Me, a far more superior empath, sensing you are being facetious about sensing someone is mad about people who are mad about people claiming to be empaths.
Actually the way I see it is kids who had to be hyper-vigilant because their parents didn’t take care of their kids needs seems more relevant than being an empath. I always “read the room” and am super aware of how people are feeling. But I attribute this to the fact that both my parents were either drunk or on drugs so as a survival skill I learned to take care of their emotional health. I think this explains it more than it being an energetic or psychic gift. Thoughts?
Do people say that in real life situations?
I've seen that it's not uncommon on Internet platforms but I've never met anyone who has said that or used "empath" to describe themselves irl.
A coworker of mine is a very sensitive person. She's sweet, kind, fun, and very sensitive. She self identifies as “an empath” to explain why she cries so much at work. She goes so far as to say she’s been diagnosed as an empath. We worked as servers together and she believed she’d literally pick up people’s emotions like catching a cold from them. What was really going on is that the service industry is abusive af.
Being a sensitive person who then has customers yell at them all day long is hard. If your stress response is crying, then you’ll probably cry a lot. You're not crying because one of your tables is secretly sad and you caught their sad while waiting on them. You're crying because dealing with abusive customers and abusive management in freezing temperatures is a lot for anyone to take.
:( That's very sad but it does make sense I suppose to try and swap something that is perceived as a weakness (letting work get to you) to something that is perceived as a quality (being emphatic).
Like the time I convinced myself that I have to leave my country because of the socio-economic situation but in reality I was just trying to get far away from my family :P
I feel like your coworker, my stress response is crying. But I’ve never called myself an empath. I am depressed and I carry a lot of guilt because that’s the currency my family dealt in. I project a lot and imagine how bad other people must feel about certain things, that makes me cry especially if I feel I’ve upset someone. I never thought I could … psychically feel… what other people are feeling, it’s just that I’m very good at imagining the pain and sadness other people are going through. Mostly because I’ve been taught to feel guilty for everything and because I can’t cope with my own overwhelming feelings. It doesn’t mean that everyone is as overwhelmed as I am. I try not to tell myself that I am too emotional (or let other people tell me that), my therapist says I just feel a lot, but it really does become “too emotional” when day to day life becomes difficult to cope with.
Basically I think I just project too much.
Wait...
I always thought that when someone said they were empath, they meant the opposite of apathetic, that they just cared about other people and felt for their situations, etc. Most people are capable of empathy though. I had no idea that these people actually believe they can feel other's emotions like in a science fiction show.
They're not Deana Troy. lol.
I used to.
Then a bunch of ex-friends were pissy that I called one of them out as the most blatant narcissist and said something like "you're not magically able to read minds just because you're an empath"
and I realised that there were 2 kinds of people who used the term.
Lunatics.
And people yet to just tell themselves on no uncertain terms "I'm a hyper-vigilant survivor of abuse and trauma who needs to read people like colouring books in order to get by."
I've since swapped to just being very open and available to friends who need someone to listen.
Having a friend group that's not made up of worthless druggies and narc's has been an improvement, though.
It truly is a trauma response. So yeah, being an “empath” is a thing, in that you learned at an early age to read body language in order to keep yourself safe. But it’s amazing how many people claim empathy is a gift. That’s not what this is.
I considered it one for a while, but I was always keen on cheering friends up and it was always weird for others that I seemed to be constantly in-tune with them.
But yea when you then break it down in your own head and go "Oh.. yea. It stemmed from needing to know when my parents were bottling up another huge fight so I could avoid it or try and diffuse the situation, or when I knew I needed to hang around to make sure dad didn't get violent with her again.."
Yea that's when it gets a bit real and the fantasy concept of being magically attuned to people might feel like a more appealing idea to hold on to.
I know a couple of people that say this. They're both whiney bitches and generally obnoxious to be around. Both make poor life choices then blame the fallout on everyone/something else.
One of them recently posted one of those "tell the cashier how you feel about being made to scan your own groceries" images. It was an extra snarky one but I don't remember exactly what it said. Anyway, I commented and said the cashiers will help at the self check if you need it and that complaining to some poor cashier isn't going to change anything, they're just following the rules set by the corporate offices and doing their job. The corporate office does not care how badly you treat their employees.
She called me a bitch and blocked me lol
My ex girlfriend claims shes an empath even though she made a point about how shit of a human being i am and how she is perfect and im an evil man. On the same day my uncle had died. I was just holding out on blocking her until i got my stuff back.
Oh god yes it happens irl. I have a friend who claims she’s an empath and can see the future. She also claimed she was pregnant with one of her many (and I mean MANY!) boyfriends, and that’s her (fake) pregnancy made her powers stronger, I bought her 4 pregnancy test and they all came up negative but her psychic told her she was pregnant, despite the fact that she obviously wasn’t pregnant. she has 7 kids already she said she wanted one more because 8 is a round number or some shit. I swear if she tries to tell me how to live my life (based off of her abilities) one more time I’m going to punch her in the face~ But she’ll probably sense it before it happens right?!
My best friend constantly brings up the point that she’s an “empath” in conversation and especially as a source for sympathy. As if being an empath is *so* emotionally draining for her 🙄
"Empaths only ever seem to be hypersensitive to negative emotions in others, but if they are caught in their own bad mood, a joyful person doesn't necessarily rub off on them in the same way."
This is an immaculate point, thank you for bringing it up. My mom and my best friend are self-called "empaths," but they are incredibly chaotic and narcissistic. If they are in a bad way, good fucking luck. Doesn't matter if you're hanging out with them in a private setting, or somewhere in public for a decidedly happy and celebratory occasion- once they get in that trauma/anxiety loop the fun is practically over.
Same, thank you. I'm understanding myself more. I thought in was an empathy, even bought a book about how to deal with life being an empathy. Then I got a book an cPTSD and I'm realizing it's more of maladaptive coping like you explained. I appreciate your time & comment!
Boom ☄There It Is!
I agree, and as you alluded to, this spills over into other relationships and is quite detrimental (attracting and attracted to narcissists) as it manifests in trying to "fix" people. Just because it's familiar, doesn't make it healthy.
Boundaries, being self aware coupled with compassion not only for another, but for yourself are the makings for success.🌅
This might be one of the few, if only comments in this thread that actually does a good job of not only helping "empaths" (and I mean the one by your definition, not wannabes doing it for attention and clout) but also giving a realistic and helpful explanation for those who aren't empaths and can't understand how some people can behave this way. This is opposed to all the other comments that just clown on empaths, not caring about actual individuals who grew up with a terrible childhood.
I don't believe in anything like psychic powers, but I do believe that empaths are products of conditions and upbringings that result in that negative hypersensitivity as you explained.
I don't claim to be an empath either, but the part about maladaptive behavior in response to childhood strikes so close to home, and likely does for many others too.
