If you are an Empath, has it ever happened to you that you feel fatigued quite easily?
Emotions like hurt & sadness hit you on an extreme level - you almost feel burdened to help anymore?
You cannot see a loved one, or an animal in pain?
You go out of your way to help people , you listen to them and provide comfort?
You are the “listener” in the group?
You feel triggered by the news around you?
You don’t want feel like interacting with people anymore as talking feels like a huge task?
If your answer is yes to these questions, the triggers that you might be feeling maybe be due to “compassion fatigue”. This phenomenon occurs as a result of helping a person in trauma or wanting to help people going through a tough time,it also can be seen if you are a caretaker to a terminally ill family member. As an empath, you feel their pain & hurt as if it was your own. It’s bound to make you feel quite fatigued emotionally ; which in turn overwhelms us, causing us to feel highly sensitive to sensory information around us. It makes us get easily triggered causing :-
Unexplained crying bouts
Frequent Headaches/Migraines
Neck strain
Acting out in anger/frustration
Feeling anxious/restless
Increased Irritability
Feeling inadequate/Helpless
Incapacity to show any more empathy
Highly sensitive to sounds around us
Difficulty to concentrate/perform tasks
Compassion Fatigue can show up in both psychological & physiological ways in the body.
Acknowledge it,This may seem like a small step however, it’s the most important one. Acknowledging that what you are going through is this phenomenon will help you be empathetic towards yourself. Have that internal dialogue with self, give it time to sink in.
Shut those notifications off from your phone, as the constant “Ting!!” notification can trigger you. Either delete the news app for a while. If you need to check the news, don’t do it as soon as you get up or go to bed. Do it sometime in the noon or evening.
Notice if the sounds around you trigger you. If yes, keep your windows shut. As sensory overload may overwhelm you. Use a mild essential oil burner in your room or just keep the lights to dim. See if any soothing tone/music helps you.
Rest, because your body has fully exhausted it’s internal resources. Now, resting doesn’t mean that you have to sleep. You may still be catching up on your sleep but may feel unrested in mornings. Resting may mean taking a short break from work(if you can). If not, just taking a short walk in your building compound and spending time with nature,pet your dog/cat. Listen to some soothing tunes. Nourish your body with nutritious food & environment which refuels you.Listen to podcasts that make you feel good.
Know your limits, as an empath you feel a lot and your energy may be drained by the end of the day. Notice what drains/exhausts your energy the most. Set your boundaries. They are important for your survival. Be honest to yourself and how much you can take.
Be careful of who you share your energy with, with our everyday interactions we do not realize how a certain set of people drain our energies the most. You will instantly know it, listen carefully to those signals that your body is giving you. Set the boundary if you need to.
It’s okay to “check out” till you feel like yourself. We can allow ourselves to mentally check out for a while till we have re-fueled ourselves and feel nourished. In that time, we can limit our day to day conversations and social media/news consumption. Use that time to rest. There is only a limited amount of empathy you can give - it's not an unlimited resource - allow yourself to conserve it.
If you are struggling a lot with your mental health, reach out to a therapist.
They can help you navigate better and help you get in touch with your internal resources & make a breakthrough.
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