Over time, empaths can become programmed to avoid external stimulation or need very little of it to feel happy. Whether or not a person is introverted, some common side effects of hyper-sensitivity can include exhaustion, overload, depression, and anxiety.
The reason being, the Empath has not learned to establish clear boundaries within themselves and so cannot do that with others--yet. Empaths also develop anxiety from “mind-reading” their partner; Empaths hear and feel what is said with a sixth sense as well as hearing and feeling what isn't said.
Empathy is characterized by the ability to understand and share an emotional experience with another person and is closely tied to compassion and concern for others. Consequently, this increased emotional awareness and sensitivity may also be related to increased anxiety.
They may become easily overwhelmed by negative emotions or feel as though they are responsible for the emotional well-being of others. Additionally, because empaths are so in tune with the emotions of others, they may struggle to express their own feelings, leading to difficulty in forming close emotional connections.
Fearing intimacy and getting closer.
Some empaths may avoid dating or romantic commitment because they fear being overwhelmed by a partner's energies and emotions.
If there is one type of person for an empath to avoid besides a narcissist, it's a chronic complainer. Chronic complainers, characterized by negativity, learned helplessness, and vocal self-pity, can take a bright, beautiful, positive day and quickly turn it into a massive nightmare.
Intellectuals can make good partners for certain empaths because their sense of logic compliments and grounds an empath's emotional intensity. Ask for help. Intellectuals love to solve problems. Be very specific about ways they can assist you with a problem or task.
But it doesn't stop there: Empaths get physically ill and suffer from anxiety, depression, chronic stress, professional burnout, and pain syndromes more often than their less empathic counterparts.
Research has indicated that individuals with high emotional reactivity (high neuroticism) and introverted tendencies (low extroversion) are more likely to experience anxiety than other personality types [101].
Spiers tells us, “With depression, an empath may feel overwhelmed by the pain and suffering of others. This may lead them to withdraw from their usual routine as a means of self-protection, but by isolating themselves and breaking links with their families and friends, the depression can then be exacerbated.
The empath concept is controversial. Opinion is divided on whether empaths actually exist. There is also debate around some abilities associated with empaths. For instance, empaths are thought to have special skills in reading others, detecting lying, and healing.
An estimated one in five people is considered highly sensitive, and many of these folks are empaths, too. Yet, being an empath is not a diagnosis found in the DSM-5, the consummate guide to psychiatric disorders, so “it's often misdiagnosed as social anxiety,” Dr. Orloff says.
Myth #1: Empaths do not get angry.
Although many empaths are typically good-natured and, thus, uncomfortable with their anger, it is an important emotion. In some situations, the heightened anger experienced by an empathic individual is data that something unfair is occurring in a relationship.
Empaths need to be around people who accept their beautifully in-tune nature instead of trying to change them. Those people see how giving, open, and caring empaths are. They recognize that empaths can be amazing friends, partners, and confidants, and they don't take that for granted.
"Dating an empath can be both challenging and rewarding. They are highly intuitive and often have a great sense of understanding and compassion for others. This can make them excellent partners who are supportive and nurturing.
Some, for example, may have the power of empathy, or the ability to pick up on the emotions of others. As it turns out, empath zodiac signs make up half of the zodiac wheel. And those who belong to the water element (Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces) may especially tend to find empathy to be a natural predisposition.
They absorb the emotions of those around them and often feel overwhelmed by large crowds or loud noises. For empaths, it is important to avoid caffeine and other stimulants. Caffeine heightens the senses and can make empaths even more sensitive to the energy around them.
Introverted empaths love their alone time and the feeling of rejuvenation that comes from re-organizing their lives down to the finest details, meditating, reflecting on their direction in life, and doing creative activities that energize them because when they are alone, they are able to be honest with themselves ...
“Empathy fatigue is the emotional and physical exhaustion that happens from caring for people day, after day, after day,” explains Dr. Albers. “Over time, we start to see people experiencing a sense of numbness and distancing or difficulty continuing to care.” Empathy fatigue is a defense mechanism, she continues.
In rare cases, being an empath may refer to intensely heightened perceptions. Roughly 1% to 2% of people can feel sensations on their skin while watching someone else be touched, a phenomenon linked to empathy and known as mirror-touch synesthesia.
Traits of an Empath
Because they can become easily overwhelmed by absorbing other people's energy, they may look for outlets through substances or behaviors. Binge eating, shopping sprees, and substance abuse are all behaviors that can lead to compulsive habits that eventually turn into addictions.