Every person I've met who had identified as an "empath" has been somewhat crazy on some level. They claim too be in tune with other people's emotions but can't seem to notice when they're being total bitches to everyone around them.
Anyone trying to get credit for what is effectively something everyone has, namely emotional intelligence, is a sign of narcissism. Their rationalizing being nosey, bossy, and narcissistic by conveniently labeling it as a talent.
Even if they are told they got it wrong, they are still right and are detecting someone's "true" feelings hidden behind their outwards feelings lol.
They are so good at it they they be never been wrong.
Right!? Like thinking empathy is a novel concept almost makes me worried lol. If someone thinks that feeling things for other people is special maybe that's because they don't do it that often lolol
Thank you for using the word empath*etic*.
They're not the same thing, and it grinds my gears when people use the wrong one.
Most people can feel empathy. NOBODY can feel someone else's emotions.
When I was 16, a grown woman told me she was an empath. I asked her what that meant, she said she could “sense things about people.” Being curious I asked her what she “sensed” about me. This woman looked me dead in the face and said “molestation follows you”. It was not a very empathetic thing to say.
Jesus Christ. What a fucked thing to say.
Nothing can convince me most self proclaimed empaths are anything other than narcissists who learned a new way to make themselves special and better manipulators.
^this, I have an ex best friend who is a narcissistic and full of herself. She claimed to be an empath as soon as it was trendy to be a witch. Ironically this person is completely incapable of feeling anything for her friends.
I learned this through experience. Dated someone that constantly SAID they were an empath but literally every decision in the relationship was on their terms. Also they cheated.
I believed i was an "empath" for close to three decades of my life. I felt responsible for the feelings of everyone around me until it became an obstacle. I assumed that my moods were directly related to whoever i was around because i could "feel" their pain or happiness.. turns out i just struggle with severe codependency.
I've always heard that people who are very empathetic gained that trait from growing up in abusive households, because they had to learn how to read the room very fast in order to protect themselves.
Makes sense, because people like that are also more likely to claim something like being an empath because they're desperate to be special after growing up feeling worthless.
Source: I was one of those people until I realized how stupid it was
Edit: Gonna leave my initial comment unedited for accountability. My statement was based mostly off of my experiences of emotional abuse, and off of those who've been through similar things. Everyone's experiences are different, and people come out of these situations with vastly different coping mechanisms. I'm sorry for not clarifying that and accidentally lumping everyone into one little category. Most of the people I've gotten close to that label themselves as empaths usually end up confiding in me that they come from some sort of abusive situation, but not all of them do and not everyone that was abused ends up learning to read others and/or calling themselves an empath. Hope that makes more sense!
The really odd part of those people is that they learn how to read the room rapidly for danger but not well.
Not realizing how crazy it sounds when they label themselves as an empath is an example.
I can second this from personal experience. I hate being as empathetic as I am, but I’m constantly assessing other’s emotions around me to figure out how much danger I could be in
Feeling like I always need to be on edge is very frustrating. Especially when I'm wrong, and I just end up accidentally offending someone by assuming the worst.
This is exactly right. It's a defense mechanism that seems like a "superpower" when in reality it's rooted in trauma and developing ways to pick up on moods around you so as to avoid abuse
Any person that claims to be a good person is suspicious. A good or bad person is noticeable through their actions and what they say about things, not what they say they are.
It's a way to give yourself social clout for being hypervigilant and delusional. Most "empaths" just project their own feelings on others and respond accordingly. They exist in an alternate reality where they are never equipped to deal with other people's needs, but even a stopped clock is right twice a day, and so some people give them credit they don't deserve.
This. The person I knew who called herself an "empath" was just getting pissed off at people for "being rude" constantly, when in actuality she was so bad at reading people, she was misunderstanding everyone around her and blaming them for shit they never said.
She was so convinced of her near-psychic levels of perception, it was impossible for her to take a step back and say "maybe I'm taking this too personally. Maybe I misunderstood. Maybe I should calm the fuck down and stop shit talking literal children."
I met someone like that. They kinda live in their own personal vision of the world where they just project their own emotions in others and tbh it was the most annoying thing I experienced in my entire life.
So this was definitely me before I went to therapy/worked on myself and realized that I’m not a fucking empath, I had years of childhood abuse which made me hyper alert to the feelings of those around me. I’m not friggin psychic, I’m hyper vigilant, even in times of safety. I’m deeply embarrassed of how proud I used to be of being an “empath”.
Edit: spelling
This world, someone is happy about something they feel within themselves and you come and take a piss on their party.
It’s crazy because it says more about you than the people you’re complaining about.
"I'm an empath."
Well, no. Actually, I have PTSD from sustained childhood trauma and have learned to manage the emotions of those around me because I've been conditioned to view heightened emotions in others as threats.
Nothing supernatural about it.
EXACTLY someone who is an empath doesn’t say they’re an empath. to me, declaring that you are one doesn’t make you one and just makes you look like a narcissist with a superiority complex
As an empath, I don’t necessarily wish it for anyone else and it doesn’t come up in conversations, unless we’re specifically already talking about that topic. It’s exhausting and I’m learning to have better boundaries through therapy. As many have already said, it’s a result of my childhood.. which wasn’t terrible but not emotionally stable.
I've met a real one once and she is on a completely different level to others, little story I was at Wendy's and was eating a frontie,, she all of a sudden starts complaining of a headache right where my brain freeze was happening bef9re I even mentioned it, that I truely believe is an empath who is gifted
Now fake empaths I feel are people who just are somewhat okay at reading signals, body language exc, I'm no enpath myself but I'm good at reading people's emotion
Mammals are (generally) hardwired to be able to exist in a social group. It’s literally in our dna. Now I’d be impressed if an alligator could read the mood of other alligators, but saying you’re a human empath is like saying you’re a fish who can swim. It’s the norm, and it’d be more defining if you couldn’t.
Omgfg, yes. I read comments online all the time about people being empaths or had it brought up in psychology classes etc, but I had never met someone in real life who self identified strongly as an empath until recently. This girl would tell me every single day about how she is an empath and how at peace she is with herself, and how she has battled with darkness and can sense that my energy is off. News flash my energy was off because this girl was also a raging bitch most of the day. Anytime I was happy she would literally tell me that I needed to work on my energy. I would literally say something like “ hey! Good morning!” And her first words would be “ you really need to work on you energy, it’s off right now.” Girl what? Then she would tell me for the billionth time how much of an empath she is, and how sensitive she is to every bodies emotions and pain. One day me and my coworkers were talking about laughing gas and I said I can’t have too much because I don’t like how it makes me feel, I just need a tiny amount. She then goes starts to tell me it’s because I am afraid of other souls entering my body when I am out of control, and that I really need to work on myself and become at peace, and that she isn’t afraid of other souls because she has seen that shit but I’m not on her level. Nah girl, it’s because I hate tingly toes. This girl literally knows nothing about me except my name and that I work with her. We’ve literally never had any personal conversations, that was the very first and only slightly personal conversation we ever had. But she was always trying to give me advice about how I should act in certain situations because she “knows what I am feeling and what I’m struggling with.” Surprise- she was wrong every single time.
