r/Empaths

I just got home from work. I usually work on the dock packing orders and sending them out to people. Today I had to go upstairs to grab an item to put back on the floor and I swear I saw a shadow out of the corner of my eye. I stopped really fast and just stared down the row right before the stairs and I didn’t see anything. After that I was a little freaked out but didn’t think much of it so I just kept going and grabbed what I needed. When I was walking back to the other set of stairs it felt like something was watching me but I didn’t see anything else. I got to the stairs and started feeling this overwhelming sense of dread and fear. Guys when I tell you I haven’t felt like that since I was a kid and lived in an apartment complex that reeked of evil. I had nightmares every single night about the basement up until we moved out. Back on topic tho after about 5 seconds of that feeling I swear to god something tried to push me down the stairs. I had to grab the railing to stop myself from falling. I went down the steps as fast but careful as I could did everything else I had to do and left the dock. The entire time I still felt that sense of dread and fear but it was worse. Something was definitely watching me. I’ve always kinda been a skeptic in the paranormal but now I’m just questioning everything. Even now that I’m home I’m still feeling the same. I was looking into it and saw that some of those traits I explained could be a spirit trying to attach itself to me. Could that happen? I read that prolonged feelings of depression can occur and it feels like every time I’m at work I go in being in a good mood but after a while I just feel overwhelmingly depressed. I always think it’s just because I’m tired or didn’t sleep good. I’ve always had trouble sleeping so that wasn’t something I was too concerned with. That and I already struggle with my mental health. What can I do to figure this out and protect myself??

Lately I’ve been feeling really unsure about where I’m headed

not just in one area… but kind of everything at once

I’ve been trying to stay consistent, trying to build something, trying to trust that I’m on the right path

but at the same time, it feels like nothing is fully clicking yet

like I’m putting in effort… but not seeing clear movement

I don’t know if this is part of growth

or if I’m just holding onto something that isn’t meant for me

I guess I’m just wondering if anyone picks up on what this phase is… or if I’m actually moving in the right direction

I’ve been pulling cards on this for myself, but I’m curious what others feel or see

I just spent a couple of hours with someone teaching them how to use a knitting machine. her energy was so gentle and soothing it brought a wave of calm over me and made me feel deeply peaceful and relaxed for long afterwards. I felt love radiating from me. I havent experienced this before or at least I have never felt this so viscerally. have you ever experienced the same? what is this?

Feeling electricity when speaking to another healed empath?

Empaths run the gamut. I am probably at my most healthy (as in no escapism life choices) and in tune with myself. So this has been more intense for me the last couple of months. I immediately (we immediately) know we are empaths - never stated, but the energy feels electric. Does anyone else feel electric energy when speaking with another empath? Just curious.

I feel like the emotions are way too much for me. like I cant even use dating apps cause I see someone liked me and I dont find them attractive and I feel guilty cause I know how that person probably feels putting themselves out there and like the hope they had making an account and its all just so annoying. like I dont want to feel the emotions of other people that might not even be the reality of what they are feeling.

So the thing is ,someone abused me before and I started being harsh on myself since then . How do I know ? Well most of the time I wonder if the people I talk to would like to hear me talk the same way I talk to myself . It will definitely hurt them . Any how since then I've been resenting myself for a while but then I felt bad for being like that because I know eventually it will affect the people around me ,so I gaslight myself as if the whole self loathing and abuse didn't happen . The problem is . I was like that because most of the time I felt gaslight ,so I started doing it to myself and now I really can't stop . I'm constantly gaslighting myself for the sake of others and now I can't stop. I'm emotionally numb when something really bad happens I just make sure I never remember it and that's it . How can I stop doing this ?

The super power is that everyone likes to tell me their stories, what’s troubling them, their past traumas. In dead space in the conversation I like to give personal anecdotes when possible, it usually ends up with me just trying to give reassurance.

I don’t claim to be an empath, but I don’t lack empathy. How does one handle emotional burdens of secrets and confessions like that?

Hey everybody, yesterday i've experienced something quite strange and somewhat disturbing. I was smoking weed (just a little, 1 joint of somewhat 0.2 grams max.) I Don't really smoke on a high basis, once a week or even less. When I smoke with people, mostly 1 on 1, good friends I trust, I become super sensitive and hyper-aware. I'm a sensitive, high-energy person, but mostly calm. Just trying to stay in tune with my body and aware of my thoughts.

Yesterday I became aware the friend I was with, was acting quite tense, even pleasing me alot, which is not a big deal. But he lost an important person, his father a while back, so he's slightly suicidal, and even finds it hard to let go of his past, his younger self in trauma.

I said myself, because i'm aware, when I'm speaking about life and what's going on for me is that it's all in my own perspective right. Always for me, i'm not trying to tell you the truth about you, just figuring out mine and speaking that out load.

