second step is separating your thoughts and emotions from the thoughts and emotions of others.  It helps immensely when you identify that the negative emotions you are feeling are not your own.  

I personally have used energy work and emotional healing to help myself and my family deal with this specific gift.  I call it a gift despite the hardship it causes because that’s exactly what it is.  When we can step back and disconnect ourselves from the negative, our lives become so much easier.  I’m a strong believer in the power of positive thought. 

Empaths are very intuitive people.  When we can move past the need to absorb and take on others emotions we can become a powerful force for good.