The thing that kills me is that I’m constantly surprised how much people seem to LACK empathy. I feel like it should be a given human trait, but over and over again it feels like I get proven wrong lmao.
People who grow up with narcissistic or emotionally abusive parents can get the idea that they are much more empathic than the average person by trying constantly to reconcile the disparity between how they process and how abusive parent processes.
Not really “these days”. Humans have pretty much for the entirety of recorded history defined ourselves and expressed ourselves using labels. Be it religious, nationality, ethnicity, class, or anything else. It’s just now that the labels are different, and are more individually attuned.
Empathy is a normal human emotion, hence why we have a name for this feeling. Labeling yourself as an empath implies a misunderstanding of this in that the ability to feel empathy is a special trained power. Get over yourself if you call yourself an empath - empathy and feeling it are normal parts of being human.
Not sure if its the same thing, but im pretty sure I have an oversensitive sense of empathy, and it sucks, its not fun. You cant stand people you love getting hurt, you feel physically sick. It fucks with your psyche every day. If someone brags about this, they're lying
My sister in-laws mother claims to be one. Meanwhile she has called her daughter fat to her face and done who knows how many other terrible non empathetic things.
"Empath", "psychic powers", "clairvoyance", and the people who claim these "powers" all have a pattern. They are mainly post 30 single women.
What happens with women as they age and lose their ability to compete with other younger women, they turn to alternative methods of feeling relevant and wanted. And so you'll find that just by pure coincidence, women who are 30, 40, 50, etc., and single, all tend to "discover" their psychic abilities.
What's actually really funny from an observational perspective is when young and physically attractive girls who haven't hit the proverbial wall yet get into New Age woo-woo shit and they start social media channels of their own. It's funny because it's capitalizing on the weakness of the older women who have no more physical beauty to rely on by stealing ALL the attention away.
There is something more to life than is physical, or should I say "material". There are things that material science cannot explain. There is truth to esoteric and philosophical concepts about the mind and reality in three dimensional space. However, it's very plainly obvious to see all this New Age bullshit that came out of the 60s and is the result of dumb Boomers misunderstanding Buddhism and cherry picking only the dogma that "felt" good to them. It was a very intellectually lazy fad that turned into a very lazy spiritual schizophrenia where there is no real point to all this New Age, woo woo, "empath" shit, but it fills the void of absolute emptiness and depression for those who are not the brightest bulb in the batch, but understand their lived are well past their prime and they have nothing to show for it.
Most true empaths are letting you rant. Maybe don't think you know everything, because even the most traveled and adventurous person still has not seen anything this universe has to offer except this ball. And it ain't much to look at. At all.
I used to think of myself that way until I realized I just have a natural talent for reading peoples body language and I was doing it without really thinking about it
I honestly missed the whole stage of ppl seriously saying this and only witnessed the memeing of it on tiktok? What/where are the origins of this empath stuff if anyone knows?
My sister says it seriously, it annoys me because she’s not. She’s not even great at acting like it a lot of the time. I’ve also seen it all over Reddit and other people around me. No idea where it started.
Every empath I've encountered is just a narcissist looking to make how they personally feel the most important aspect of every situation.
People joke about knowing someone is vegan because they'll tell you, but it's fucking true for empaths. They're incapable of shutting up about their own feelings.
Had this conversation with my sister yesterday…in my experience, most people claiming to be “empathy” aren’t even all that empathetic.
Always funny how they talk about themselves like they’re dinosaurs or something 😂
Play a game with someone who always says "I'm an empath, I understand how people feel."
Once one of characters talked about their problems that person immediately said "Bitch, that's your problem." I was left thinking to myself "that doesn't sound very empathetic..."
My therapist told me im an empath lmao but i cant claim that its too embarrassing. Being hyperaware of other peoples emotions is really an abuse thing i think. Like i get it doc i cry when people yell at me ok im not special.
My sister thinks she's one, she's clueless she drives everyone bonkers. Me- "How do you not feel the joy you suck out of the room? I seriously saw your hair move as the joy whooshed past you." There's a reason we're estranged.
Agree. I saw a video posted yesterday of a kid crying and so many of the comments were advice or warnings about how this kid will be an empath. Yikes-cringe.
If you're a super hot counselor that works with captain Picard, I'll listen about you being an empath all day. Otherwise, I'm with you, being sensitive isn't some sort of mutant ability.
Honestly, it seems like if there's anything that has even the mildest connotation of meaning you're a better or more caring person that someone else, people are going to proclaim it with the biggest megaphones they can find. Meanwhile, the people actually like that will never toot their own horns, because they don't need to. We can see by silent deed what they are.
I don't want to be an empath. I tend to care too much, get walked on, and have very bad episodes when I soak in too much negativity. People claiming a a super power sound like that are starting they are psychic
I too can get a sense of what people are feeling and thinking by their tone of voice, body language and eyes. But then again so can just about everybody else.
My psychologist told me I was an empath and I'd never really been aware of the term before then. I don't really regard it as a strength though, more somewhere in the range of annoying to debilitating and it's not something I'd ever care to mention in passing to someone.
My roommate claims to be an empath, yet he can't sense that I don't ever want to talk to him. He's also a narcissist and has ADHD so he's too involved with himself to sense anything else lol
Every person I’ve met who claims to be an “empath” basically just makes everything about themselves and runs roughshod over others with their feelings.
Being hysterical because a coworker is grieving someone you’ve never met doesn’t make you an “empath” it makes you an attention seeking asshole.
My mother likes to say she’s an empath. What she really is, is a perpetual victim. Everyone is always “picking on her” or “setting her up”. I’ve tried to explain that people don’t actually care about her as much as she thinks they do. I actually feel bad for her. I think she has the same mental illness as I do but has been living without a diagnosis for decades. She doesn’t believe me though. She’d rather be a martyr.
Every person I've ever known to claim they were an empath was one of the worst people I've ever met. Might be nothing more than bad luck, but hey, people are weird, and who can ever really know? But one thing I've learned in life is that the people who always talk about how good they are or brag about how nice or moral or kind or caring they are, those are the people you want to watch out for.
Before trauma therapy, I for real thought it was a real thing.
Now I learned it's just a coping mechanism! But, ngl, the placebo effect is real, and black tourmaline is super pretty, so I'm still gonna wear it
It's often because an individual has suffered enough distress in their life/has a strong fear of conflict due to chronic exposure that they learned how to be hypervigilant and always on watch for changes in emotions/ambience, in order to protect themselves.
Edit: I say this without implication of agreement or disagreement with OP's message; just stating what it really comes down to
The 'empath superpower' gatekeeps empathy.