At the end he told me I shouldn't do it (make an end to life), he's projecting what he's seeing in me, but it's his own feeling. I whould never get to that point right now. It's not going on for me, not at all.
All on all, I was tripping quite much this evening, zoning away in my thoughts. It felt like inbalance. I might not have felt real comfortable with myself, I've read another post, It might be someone who is inbalancing me. I sensed a pretty dark thought, which comprehenced with a weird twitch on his face. You know, strange, but whatever. I don't need to know. (I do know, but the real issue is not the thing he does, but the feel and truth he supresses).

But if that's the case, why did we do reach a kind of moment of truth? Atleast from my perspective? I gave him a strong for real hug, telling him it's okay, he should find something from which he can let things out.

I told from my own perspective I need someone to talk to, for real, being sober almost all the time, makes me just intune of myself, so that's a real need for me. A proffesional person, therapist or a life-coach. Just saying that for me right, but that might give him a hint of what he might need.

I was tripping completely, i'm quiting weed and picking up the things that really bring me joy, fullfillment. Taking it step by step and doing my own good.
Just Smashing Pumpkins Disarm keeps coming up.

Anyone whould like to share their thoughts on it? Thank you and Love you all peace

So I'm currently going through an absolutely gut wrenching break up, I understand I need to feel the pain and I'm not even trying to run from it at this point I just wish it wasn't literally 24/7 no matter what I do I can't escape the crushing feeling in my chest I fall asleep with it I wake up in a panic I dream about it every single night I just CANNOT get a fucking grip whatsoever no matter how hard I try. I have raging attachment issues, I always have. He was my safe person and I am just absolutely fucking losing it.

I talked to my mom about it and she says the thinks about of the problem is that when I was a baby my mom worked 16 hour shifts in the ER so it ultimately made more sense have my dad stay at home and take care of me full time rather than dealing with daycare costs. The problem with this was my dad being an overly concerned helicopter parent. I don't fault him for it, it ultimately came down to love and concern for me but I was never left to learn to self soothe properly. This has been a problem my whole life and being an empath does NOT help.

So with this breakup, not only can I feel my devastation, I can feel his. Constantly. My life feels like an endless suffocating loop and I've tried researching I've tried the somatic therapy I've tried EMDR I've tried CBT I've tried every deep breathing and grounding technique fucking imaginable to no avail. I'm even medicated and have been in therapy since I was like 9 or 10. If you've made it this far thank you for reading. Genuinely I've been needing to get this out for a long time any advice is greatly appreciated but it feels good to just type it out to a community I'm sure will understand. Thank you.

My husband has always made fun of my nose teeth and head shape. He has hurt me a lot. But he does a lot too. We have two kids. Tonight we were trying to have sex and I got upset he was being rough and I wanted connection. I told him he got irritated I made it obvious he got mad. I can hear him in another room scrolling on ig stories. I’m crying on the couch we have had drinks and 420. He thinks I’m drama and honestly I am. I’m sensitive and going thru stuff health wise. He tells me he loves me but when this stuff happens he’s so cold. When he’s overwhelmed he’s cold. It hurts extra right now because we were being intimate and he just stopped and said he was done and now is scrolling away while he can hear me cry. I don’t think this is normal but I don’t want to believe it. There’s too much going on right now I couldn’t leave and my kids would be affected we have nothing. But also I’m worried this is unhealthy and maybe this is also impacting my health issues more. Am I the drama?

I've been through many journeys of self-discovery in my life. When I discovered I was an empath it explained so much. It gave me an understanding of why I self-medicate. If it's to turn the volume down on life because I am a highly sensitive person.

I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder several years ago but as I got older I realized that I don't fit a lot of the criteria anymore.

Meanwhile, I got locked on to a lot of YouTubers with real life experiences with Autism and adhd. The more I learned the more I related. For the first time I have words for what I feel and what I go through. My psychiatrist and therapist are on board with these diagnosis and I'm treating the ADHD with medication and therapy and learning to unmask my autism when I am alone.

Like most empaths can relate, I had childhood trauma that turned me into a people pleaser triggered my heart for awareness. I've come to realize that I've been masking and learning to read people and adjust myself to them just to fit in. Turns out a lot of neurodivergent people are highly sensitive to sounds, sight, taste, smell and touch. I now use sound reducing earplugs when I get stressed in public or in groups of people. And I've learned to be aware of my stimming and a need for regulation of my body from over stimuli.

It's been an interesting journey reflecting on my life through an Autistic ADHD (ADHD) lense. And it explains a lot of my struggles in trying to keep up in life and be like everyone else.

I still identify as an empath. Actually, I identify even more as an empath knowing it's relation to my AUDHD

I'm realizing a lot of my empathy is tied in with my autism. I'm hoping someone can relate.

I (25F) am a mom, a college student, and someone who deals with multiple chronic illnesses. For the longest time, I have been a chronic people-pleaser. Saying "no" used to give me so much anxiety in every type of relationship, intimate moments, family, or friends. I was always the person everybody called, but when I needed them, no one ever seemed to pick up the phone.

