Empathy is a unique trait that not everyone has. It’s the ability to deeply understand and connect with others’ emotions, even without having shared their experiences. This article explores behaviors that are characteristic of true empaths.
Deeply Connected to Nature
As mentioned by Psychology Today, empaths often have an intimate communion with nature, including Earth, plants, and animals. It can often be seen as their safe place and a way for them to relax and focus on themselves instead of others for a change.
They Have a High Intuition
Empaths are often highly intuitive people. This allows them to focus on the present moment and tune out of anything else. Doing this means they give others 100% of their time and energy, so they’re able to support them to the best of their ability in the moment.
Easily Overwhelmed in Crowded Spaces
Due to their caring and loving nature, being in crowded places can be very overwhelming for empaths. With many people around, empaths can experience sensory overload. What’s even worse is that they may see a few people they want to help at the same time.
They Seek Meaningful Relationships
Relationships are very important to empaths. This is because they need to be meaningful and fulfill their needs. Empaths often like deep conversations and need to be in a relationship where this is a common occurrence. When dating, they may ask deeper questions to establish whether there’s common ground.
They Sense Others’ Emotions Intuitively
According to Verywell Mind, “Their ability to discern what others are feeling goes beyond empathy, which is defined simply as the ability to understand the feelings of others.” Empaths can often pick up subtle emotional cues without them needing to be communicated. They can understand someone’s situation on a deeper level.
Offer a Listening Ear Without Judgment
True empaths are able to offer a person the chance to talk about their issues with zero judgment. Even without realizing they’ve done it, an empath can create a safe place for a person to feel comfortable enough to talk. They’ll actively listen to a person and only offer advice if it’s asked for.
Prioritize the Needs of Others
People who are empathetic often prioritize other people’s needs over their own. They view other people’s needs as more important, which shows caring qualities. Often, taking on other people’s issues can be detrimental to their own personal well-being, as they can neglect their own needs.
They Are Drawn to Helping Professions
Empaths often feel their meaning in life is to serve and help others. Due to this, they commonly choose professions that will provide them with a purpose. These are careers such as teaching, counseling, or working in healthcare. This provides them with a sense of fulfillment on a daily basis.
Highly Creative
D.Library Stanford reports, “Empathy begins with attention. Creativity does, too. In both cases, you pay attention to the data you take in.” Empaths often want you to stop feeling any negative emotions, so they’ll use the creative side of their brain to work out how to fix your problem.
They Need Time to Recharge Alone
Due to their kind nature, people who are highly empathetic often seek to relax and recharge on their own. This allows them to process their own emotions without putting someone else’s needs first. Downtime is very important for empaths because it allows them to re-energize and continue to be the empathetic people they are.
They Are Often Peacemakers
Empaths understand people’s emotions, and because of this, they often want to resolve conflict. They seek to be peacemakers by reducing any negative emotions you’re feeling. They’ll do this by helping you understand that any current conflict is having a detrimental effect on your well-being.
Attract People Seeking Compassion
Due to their nature, empaths often find people who are seeking compassion drawn to them. People understand empaths can help them, but this can be overwhelming for empaths. Constantly helping people is incredibly draining for empaths and really takes a toll on them.
They Detect Lies Easily
According to Power of Positivity, “You can’t get away with lying to an empathic person for many reasons, and the reasons all relate to their ability to tune into your emotions.” This can often have a big impact on their relationships, as they can see through the lies that people close to them are saying.
Often Misunderstood by Others
Empaths can often be misunderstood. People aren’t always welcoming of their friendly nature. They can feel empaths are trying to invade their personal space instead of helping them. Sometimes empaths have to adapt their communication styles so others don’t feel they’re overstepping the emotional line.
They Are Prone to Fatigue
Helping others with their issues can sometimes come at a cost for an empath. They can often find themselves fatigued and burned out due to neglecting their own needs. Empaths have to ensure they provide themselves with enough personal time to prevent this from happening.
They Often Experience Vivid Dreams
Vivid dreams aren’t something everyone is able to experience, but they can be common among empathetic people. Their heightened emotional sensitivity can heighten their dreams. Because of this, empaths have been known to keep dream journals to help them understand their emotions further.
Excellent at Reading Body Language
If there’s one thing empaths can do exceptionally well, it’s to read other people’s body language. It’s a skill that can help them communicate better with loved ones, as they can grasp how that person is feeling through their actions and then confront them on this.