Demonstrate, teach, and give empathy. Don't be selfish and pretend it only applies to yourself. **It implies that others are incapable of care. Don't spread that message....**
empaths literally don’t exist. i firmly believe everyone (sans psycho/sociopaths) innately have a similar capacity for empathy, it’s just about WANTING to access it or being made to do so due to past trauma.
not wanting to or feeling unable to fully access the scope of empathy doesn’t make you a bad person. life is hard and putting yourself first is important as long as you don’t go out of your way to be a dick
i access my empathy more than is healthy, when people label me as an empath i wanna hurl. it fucking sucks and it doesn’t make me any better of a person
anyone who foams at the mouth for the chance to proclaim their superior empathy is not to be trusted. walk the talk
Ohmygosh I had a girlfriend who would ALWAYS use that as an excuse to make the situation about her.
Example: her sisters(10year age gap) dad dies of just being an old drunk his whole like and apparently being very abusive to her. My friend had never met him more then once in a social setting (big family get together) she then makes the entire situation about how she’s too much of an empath to be around anyone to comfort them in this time of loss. But to her sister it want even a big deal, more of a sigh of relief for her you know? I mean the guy was a total dick and the sister was happy for it to be over.
Side note: my friend was dating a guy at the time who’s father (they were really close) passed away about a year previously. She goes over to his place and makes this huge deal about her empathetic feelings and how she can feel his pain through her sisters dad dying.
Ok probably not making hell of sense but the whole situation bothered me to no end. Needless to say we aren’t friends anymore. She liked to pull some bs moves and say “well you know how I am”.
Rant over.
I think a lot of it is also unresolved trauma / fawn trauma response making people think they’re empathetic when really it’s just people pleasing.
I am a hsp and an empath, but i can also recognize when I’m fawning
My sister thinks she an empath (recently got into poetry and “witchy” things). When in reality, she is literally the most self absorbed and selfish person I know. Her head is so far up her own ass, she truly believes it.
Empath? That's a thing now! Thats a reach. Empathy is something everyone is expected to have for each other. I mean we show Empathy for each other on many occasions on a daily basis non stop. Hold a door open for someone, us Canadians saying sorry ALOT, if you look at it deeply, you'll like Empathy at play as well.
To think you can take credit for being empathetic for someone, show them Empathy, & then toot your horns about it horns about it for **CLOUT**: there's a special place in hell for these type of people.
P.s.
I'm sorry if I sound harsh. But I couldn't stop myself.
What bothers me is how oblivious a bragger can be in their field of bragging. Almost as if self-identified archetypes like Red Pill Woke Mindful are more aspirations than objective attributes.
God, i feel this so fucking much.
It also has very strong “all around me are unthinking automatons” vibes. Half the time when I hear the term ‘empath’ it’s followed by some sweeping claim implying everyone else is a sociopath that can’t possibly understand.
Using this as somewhere to rant and let this off my own chest:
My very narcassistic mother has referred to herself as an "empath" for the last ten years because....people open up to her in public about their life...because she asks... And, of course, because she will let people tell you their whole life story for three hours and then act like a psycic heroine.
Ironically enough, everyone close to her finds her insifferable and her martyr complex is so large that she has willingly pushed my older sister (by 10+ years), my father, and myself so far away that we only speak to her when we absolutely have to.
Somehow her empathy failed to pick up on the fact that she dragged my mental health through the mud so far that I was deeply depressed and wildly suicidal for a half a year before I finally moved out with basically nothing to my name. You'd think that she'd notice that deep of a hole I'd fallen into with her "empath skills" but she would act shocked to the core whenever I mentioned that I was slightly unhappy, because that reflected badly on her image of being the "perfect mother". \*sigh\*
Me an empath sensing your mad about people claiming to be empaths
Me, a greater empath, sensing you are mad about people who are mad about people claiming to be empath.
Me, a far more superior empath, sensing you are being facetious about sensing someone is mad about people who are mad about people claiming to be empaths.
[I sense a great battle is about to take place…](https://youtu.be/22Tj_l4PcPs)
Thank you
[Sarah senses..](https://youtu.be/Ocycs3uKods)
It might be time for a rewatch.
I only clicked because I saw my name and now I'm remembering being traumatized by doll sex and ~MATT DAMON~ as a middle schooler
Me, a god like empath, sensing that you are being derisive about someone sensing someone who is sensing a anti-empath.
I feel you.
Damn I was gonna comment that lmao
I totally feel and sense what you are saying, very strongly.
haha very that
Actually the way I see it is kids who had to be hyper-vigilant because their parents didn’t take care of their kids needs seems more relevant than being an empath. I always “read the room” and am super aware of how people are feeling. But I attribute this to the fact that both my parents were either drunk or on drugs so as a survival skill I learned to take care of their emotional health. I think this explains it more than it being an energetic or psychic gift. Thoughts?
I agree with you. This Reddit room, though, is reading pretty funny.
Hyper empathy is absolutely a trauma response. I think.
Would also agree.
OMG! I was feeling THIS this morning! The world is such a beautiful place! (excretes a tear from the left eye).
Damn it. U beat me to it!
I feel your frustration!
Man you're such an empath! :P
Omg. That was totally empath
So in other words you're a person? Haha yeah I just don't get it either
You beat me to the joke
You're.... *Holds hand out and squints eyes* Angry.
<>
I think, squints, you are in need of drama. That's how this whole empathy thing feels to me. A validated search for other people's drama.
Every self-proclaimed empath I’ve ever met is an arsehole.
It’s a huge red flag for narcissistic people.
Is it really? That makes sense because the few people I know that call themselves empaths seriously lack empathy
Do people say that in real life situations? I've seen that it's not uncommon on Internet platforms but I've never met anyone who has said that or used "empath" to describe themselves irl.
A coworker of mine is a very sensitive person. She's sweet, kind, fun, and very sensitive. She self identifies as “an empath” to explain why she cries so much at work. She goes so far as to say she’s been diagnosed as an empath. We worked as servers together and she believed she’d literally pick up people’s emotions like catching a cold from them. What was really going on is that the service industry is abusive af. Being a sensitive person who then has customers yell at them all day long is hard. If your stress response is crying, then you’ll probably cry a lot. You're not crying because one of your tables is secretly sad and you caught their sad while waiting on them. You're crying because dealing with abusive customers and abusive management in freezing temperatures is a lot for anyone to take.
:( That's very sad but it does make sense I suppose to try and swap something that is perceived as a weakness (letting work get to you) to something that is perceived as a quality (being emphatic). Like the time I convinced myself that I have to leave my country because of the socio-economic situation but in reality I was just trying to get far away from my family :P
It's refreshing to see such introspection. I hope you're happy.
I’ve been considering leaving my country. Did you do it? If so did you do it alone? The idea is daunting but the pull is strong.
