Hard Times for Empaths

These are hard times for the open hearted. For those who live on the emotional plane. Because that is where we reside. Not out of choice, but out of nature. We were born with amplified feelings and are susceptible to the feelings of all of those around us. There is no way to turn it off. So, these are tough days. Far too many negative emotions circling us daily, invading us hourly.

For those who read Empath Lights, you know that I tell us to celebrate being empathic. What a wonderful gift it is to feel emotions so deeply. To be able to read the emotions of a room just by walking in. To know if someone’s outside matches their insides. To experience existential joy in a joyful crowd. To commiserate with a troubled friend. To hold the hand and the heart of a beloved family member. To tremble with emotion in intimate moments. All of these experiences come naturally to us, and we learn to accept and embrace the moments as we accept and embrace our gift to feel them deeply.

But now. Now it is different. It is not so delightful being an empath. Because what do we see? What do we feel? What is flowing through the hearts of many others? Hatred. Violence. Cruelty. Aggressiveness.  Selfishness. Self-righteousness. Sorrow. A lot of sorrow. Fear. A lot of fear. And anger. A tremendous amount of anger. Although normal emotions, these become dangerous emotions when they are non-stop. Our country is raging with no immediate sign of stopping. And it is heart breaking.

I have no sage advice to make it stop hurting. It won’t any time soon. We have to move through this as a society to get through it. We can only hope and pray that the emotional and societal upheaval will leave us with a more humane society.

So, my dear empath, please take care of yourself the best you can. Adjust your expectations for yourself until this time is over. We are not going to carry on as normal or get lots of stuff done. Our energy will often be depleted. We are going to feel and to cry for this deeply broken country and all the injustices and lies that we see and feel. Our prayer must be for the best possible outcome and the return of hope and justice. The only way out is through.