Kiddipedia
What is Empathy?
“Having empathy means our heart goes out to another person in joy or pain,” says Dr. Judith Orloff. “But for empaths, it goes much further. We actually feel others’ emotions, energy, and physical symptoms in our own bodies, without the usual defences that most people have.”
What is Empathy Management?
Empathy Management is learning how to acquire or develop those defenses that most other people have so we can learn how to celebrate our sensitivities and cope with its many challenges.
Effective management can greatly reduce the risks of developing high anxiety, low self-esteem, irrational fears and phobias, chronic fatigue, eating disorders, respiratory ailments, throat and thyroid conditions, digestive and lower back issues and other bowel and stomach related conditions.
If you are unsure as to whether you and/or your child may be an empath, please read my previous article 18 Signs you might be an Empath.
What can you do for yourself and/or your family?
Listed below are just some of the many variations of different techniques that have proven to be successful in reducing the stress and anxiety faced by empaths and/or highly sensitive people.
Set clear boundaries. Delay your response to calls or messages or requests from people who demand too much of you and who sap your energy. Ignore the text message from “that” friend for just 5 minutes. Don’t respond right away and you may just find that he/she seeks their own answers from within, or someone else. Limit the time spent with people that leave you feeling drained or your resources depleted after you have spent time with them.
Chakra Work. Your body has seven main chakras or “wheels of energy” which correspond to different areas of our body, influencing the way we think, feel and act. Regular chakra balancing and Reiki Healings can help to keep these energy centres open and moving freely. The Throat, Heart and Solar Plexus chakras are particularly affected in Empaths. Please see Reiki and Intuitive Healings on my website for more information on what my healing sessions entail and how they can help you manage your empathy.
Cleansing Your Space
You can cleanse your space by using a sea salt spray or leaving an open bowl of sea salt in your room to absorb energy. (Replace salt regularly). Smudging is also an effective way to clear your space using a smudge stick or charcoal discs with resins. For a comprehensive guide on how to smudge please read one of my earlier blog posts, A Guide to Smudging.
Yoga
For our younger kids, Cosmic Kids Yoga on YouTube is a great resource with a variety of kid’s yoga clips that combine breathing exercises, hand mudras, brain gym and yoga. There is also an endless supply of clips from other channels on Youtube for our Tweens, Teens and Adults as well as local classes.
Grounding
Breathing Exercises. Breathe long, slow and deep into your belly. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Do this for at least 3-4 breaths when you are feeling anxious or stressed.
Go Barefoot. Get out on the lawn or in the dirt, barefoot. Get out in nature regularly.
Affirmations
“I am” statements are very powerful and can help you to assert who you are and what you feel.
Journalling
This is a great way to clear the throat chakra and express yourself in a way that might feel more comfortable for you. You can write down or draw things that you might not be able to say verbally.
Crystals
Rose Quartz to protect the heart chakra. Hematite for protecting the aura and energy field. Lapis Lazuli (or any other blue colored crystal) to help clear the throat chakra.
Clear and cleanse all crystals via moonlight or burying in the earth. Make sure you charge and program your crystals by telling them what to do. Cleanse them first then hold the crystal in your hand, mentally say what you want your crystal to do and then blow on it. Carry the crystal with you, as close to each chakra as possible. Eg: wear as a pendant or place under your pillow etc.
Australian Bush Flower Essences
A range of blends in both spray and drop form are helpful in clearing and protecting the aura, managing anxiety, boosting self esteem, regulating hormones, helping with meditation and creating focus, just to name a few.
Meditate
Use meditations to balance the chakras, clear negative energy or just to relax. Once again YouTube is a great resource for this, just pick a voice that you like. I can recommend Jason Stephenson on YouTube for good quality meditations that actually work for kids, teens and adults.
Identifying how your level of empathy or high sensitivities affect you and when, is the key to successful management, a “prevention is better than cure” type of approach. When implemented and practised, any of the abovementioned strategies can be used for managing or reducing empathy overload.
For further information on other variations and strategies on managing empathy, please do not hesitate to contact me here or via my website, details below.
Kim X
You may also like to read:
Eight vital skills children develop in early learning and care settings
How to Strengthen Your Child’s Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