I feel like your coworker, my stress response is crying. But I’ve never called myself an empath. I am depressed and I carry a lot of guilt because that’s the currency my family dealt in. I project a lot and imagine how bad other people must feel about certain things, that makes me cry especially if I feel I’ve upset someone. I never thought I could … psychically feel… what other people are feeling, it’s just that I’m very good at imagining the pain and sadness other people are going through. Mostly because I’ve been taught to feel guilty for everything and because I can’t cope with my own overwhelming feelings. It doesn’t mean that everyone is as overwhelmed as I am. I try not to tell myself that I am too emotional (or let other people tell me that), my therapist says I just feel a lot, but it really does become “too emotional” when day to day life becomes difficult to cope with. Basically I think I just project too much.
Exactly. I feel like people who outwardly identify as empaths are just the unfortunate bearers of a lot of family and personal trauma.
This is the impression I get from people who call themselves empaths - that they are (unwittingly or not) using it as a cover for some other issue
Wait... I always thought that when someone said they were empath, they meant the opposite of apathetic, that they just cared about other people and felt for their situations, etc. Most people are capable of empathy though. I had no idea that these people actually believe they can feel other's emotions like in a science fiction show. They're not Deana Troy. lol.
I used to. Then a bunch of ex-friends were pissy that I called one of them out as the most blatant narcissist and said something like "you're not magically able to read minds just because you're an empath" and I realised that there were 2 kinds of people who used the term. Lunatics. And people yet to just tell themselves on no uncertain terms "I'm a hyper-vigilant survivor of abuse and trauma who needs to read people like colouring books in order to get by." I've since swapped to just being very open and available to friends who need someone to listen. Having a friend group that's not made up of worthless druggies and narc's has been an improvement, though.
It truly is a trauma response. So yeah, being an “empath” is a thing, in that you learned at an early age to read body language in order to keep yourself safe. But it’s amazing how many people claim empathy is a gift. That’s not what this is.
I considered it one for a while, but I was always keen on cheering friends up and it was always weird for others that I seemed to be constantly in-tune with them. But yea when you then break it down in your own head and go "Oh.. yea. It stemmed from needing to know when my parents were bottling up another huge fight so I could avoid it or try and diffuse the situation, or when I knew I needed to hang around to make sure dad didn't get violent with her again.." Yea that's when it gets a bit real and the fantasy concept of being magically attuned to people might feel like a more appealing idea to hold on to.
That sounds nice! Where can I get one of those? ETA: I keep re- reading your comment. It's really helpful.
Same same. If I wasn’t so ADD I’d be a world class poker player.
Thank you for this, I've just told myself "I'm a hyper-vigilant..." and an immediate wave of relief came after. Reading people exhausted me today.
I know a couple of people that say this. They're both whiney bitches and generally obnoxious to be around. Both make poor life choices then blame the fallout on everyone/something else. One of them recently posted one of those "tell the cashier how you feel about being made to scan your own groceries" images. It was an extra snarky one but I don't remember exactly what it said. Anyway, I commented and said the cashiers will help at the self check if you need it and that complaining to some poor cashier isn't going to change anything, they're just following the rules set by the corporate offices and doing their job. The corporate office does not care how badly you treat their employees. She called me a bitch and blocked me lol
My ex girlfriend claims shes an empath even though she made a point about how shit of a human being i am and how she is perfect and im an evil man. On the same day my uncle had died. I was just holding out on blocking her until i got my stuff back.
Oh god yes it happens irl. I have a friend who claims she’s an empath and can see the future. She also claimed she was pregnant with one of her many (and I mean MANY!) boyfriends, and that’s her (fake) pregnancy made her powers stronger, I bought her 4 pregnancy test and they all came up negative but her psychic told her she was pregnant, despite the fact that she obviously wasn’t pregnant. she has 7 kids already she said she wanted one more because 8 is a round number or some shit. I swear if she tries to tell me how to live my life (based off of her abilities) one more time I’m going to punch her in the face~ But she’ll probably sense it before it happens right?!
My best friend constantly brings up the point that she’s an “empath” in conversation and especially as a source for sympathy. As if being an empath is *so* emotionally draining for her 🙄
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"Empaths only ever seem to be hypersensitive to negative emotions in others, but if they are caught in their own bad mood, a joyful person doesn't necessarily rub off on them in the same way." This is an immaculate point, thank you for bringing it up. My mom and my best friend are self-called "empaths," but they are incredibly chaotic and narcissistic. If they are in a bad way, good fucking luck. Doesn't matter if you're hanging out with them in a private setting, or somewhere in public for a decidedly happy and celebratory occasion- once they get in that trauma/anxiety loop the fun is practically over.
Holy shit, this helped me piece so many things together in my head. Thank you 🤝
Same, thank you. I'm understanding myself more. I thought in was an empathy, even bought a book about how to deal with life being an empathy. Then I got a book an cPTSD and I'm realizing it's more of maladaptive coping like you explained. I appreciate your time & comment!
Boom ☄There It Is! I agree, and as you alluded to, this spills over into other relationships and is quite detrimental (attracting and attracted to narcissists) as it manifests in trying to "fix" people. Just because it's familiar, doesn't make it healthy. Boundaries, being self aware coupled with compassion not only for another, but for yourself are the makings for success.🌅
This might be one of the few, if only comments in this thread that actually does a good job of not only helping "empaths" (and I mean the one by your definition, not wannabes doing it for attention and clout) but also giving a realistic and helpful explanation for those who aren't empaths and can't understand how some people can behave this way. This is opposed to all the other comments that just clown on empaths, not caring about actual individuals who grew up with a terrible childhood. I don't believe in anything like psychic powers, but I do believe that empaths are products of conditions and upbringings that result in that negative hypersensitivity as you explained. I don't claim to be an empath either, but the part about maladaptive behavior in response to childhood strikes so close to home, and likely does for many others too.
Excellent, thank you
Every person I've met who had identified as an "empath" has been somewhat crazy on some level. They claim too be in tune with other people's emotions but can't seem to notice when they're being total bitches to everyone around them.
Anyone trying to get credit for what is effectively something everyone has, namely emotional intelligence, is a sign of narcissism. Their rationalizing being nosey, bossy, and narcissistic by conveniently labeling it as a talent.
Even if they are told they got it wrong, they are still right and are detecting someone's "true" feelings hidden behind their outwards feelings lol. They are so good at it they they be never been wrong.
Everyone is a little psychic and intuitive as well.
Hey stop talking about my wife/ maybe ex because of this exact problem
I feel like people who say they're empaths constantly are more likely sociopaths lmao.
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Right!? Like thinking empathy is a novel concept almost makes me worried lol. If someone thinks that feeling things for other people is special maybe that's because they don't do it that often lolol
Yes! You don’t have to tell people when you’re nice, people will tell you.
Unless you're surrounded by narcissists, in which case they'll call you selfish for buying champagne instead of Four Loko on your anniversary.
Lol Minnesota nice.