Recently, I went through a really horrid stalking situation, followed by a surgery a month later. I've been constantly dealing with the aftermath: trying to get myself to physical therapy, keeping up with schoolwork, and adjusting my living situation. Every day I am either at doctor’s appointments, sleeping to heal from the immense stress, or trying to manage my health while taking care of everything else.

Lately, I’ve been evaluating the people around me and how I show up for myself. I realized I haven't been happy with how I’m treating myself, my eating, my sleeping, my self-care. I’ve reached a breaking point where I am just fed up with people thinking they can do whatever they want, whenever they want, and expect me to just bend to their will.

Just last weekend, I canceled my own hair and eyebrow appointments to sit and do everything for everybody else. My mom ended up in the hospital, and my parents just expected me to show up and give all my time and effort as I did in the past, even though I was drowning. This time around, with much love, I visited my mom once. But because I am going through a serious situation with court issues, processing trauma, and juggling my own appointments, I drew a line.

Today, I finally said NO.

- I said no to my daughter’s father when he wanted me to drive 40 minutes to a party with people I don't care to be around.

- I said no to my dad when he expected me to spend the night at the hospital, because I literally don't have the groceries, the gas, or the energy to do it.

- I said no to a friend who explicitly showed me she couldn't be there for me after a really traumatic situation, but still had the nerve to expect me to be there for her.

For years, I have bent over backwards for everybody to the point where it made me physically sick. Between my parents depending on me, the horrid things my ex has put me through, and the way this friend treated me, I am just done. I’m so tired of people thinking they have unlimited access to me without caring how it affects me.

So right now, my phone is on Do Not Disturb. I am not touching it for the rest of the afternoon. I am chilling with my Frenchie, Reese, who hasn't been getting enough of my attention or cuddles lately. I am going to enjoy the rest of my afternoon with nobody bothering me, and for the first time ever, I don't feel guilty at all. I never thought I would be able to say that.

Ive been living with my mum and dad since 2020, and they both live with chronic anxiety and depression. It seeps into my soul without me realising it. i've been to therapists and tried so many different things to feel good, until eventually I realised it wasn't my emotions, it was my parents. I just went for a quick walk outside alone and felt myself return to myself. any tips on how to stop absorbing horrible emotions?

I can almost feel that tide of vomit coming out, because posting a vent on this server means I'm glorifying my emotional sensitivity as something to be a martyr for. I can't bear the self loathing that comes after assuming I deserve to be a part of this community. But I'm easy on people. Deep down I'm scared to misjudge anyone in front of me. I want to be someone people feel safe around.

I've wanted to find someone to share in that empty chaos for a while now, but it goes without saying that you'll rarely find someone next to you who questions things that much, especially themselves.

I'm genuinely tired.

If you read this up to here, you must be a good listener. The world needs more people like you.

Cheers.

Hello fellow HSPs,

I really appreciate being in a space with like-minded people. It genuinely warms my heart to read these posts and see so many relatable experiences. Knowing there are others who perceive the world in similar ways makes this whole experience we call life feel a bit more manageable.

I’ve been working on a couple of personal passion projects that I’d love to share with this community. They’re based on two recurring themes I often see discussed here.

The first is a guide about meaning—or the lack of it—in modern society. Many of us seem to feel that something is missing, and as HSPs, we often pick up on that first. I’ve noticed frequent conversations about career dissatisfaction, especially when work feels disconnected from any deeper purpose. This guide explores why that sense of meaning is fading and how it impacts areas like relationships and mental health.

You can check it out on my Reddit page YouTube link available and content link in YouTube bio

The second is a guide on doing your own shadow work. Since mental health struggles are also a common theme here, I wanted to create something accessible. Our sensitivity can feel overwhelming, but it also gives us a unique ability to understand ourselves and others more deeply. This guide is designed to help you explore that inner work privately and at your own pace—without needing expensive courses, retreats, or even a therapist to begin.

I truly believe these projects could be helpful to many people here, and your support would mean a lot. Any proceeds will go toward a youth group I lead, where we’re currently raising funds for art supplies to support members who are dealing with depression.

Thank you for taking the time to read this 🤍

Let me expand. I'm curious as to how many people on this sub view their ability as something born with and completely metaphysical and how many view it as something that is more or less determined by environment and is simply a "muscle" that can be trained to a point at which most people seemingly can't (or simply, don't) reach. Maybe it's both? Neither? I'm ready to learn.

I can tell (or at least I think so) if someone says they’re an empath— I can tell by the sound of their voice. For those who identify as an empath can you do this too?

I’m not entirely sure if I just heard someone’s voice in general if they’re an empath but potentially so as well. But if they declare I’m an empath I feel like I could easily tell if so.

I am getting increasingly angry and upset regarding how certain humans treat their pets or animals in general. It makes me so angry and upset I feel sick.

It makes me not want to be on this planet anymore, I just can’t understand how anyone could hurt an animal in anyway.

Does anyone else feel this way?

I don’t really know how to cope with this feeling, it’s becoming quite overwhelming.