cutting cords
The Need For Empath Self-Care
In times of great stress an empath may neglect their own needs in favor of others, and start to lose the unique perspective they bring to the world.
Since most empaths, by their very nature, want to help others, finding a balance between using their gifts, while practicing self-care, can be tricky. Simply put, it’s easy in these times for empathic people to become overwhelmed.
Empaths feel the energies of the world much stronger than others, and can pick up on the subtle changes in the emotions and intentions of those around them. The empath serves as both a mirror and a prism to the world and its energies. Being an empath feels as if your ‘personal filter’ has been turned off, and naturally, there are many things in our noisy, hectic world that can trigger empaths.
Whether it be the chaos of others arguing or fighting; the feeling of getting lost in a crowd; the sense that others are being phony or inauthentic; or just too much on one’s emotional plate all at once; the empath may begin to withdraw, or even shut off from the rest of the world, when it all becomes too much.
Think of an empath’s ability to pick up on energies like a motion-alarm system which is constantly being tripped by any form of movement or activity. In this case the motions are the energies, emotions, and forces which shape our world. The empath has to deal with the stresses of this constant barrage.
Not only is the empath surrounded in modern society by constant incoming sensory stimuli: flickering images, flashing lights, loud music, conversations, and ambient noise, but also moving in though an ocean of all kinds of good and bad energy. Finding time and space to shut off all the noise, and block out all the negative energies, needs to be part of an empath’s daily self-care routine.
Spirit Says You Can’t Please Everyone
I have learned that people-pleasing is something that one simply cannot do. People must learn to do it for themselves. We cannot please everyone all of the time, and some people will never be satisfied anyway, no matter how much time, energy and love we offer them. They are simply not ever going to be happy, no matter what. Period.
I can think of various situations where one might feel the need to coddle and people-please those we love and care for, but in the end it will only bring us self dis-ease and stress.
For example, the child who tries to please and be there and do everything for the parent. Why is this a bad idea? Well, the parent may give up if their child tries to do everything for them. Especially if they are older and trying to find themselves and re-establish their own life, after taking care of everyone else their whole life.
Sometimes we can smother an ageing parent with kindness, by trying to do too much for them. When we do this, it makes them second guess their ability to do things for themselves. It may even cause them to worry, have anxiety, or become fearful of living.
It is good to be there for one’s elderly parents, however there is a line that can be crossed if we try and do too much and make them feel like they cannot do certain things anymore. Sure, if their driver’s license has been taken from them, for example, and they cannot see well anymore, then obviously driving them places makes sense. But, if they are still able to function normally, then let them!
Time To Shake Out Your Rugs!
Every year when spring arrived, my mother used to say, “It’s time to shake out the rugs and get all the dust out that settled over the winter.” I never really understood what she was referring to. At the time I took it to be literal. It simply meant the rugs are dirty, so let’s shake them out and hang them on a clothesline in the fresh air. We would beat them with a rug beater, to make sure all the dust would come out. The rugs would then go back in the house, smelling fresh and looking like new.
Now that I have matured, I realize what she was referring to on a wisdom level. These days when the spring season arrives, I look at my life and say, “What do I need to get the dust out of?” And I don’t rush through this process, I truly look at the depth of what is slowing me down, from the goals I have set, or from manifesting my best reality. This year it is no different.
These past few days I have been focusing on my business life. I work out of a home office, which has been decorated with things that relate to my spirituality, including vision boards, special metaphysical items, books, cards, crystals and some office supplies, which has become an extremely cluttered mess.
My personal energy has also been cluttered lately, and I realized this while I was walking around the piles of papers on the floor. I also noticed the multitude of cards and books which no longer resonate with me, but were still sitting dormant on over-packed shelves. All this clutter was pulling the good energy out of me every time I come in here to work. Continue reading