That’s what I thought for so long. For years people would tell me I am too emotional, that I cry too much. And you know what? It made me feel that something was wrong with me. I am too emotional, too sensitive, not strong enough, so weird. I cry at every movie that even remotely shows something tough for a child or an animal. I get overwhelmed when I am around certain people and sometimes also when in crowds. The news completely depresses me. I feel all sorts of feelings and I don’t even know why. What is wrong with me?!?
Have you felt this way too?
Well, let me tell you something… there is NOTHING wrong with YOU!!!! You are amazing just as you are. One word may be able to explain all of this … EMPATH.
Empath is defined by Cambridge Dictionary as “a person who has an unusually strong ability to feel other people’s emotional or mental states”. It comes from the word empathy which is when you understand and can identify with other people’s experiences, thoughts and feelings. Having empathy for someone is such an amazing way to connect and support them. It helps you to understand where they are coming from without taking the experiences or feelings on yourself.
Being an Empath actually takes things a little further where they feels others experiences and emotions and actually take them on as their own. If you are an Empath and you witness someone’s joy or pain, their joy or pain becomes your joy or pain.
When I learned what an Empath was a lightbulb went off. That was describing me!! Maybe something is not wrong with me? Maybe this is a good thing? ….
And you know what?! It is!!!! It’s amazing now that I know what an Empath is and can take the steps to protect my energy so outside energies do not overwhelm me!
Empaths are Healers. Nurturers. Amazing Mamas. Sensitive Creative Souls.
Are YOU an Empath?
First things first, ask yourself, are those experiences and feelings (positive or lower vibe) you feel really yours? Can you relate those feelings to something that is related to your personal experience? Or someone or something else’s? Are those feelings you are feeling backed by something that happened OR is it coming out of what seems like nowhere?
If they are truly your feelings then you may not actually be an Empath but just going through a very emotional time.
If those feelings are definitely not yours then you most likely are an Empath.
Here are 9 signs that you are an Empath:
1. You are highly sensitive & attuned to others emotions and tend to take them on as your own (good & bad). You often listen to people’s energy not their words.
2. You are naturally giving, understanding and a great listener. You “get” people. People always come to you for advice. Huge Heart. You feel drawn to help everyone and can give “too much” at times.
3. You get overwhelmed in crowds or by certain spaces or energies. The vibe of a room matters.
4. You are drained by negative people that you may feel physically exhausted.
5. You are highly intuitive and your “gut” is really accurate. You may even feel things before they happen.
6. You are a target for energy vampires. You have a hard time setting boundaries.
7. You are drawn to nature. Nature nourishes & restores your energy. The weather effects your mood.
8. You have highly attuned senses (too much noise, smells…)
9. Seeing tragic events on TV or social media can stop you in your tracks.
To learn more about what it’s like to be an Empath, how to harness this amazing gift and protect your energy, join me in myFacebook community and check out the “Life as an Empath” series in the units section!
I shared a little bit about this also one of my #WellnessWednesday, check it out!
Why did I leave a stable, decent paying career in corporate finance to pursue spiritual entrepreneurship? Talk about a 180. Am I crazy? Well maybe a little…. Here’s a little story to help you understand.
It was Groundhog Day.
I would wake up, get dressed, get the kids ready, leave to drop them off at daycare then work 8-10 hours without even taking lunch excited to get home to see my kiddos again, then I leave, pick up the kids, do dinner, baths then get them to bed and most nights were filled with chores or more work then crash on the couch.
I would wake up everyday wishing I had a different life but I didn’t even have the guts to admit it out loud. I knew it was not in the cards for me. I didn’t even try to talk to my husband about my desires because I felt he would not believe in them. He had supported me for years with different side business endeavors and weight loss challenges but I felt like I had failed so many times, he definitely lost faith in me. I lost faith in myself.
I desired happiness and dreamed of living a free and inspired life but I could not get out of my own way to make it happen. I was reading all of the self-help (or should we call it “shelf-help”) books. I was journaling about how amazing I would feel when I lost weight, had my dream job, an amazing relationship with my husband and did not have to leave my kids with someone else all day.
But it was a distant dream, and while I could envision what it might look like, I struggled to really feel that I could achieve it. Oh and there was the small fact that I was taking NO action to make it happen.
I was a wife, a mom, a daughter, a sister, a corporate employee… I identified only with the roles that I played in my life. I didn’t even know who I truly was. I was living everyone else’s life…. Life was happening to me not for me. I was so drained at the end of the day that I was not even spending any quality time with my kids or my husband, nevermind exercise or self-care. I could tell my marriage was ending but I was trying to force it to work with any energy I had left… which was not a lot.
As my marriage ended, I was not sure what to do with myself. Divorce is tough… I knew in my mind it was the right move but my heart was not so sure. After the divorce I had all this time on my hands. The kids were with their dad half the time so I thought I would work alot and catch up on chores while they were with him and then I would be able to spend so much quality time with them when they were with me. But that didn’t happen… I still felt so spent.
Mom guilt sets in.
I felt massive mom guilt doing anything for myself even when they were with their dad. I missed them so much. I was overwhelmed, stressed and unorganized. I felt stuck, incomplete, out of balance and afraid. Afraid that I was losing them or messing them up. Afraid that I would never know what I was doing. My kids were not getting the mama they deserved. I was not living the life I deserved (although, not sure I believed I deserved it when this journey started… self-worth has been a struggle).
I had the epiphany that it was crucial for me to figure out who I am, what I desire and where my life is going. It was time to work on me!!
Enter my coach.
I went to my coach looking for help with nutrition, exercise & stress reduction. I felt so disappointed and ashamed that I had gained all this weight over the years and was not able to lose it. I thought, if only I could get a handle on my weight, I would feel so much better about myself and things would fall into place. I was looking for one thing but I found something so much more important, ME!
The help I needed was not how to lose weight, parent better or get “all the things” done. The help I needed was to rediscover who I was and light my fire again. And to accomplish this was to connect with my spirituality, not my ego.
Over the last several years I have had many one-on-one coaching as well as Reiki and other healing sessions. I have developed non-negotiable spiritual practices and rituals that help me connect with myself daily. I have connected not only with myself but with a tribe of amazing women that lift each other up. I learned to trust myself again and follow my intuition.
What today looks like.
I have moved to a new home, left my full-time corporate job, attuned as a Reiki master teacher, and developed a successful co-parenting relationship with my ex-husband. But most important to me is that my relationship with my children is thriving and I feel more love for myself than I ever have before.
Rather than feeling overwhelmed with stress, I feel free, aligned, inspired, and full of an abundance of love and joy. And I AM the example that I had always desired to be for my children.
This journey is ongoing. I am always rediscovering new parts of myself and unlayering pieces I never knew existed and my kids are witnessing this evolution. My hope is that they see my example and choose to love themselves first and be open to all that life has to offer. I am excited for my future and my kids’ future.
My mission is to help women the way I was helped. To guide as many mamas as I can to rediscover themselves and in turn teach their children how to live a joyful, aligned life. The families I help will help others, creating a ripple effect to lift up the energetic vibration of the world.
I am a heart-centered spiritual mama spreading love and I am excited to see where this journey takes me.
Where will your journey take you?
Who are you destined to be?
Let’s take that journey together. Jump on into my community. It's time Spiritual Mamas Unite!
