Why Empaths Are More Prone To Depression — And How To Protect Yourself
Being an empath does not have to lead to depression. Feeling deeply can be good.
by pixabay from pexels Are you an empath and find yourself more prone to "empath depression?"
As an empath, you're more in tune with your own energetic body and tend to feel emotions at a deeper level. In fact, you also have a tendency to absorb others’ energy.
When you're under a lot of stress in your own life, or there's a lot of stress around you, you can feel sad or even depressed.
If you take this reality into account, the environment that you're immersed in on a daily basis can potentially impact how you feel. It's for this reason you need to understand how to deal with depression as an empath.
It would make sense if you feel things at a deeper level, then you would also the sadness and stress at a different level.
At the same time, you have the ability to feel joy and happiness at a deeper level, too. The reality is that no one can make you feel a certain way unless you let them.
Feelings occur when you react to a stimulus (a thought, an action or words of someone else), and this reaction results in the feeling you experience.
The challenge is that this reaction happens in a split second. Your brain is very good at reacting based on past experiences or perceptions of stimuli.
One caveat to this is for people with severe depression due to chemical imbalances and other issues. In this case, when a stimulus occurs, your brain filters it through your current state of mind. Seeking professional help is essential.
Here are 5 things that can impact an empath's moods, feelings, and even depression.
1. Things that people say.
Someone you love said some hurtful or judgmental things, or what you perceive as judgmental or hurtful.
2. Energy vampires.
As empaths, you tend to attract energy vampires. These are individuals that dump their negative energy on you or suck out your positive energy.
Now, this does not happen as a vampire would, but it is similar on an energetic level.
Energy vampires are attracted to empaths because they sense your ability to absorb energy. Have you ever met someone who just seems to drain you every time you speak to them? They're most likely an energy vampire.
3. Feeling isolated and lonely.
As an empath, you can often feel like you're the only person that perceives and experiences the world the way you do.
You can feel so different and misunderstood by society that your reaction can be depression.
4. Your nervous system gets taxed through your senses.
You may often self-isolate because you've just had too much. Your nervous system is taxed.
In order to recharge, you need to be alone, which can sometimes send the message to others that you don’t want to talk or that you're unapproachable. You can be viewed as a "snob" by others because of the energy you're emanating.
If you are energetically pushing people away, this, of course, can lead to more isolation and loneliness.
5. Caring for others can cause burnout.
Since you're a person with a big, open heart and deep compassion, you're often the person that takes care of others.
Individuals come to you to talk because you are able to listen at a deep level that is healing. When you're constantly caring for others, you can feel exhausted, burnt out, and even depressed.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of what can impact your moods, but it gives you an idea of why it may seem like being an empath causes depression.
So, what can you do to support yourself?
The first step in change is recognizing what's happening. Once you know what is impacting your mood, then you can start to change how you react and behave.
Here are 3 strategies to help empaths shift their mood.
1. Be in your body.
As an empath, you may spend a lot of time in your head and just not want to feel your body. It might be too painful or uncomfortable to feel everything.
The issue with being out of your body is that you become unaware of how you feel. Then, it can feel like the sadness came out of nowhere.
Spend time every day grounding, being present, and mindful.
2. Set aside time to recharge.
It's really important as an empath to allow yourself to recharge.
There are lots of ways to do this, including yoga, reading, watching a show, having a bath, or meditating.
3. Create authentic connections.
Small talk, or inauthentic connection, wears you down. One of the ways you can recharge is to spend time one-on-one with people and connect authentically.
Having a deep conversation where you're able to support each other and truly talk about how you feel is energizing. Ideally, both of you will be able to express yourselves emotionally.
In order to start to feel in control of your emotions and keep from becoming depressed, start by picking one thing that's draining your life and start to shift it.
This could mean you take better care of yourself, cut out energy vampires, or make sure you're connecting with people who refresh you.
Being an empath doesn’t have to mean that you have to be depressed. You have the ability to recognize what is happening, why you feel a certain way, and change your behavior accordingly. You can do it!
Kavita Melwani a certified empowerment coach, hypnotherapist, past life regressionist, certified money marketing and soul coach, and a Reiki master. To schedule a clarity session, visit her website.