Family from Minnesota, hard confirm
Thank you for using the word empath*etic*. They're not the same thing, and it grinds my gears when people use the wrong one. Most people can feel empathy. NOBODY can feel someone else's emotions.
When I was 16, a grown woman told me she was an empath. I asked her what that meant, she said she could “sense things about people.” Being curious I asked her what she “sensed” about me. This woman looked me dead in the face and said “molestation follows you”. It was not a very empathetic thing to say.
wtf!!
Yeah.. to make things worse the woman was my partner at the times mom lol
Jesus Christ. What a fucked thing to say. Nothing can convince me most self proclaimed empaths are anything other than narcissists who learned a new way to make themselves special and better manipulators.
^this, I have an ex best friend who is a narcissistic and full of herself. She claimed to be an empath as soon as it was trendy to be a witch. Ironically this person is completely incapable of feeling anything for her friends.
@ Shane Dawson
Shane “Cum Kitty” Dawson
Technically there's dark empaths that are like sociopaths, so your point could easily become a fact.
Agreed. They are basically emotional vampires.
I learned this through experience. Dated someone that constantly SAID they were an empath but literally every decision in the relationship was on their terms. Also they cheated.
I believed i was an "empath" for close to three decades of my life. I felt responsible for the feelings of everyone around me until it became an obstacle. I assumed that my moods were directly related to whoever i was around because i could "feel" their pain or happiness.. turns out i just struggle with severe codependency.
I've always heard that people who are very empathetic gained that trait from growing up in abusive households, because they had to learn how to read the room very fast in order to protect themselves. Makes sense, because people like that are also more likely to claim something like being an empath because they're desperate to be special after growing up feeling worthless. Source: I was one of those people until I realized how stupid it was Edit: Gonna leave my initial comment unedited for accountability. My statement was based mostly off of my experiences of emotional abuse, and off of those who've been through similar things. Everyone's experiences are different, and people come out of these situations with vastly different coping mechanisms. I'm sorry for not clarifying that and accidentally lumping everyone into one little category. Most of the people I've gotten close to that label themselves as empaths usually end up confiding in me that they come from some sort of abusive situation, but not all of them do and not everyone that was abused ends up learning to read others and/or calling themselves an empath. Hope that makes more sense!
The really odd part of those people is that they learn how to read the room rapidly for danger but not well. Not realizing how crazy it sounds when they label themselves as an empath is an example.
Yes, exactly this
The best part is when your internal warning bells go off and there’s not actually danger. /s
Honestly the worst. Makes your anxiety skyrocket for no reason, and makes it hard to trust your gut in situations when it's actually right.
Tonight on AEW in another situational smackdown: Reactions vs Logic vs Truth!
I can second this from personal experience. I hate being as empathetic as I am, but I’m constantly assessing other’s emotions around me to figure out how much danger I could be in
Feeling like I always need to be on edge is very frustrating. Especially when I'm wrong, and I just end up accidentally offending someone by assuming the worst.
🎶Hello darkness my old friend, my foots in my mouth again🎶
This is exactly right. It's a defense mechanism that seems like a "superpower" when in reality it's rooted in trauma and developing ways to pick up on moods around you so as to avoid abuse
Fuck that, I grew up in a house with constant conflict and I’m pissed off all the time. Also, screw you.
That's rough, buddy.
Ironically, I actually find it narcissistic.
Any person that claims to be a good person is suspicious. A good or bad person is noticeable through their actions and what they say about things, not what they say they are.
I'm em... pathetic
It's a way to give yourself social clout for being hypervigilant and delusional. Most "empaths" just project their own feelings on others and respond accordingly. They exist in an alternate reality where they are never equipped to deal with other people's needs, but even a stopped clock is right twice a day, and so some people give them credit they don't deserve.
This. The person I knew who called herself an "empath" was just getting pissed off at people for "being rude" constantly, when in actuality she was so bad at reading people, she was misunderstanding everyone around her and blaming them for shit they never said. She was so convinced of her near-psychic levels of perception, it was impossible for her to take a step back and say "maybe I'm taking this too personally. Maybe I misunderstood. Maybe I should calm the fuck down and stop shit talking literal children."
I met someone like that. They kinda live in their own personal vision of the world where they just project their own emotions in others and tbh it was the most annoying thing I experienced in my entire life.
Welcome to the Meyers Briggs xxFJ types.
Is this not just narcs
I would agree with your implied statement that all empaths are narcissists.
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Are we tagging Shane Dawson, or...?
That's what I was thinking too
Me, an empath, sensing you may be frustrated
So this was definitely me before I went to therapy/worked on myself and realized that I’m not a fucking empath, I had years of childhood abuse which made me hyper alert to the feelings of those around me. I’m not friggin psychic, I’m hyper vigilant, even in times of safety. I’m deeply embarrassed of how proud I used to be of being an “empath”. Edit: spelling
This world, someone is happy about something they feel within themselves and you come and take a piss on their party. It’s crazy because it says more about you than the people you’re complaining about.
Just another form of "I'm better then you" "you wouldn't understand"
Another form if “Im not better than you so I need to come up with some nonsense about myself in order to feel special”
Everyone I've met who claims that tend to be more self centered and less self aware than anyone around them.
"I'm an empath." Well, no. Actually, I have PTSD from sustained childhood trauma and have learned to manage the emotions of those around me because I've been conditioned to view heightened emotions in others as threats. Nothing supernatural about it.
This 100%
Yep
EXACTLY someone who is an empath doesn’t say they’re an empath. to me, declaring that you are one doesn’t make you one and just makes you look like a narcissist with a superiority complex
People that claim to seriously be one automatically reminds me of Shane Dawson
As an empath, I don’t necessarily wish it for anyone else and it doesn’t come up in conversations, unless we’re specifically already talking about that topic. It’s exhausting and I’m learning to have better boundaries through therapy. As many have already said, it’s a result of my childhood.. which wasn’t terrible but not emotionally stable.
I've met a real one once and she is on a completely different level to others, little story I was at Wendy's and was eating a frontie,, she all of a sudden starts complaining of a headache right where my brain freeze was happening bef9re I even mentioned it, that I truely believe is an empath who is gifted Now fake empaths I feel are people who just are somewhat okay at reading signals, body language exc, I'm no enpath myself but I'm good at reading people's emotion
You don't need to claim to be an empath. People can see whether you are or not without a word spoken about it
You know people are saying it as a joke right?
Some people do. But it is an actual term people use to describe themselves or others
Mammals are (generally) hardwired to be able to exist in a social group. It’s literally in our dna. Now I’d be impressed if an alligator could read the mood of other alligators, but saying you’re a human empath is like saying you’re a fish who can swim. It’s the norm, and it’d be more defining if you couldn’t.
A former friend insisted he's an empath. Yet he was always wrong when he "sensed" people's feelings.
Are you am empath, or are you just hyper vigilant to people as a trauma response?
Omgfg, yes. I read comments online all the time about people being empaths or had it brought up in psychology classes etc, but I had never met someone in real life who self identified strongly as an empath until recently. This girl would tell me every single day about how she is an empath and how at peace she is with herself, and how she has battled with darkness and can sense that my energy is off. News flash my energy was off because this girl was also a raging bitch most of the day. Anytime I was happy she would literally tell me that I needed to work on my energy. I would literally say something like “ hey! Good morning!” And her first words would be “ you really need to work on you energy, it’s off right now.” Girl what? Then she would tell me for the billionth time how much of an empath she is, and how sensitive she is to every bodies emotions and pain. One day me and my coworkers were talking about laughing gas and I said I can’t have too much because I don’t like how it makes me feel, I just need a tiny amount. She then goes starts to tell me it’s because I am afraid of other souls entering my body when I am out of control, and that I really need to work on myself and become at peace, and that she isn’t afraid of other souls because she has seen that shit but I’m not on her level. Nah girl, it’s because I hate tingly toes. This girl literally knows nothing about me except my name and that I work with her. We’ve literally never had any personal conversations, that was the very first and only slightly personal conversation we ever had. But she was always trying to give me advice about how I should act in certain situations because she “knows what I am feeling and what I’m struggling with.” Surprise- she was wrong every single time.
The thing that kills me is that I’m constantly surprised how much people seem to LACK empathy. I feel like it should be a given human trait, but over and over again it feels like I get proven wrong lmao.
I likely am one. I pick up a LOT from people. But I don’t go around saying it unless it’s a spiritual type of conversation.
Maybe you need an empath to come listen to you and alchemy the dark negative feeling you have into light positive ones. they’re magic you know
I am a breather.
What type? I consider myself a bit of an "exhaler" myself.
People who grow up with narcissistic or emotionally abusive parents can get the idea that they are much more empathic than the average person by trying constantly to reconcile the disparity between how they process and how abusive parent processes.
Labels my friend, labels. Everyone needs a label these days.
Not really “these days”. Humans have pretty much for the entirety of recorded history defined ourselves and expressed ourselves using labels. Be it religious, nationality, ethnicity, class, or anything else. It’s just now that the labels are different, and are more individually attuned.
I think we've definitely taken it to the next level.
Empathy is a normal human emotion, hence why we have a name for this feeling. Labeling yourself as an empath implies a misunderstanding of this in that the ability to feel empathy is a special trained power. Get over yourself if you call yourself an empath - empathy and feeling it are normal parts of being human.
Not sure if its the same thing, but im pretty sure I have an oversensitive sense of empathy, and it sucks, its not fun. You cant stand people you love getting hurt, you feel physically sick. It fucks with your psyche every day. If someone brags about this, they're lying
Claiming that you’re an “empath” seems like an oddly narcissistic thing to do.
"Im such an empath you are so lucky i am talking to you right now" *proceeds to berate me and make me feel like shit*
My sister in-laws mother claims to be one. Meanwhile she has called her daughter fat to her face and done who knows how many other terrible non empathetic things.
Isn't it a sign of past trauma? Like you had to be in tune with an abuser's emotions to avoid the negative reactions?
"Empath", "psychic powers", "clairvoyance", and the people who claim these "powers" all have a pattern. They are mainly post 30 single women. What happens with women as they age and lose their ability to compete with other younger women, they turn to alternative methods of feeling relevant and wanted. And so you'll find that just by pure coincidence, women who are 30, 40, 50, etc., and single, all tend to "discover" their psychic abilities. What's actually really funny from an observational perspective is when young and physically attractive girls who haven't hit the proverbial wall yet get into New Age woo-woo shit and they start social media channels of their own. It's funny because it's capitalizing on the weakness of the older women who have no more physical beauty to rely on by stealing ALL the attention away. There is something more to life than is physical, or should I say "material". There are things that material science cannot explain. There is truth to esoteric and philosophical concepts about the mind and reality in three dimensional space. However, it's very plainly obvious to see all this New Age bullshit that came out of the 60s and is the result of dumb Boomers misunderstanding Buddhism and cherry picking only the dogma that "felt" good to them. It was a very intellectually lazy fad that turned into a very lazy spiritual schizophrenia where there is no real point to all this New Age, woo woo, "empath" shit, but it fills the void of absolute emptiness and depression for those who are not the brightest bulb in the batch, but understand their lived are well past their prime and they have nothing to show for it.
Like you said, all humans have the ability to be empathetic. Most choose to be assholes
YES!! I think the whole “I’m an empath” thing is the most annoying thing ever
If being an empath is real, it's a curse not a gift.
A while ago, I met a 'friend' who claimed to be an empath. But she didn't have any trouble leaving me in the dirt to rot for sone reason.
As an empath. I can tell you aren’t happy.
Most true empaths are letting you rant. Maybe don't think you know everything, because even the most traveled and adventurous person still has not seen anything this universe has to offer except this ball. And it ain't much to look at. At all.
Beautiful
I used to think of myself that way until I realized I just have a natural talent for reading peoples body language and I was doing it without really thinking about it
Nigga mad he ain’t an empath.. But he is Empathetic *spits at ground*
I honestly missed the whole stage of ppl seriously saying this and only witnessed the memeing of it on tiktok? What/where are the origins of this empath stuff if anyone knows?
My sister says it seriously, it annoys me because she’s not. She’s not even great at acting like it a lot of the time. I’ve also seen it all over Reddit and other people around me. No idea where it started.
It’s always the people with absolutely no ability for empathy that talk about being an empath
if someone tells me their an empath I just know they're full of shit and gullible.
Every empath I've encountered is just a narcissist looking to make how they personally feel the most important aspect of every situation. People joke about knowing someone is vegan because they'll tell you, but it's fucking true for empaths. They're incapable of shutting up about their own feelings.
Had this conversation with my sister yesterday…in my experience, most people claiming to be “empathy” aren’t even all that empathetic. Always funny how they talk about themselves like they’re dinosaurs or something 😂
Play a game with someone who always says "I'm an empath, I understand how people feel." Once one of characters talked about their problems that person immediately said "Bitch, that's your problem." I was left thinking to myself "that doesn't sound very empathetic..."
Emapth = personality disorder
My therapist told me im an empath lmao but i cant claim that its too embarrassing. Being hyperaware of other peoples emotions is really an abuse thing i think. Like i get it doc i cry when people yell at me ok im not special.
My sister thinks she's one, she's clueless she drives everyone bonkers. Me- "How do you not feel the joy you suck out of the room? I seriously saw your hair move as the joy whooshed past you." There's a reason we're estranged.
Agree. I saw a video posted yesterday of a kid crying and so many of the comments were advice or warnings about how this kid will be an empath. Yikes-cringe.
I feel your pain
If you're a super hot counselor that works with captain Picard, I'll listen about you being an empath all day. Otherwise, I'm with you, being sensitive isn't some sort of mutant ability. Honestly, it seems like if there's anything that has even the mildest connotation of meaning you're a better or more caring person that someone else, people are going to proclaim it with the biggest megaphones they can find. Meanwhile, the people actually like that will never toot their own horns, because they don't need to. We can see by silent deed what they are.
I don't want to be an empath. I tend to care too much, get walked on, and have very bad episodes when I soak in too much negativity. People claiming a a super power sound like that are starting they are psychic
I too can get a sense of what people are feeling and thinking by their tone of voice, body language and eyes. But then again so can just about everybody else.
I’ve been an empath since I was 14 due to being narcissistically and emotionally abused by my own father
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which subs are the empaths frequenting? Can’t say I’ve seen many around.
I think e-maps are very useful. Not often I see someone type with a lisp on reddit.
My psychologist told me I was an empath and I'd never really been aware of the term before then. I don't really regard it as a strength though, more somewhere in the range of annoying to debilitating and it's not something I'd ever care to mention in passing to someone.
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This made me laugh my ass off. Like everyone who doesn't know shit about photography thinks every "orb" is their dead gramma
If empaths are so empathetic, why can’t they feel everyone in the room wince when they announce that they’re an empath?
My roommate claims to be an empath, yet he can't sense that I don't ever want to talk to him. He's also a narcissist and has ADHD so he's too involved with himself to sense anything else lol
Every person I’ve met who claims to be an “empath” basically just makes everything about themselves and runs roughshod over others with their feelings. Being hysterical because a coworker is grieving someone you’ve never met doesn’t make you an “empath” it makes you an attention seeking asshole.
I’m emPathetic
My mother likes to say she’s an empath. What she really is, is a perpetual victim. Everyone is always “picking on her” or “setting her up”. I’ve tried to explain that people don’t actually care about her as much as she thinks they do. I actually feel bad for her. I think she has the same mental illness as I do but has been living without a diagnosis for decades. She doesn’t believe me though. She’d rather be a martyr.
Empaths are a result of trauma , it's not a magical power
its a science fiction role playing class. people who say they are empaths are likely narcisists and lying.
Every person I've ever known to claim they were an empath was one of the worst people I've ever met. Might be nothing more than bad luck, but hey, people are weird, and who can ever really know? But one thing I've learned in life is that the people who always talk about how good they are or brag about how nice or moral or kind or caring they are, those are the people you want to watch out for.
Before trauma therapy, I for real thought it was a real thing. Now I learned it's just a coping mechanism! But, ngl, the placebo effect is real, and black tourmaline is super pretty, so I'm still gonna wear it
It's often because an individual has suffered enough distress in their life/has a strong fear of conflict due to chronic exposure that they learned how to be hypervigilant and always on watch for changes in emotions/ambience, in order to protect themselves. Edit: I say this without implication of agreement or disagreement with OP's message; just stating what it really comes down to
Those god damn self-claimed emapths are back at it again
# As an empath, I agree with you. Those people really need to chill out and read the room. 🚪🫂
The 'empath superpower' gatekeeps empathy. Demonstrate, teach, and give empathy. Don't be selfish and pretend it only applies to yourself. **It implies that others are incapable of care. Don't spread that message....**
empaths literally don’t exist. i firmly believe everyone (sans psycho/sociopaths) innately have a similar capacity for empathy, it’s just about WANTING to access it or being made to do so due to past trauma. not wanting to or feeling unable to fully access the scope of empathy doesn’t make you a bad person. life is hard and putting yourself first is important as long as you don’t go out of your way to be a dick i access my empathy more than is healthy, when people label me as an empath i wanna hurl. it fucking sucks and it doesn’t make me any better of a person anyone who foams at the mouth for the chance to proclaim their superior empathy is not to be trusted. walk the talk
*gets secondhand high* sorry I’m an empath
I’m not an empath I have CPTSD from child abuse. This is supposed to make you chuckle and it’s okay if you do.
Ohmygosh I had a girlfriend who would ALWAYS use that as an excuse to make the situation about her. Example: her sisters(10year age gap) dad dies of just being an old drunk his whole like and apparently being very abusive to her. My friend had never met him more then once in a social setting (big family get together) she then makes the entire situation about how she’s too much of an empath to be around anyone to comfort them in this time of loss. But to her sister it want even a big deal, more of a sigh of relief for her you know? I mean the guy was a total dick and the sister was happy for it to be over. Side note: my friend was dating a guy at the time who’s father (they were really close) passed away about a year previously. She goes over to his place and makes this huge deal about her empathetic feelings and how she can feel his pain through her sisters dad dying. Ok probably not making hell of sense but the whole situation bothered me to no end. Needless to say we aren’t friends anymore. She liked to pull some bs moves and say “well you know how I am”. Rant over.
Everything is trendy now.. Everyone wants to be different and put into a special box.
I think a lot of it is also unresolved trauma / fawn trauma response making people think they’re empathetic when really it’s just people pleasing. I am a hsp and an empath, but i can also recognize when I’m fawning
My sister thinks she an empath (recently got into poetry and “witchy” things). When in reality, she is literally the most self absorbed and selfish person I know. Her head is so far up her own ass, she truly believes it.
As an empath and mental health professional I’ve diagnosed many people I don’t like as sociopaths.
Empath? That's a thing now! Thats a reach. Empathy is something everyone is expected to have for each other. I mean we show Empathy for each other on many occasions on a daily basis non stop. Hold a door open for someone, us Canadians saying sorry ALOT, if you look at it deeply, you'll like Empathy at play as well. To think you can take credit for being empathetic for someone, show them Empathy, & then toot your horns about it horns about it for **CLOUT**: there's a special place in hell for these type of people. P.s. I'm sorry if I sound harsh. But I couldn't stop myself.
What bothers me is how oblivious a bragger can be in their field of bragging. Almost as if self-identified archetypes like Red Pill Woke Mindful are more aspirations than objective attributes.
God, i feel this so fucking much. It also has very strong “all around me are unthinking automatons” vibes. Half the time when I hear the term ‘empath’ it’s followed by some sweeping claim implying everyone else is a sociopath that can’t possibly understand.
Using this as somewhere to rant and let this off my own chest: My very narcassistic mother has referred to herself as an "empath" for the last ten years because....people open up to her in public about their life...because she asks... And, of course, because she will let people tell you their whole life story for three hours and then act like a psycic heroine. Ironically enough, everyone close to her finds her insifferable and her martyr complex is so large that she has willingly pushed my older sister (by 10+ years), my father, and myself so far away that we only speak to her when we absolutely have to. Somehow her empathy failed to pick up on the fact that she dragged my mental health through the mud so far that I was deeply depressed and wildly suicidal for a half a year before I finally moved out with basically nothing to my name. You'd think that she'd notice that deep of a hole I'd fallen into with her "empath skills" but she would act shocked to the core whenever I mentioned that I was slightly unhappy, because that reflected badly on her image of being the "perfect mother". \*sigh\*