10 Signs You Are An Empath

Have you ever wondered “Am I an empath?” Identifying the signs you are an empath will help you better understand and connect with yourself and others, set up strong personal boundaries, and build healthier relationships.

Being an empath, once you know about these empath signs, you will be better able to hone your empath traits to help yourself and your loved ones.

Do you experience sensory overload when around large crowds? Do you absorb others’ emotions and find it hard to tune out? 

You, my friend, could be an empath. 

What is an empath?

Empathy is an important trait that helps us to understand how someone feels so that we can respond with compassion. 

But empaths take things further. Empaths sense what someone else is thinking or feeling at a deeper level. They can experience others’ happiness and suffering as their own. 

As an empath, you can not only sense others’ emotions, you are mostly correct at recognizing what they are feeling simply by looking at them. 

You can also recognize and understand how intense their emotions are, even when the other person is trying hard to hide what they are feeling.

So are you an empath? Do you have a higher level of sensitivity to the suffering of others?

Here are the 10 most common signs that you are an empath.

1. You are highly intuitive

Do you always know when a loved one is sad even if they don’t tell you anything? Can you always tell when someone is lying?

Empaths can observe and absorb a lot from their environment thanks to their high levels of intuition. They pick up on the clues like subtle body language and facial expressions, to ‘know’ what someone else is thinking or feeling.

If you are an empath, your intuitive abilities allow you to see right through others.

2. You are a highly sensitive individual

Do you experience sensory overload easily? Empaths are highly sensitive people who become overstimulated by emotional noise. They can quickly absorb the negative emotions of others which makes them isolate themselves and seek alone time.

Empaths feel overwhelmed and drained in large crowds and may experience emotional burnout. Loud noises, bright lights, and intense feelings in their environment can make them feel sad, anxious, irritated, and exhausted.

So if big crowds of emotion-filled people drain you out, you just might be an empath.

Read What Is Hyper Empathy Syndrome? 12 Symptoms and How To Cope

3. You seek solitude

Do you tend to cancel plans at the last moment? If you deliberately avoid parties or large crowds, then it’s possible that you are an empath. 

You need a lot of time alone as you feel drained after soaking up emotional energy from others. Solitude helps you recharge and balance your emotions and energies.

While you may or may not be an introvert, you have an inherent need to be alone for long periods of time. If you need to recharge yourself with some much-needed solitude after a day of socializing, then you can be described as an “empath”.

Read 27 Traits Of An Empath

4. You have a healing effect on people

Do people seek you out to confide in you? Do they feel calm after talking to you?

Empaths can make people, including strangers, feel more at peace and help them heal simply by listening to them and giving them genuine advice.

Due to their caring and helpful nature, people reach out to empaths for support as they know empaths are trustworthy and will keep their secrets.

However, empaths can also become victims easily as toxic people can exploit their empathic nature and take advantage of them. This is why it is important for empaths to have strong personal boundaries. 

So if your friends seek you out in their times of need and ask for advice, then you just might be an empath.

5. You love being in nature

Empaths don’t just love nature, they heal in nature. 

As you easily absorb the emotions and energies of others, being in nature allows you the opportunity to cleanse your energy, relax and restore your inner self.

By absorbing the sights and sounds of nature, you detox yourself of all negative emotions that others dump on you, enabling you to reflect in peace.

You know you are an empath if you enjoy long walks, hikes, forest baths or simply just being in nature.

6. You can’t stop helping others

Do you have a hard time not caring about others? Can you ever avoid helping someone in pain? 

If you feel like “this is a job for me” every time you see someone suffering, you are an empath. Empaths go out of their way to help people in need as they just can’t stop caring about others, even if it may hurt themselves. 

It is impossible for you to see someone in dire need of help and simply walk away – helping others is like a spiritual calling for you – as if it is something you are born to do. You know you have the ability to heal others and you will never shy away from using your superpower to help others live a happier life.

If you feel guilty when you are unable to help someone, then that means you are an empath.

7. You avoid intimate relationships

Do you feel overwhelmed in romantic or close relationships? As an empath, you find intimate relationships and close connections to be exhausting. As you lack the ability to set strong boundaries, you avoid intimacy.

Building a healthy relationship is difficult for you as you absorb all the emotions and energies of your partner which can greatly affect your emotional and mental wellbeing. Empaths become increasingly vulnerable in romantic relationships which makes them prone to codependency.

But that does not mean empaths can’t have healthy, successful relationships, it just means you need to put in more effort than others.

8. You absolutely love babies, animals, and baby animals

Most people love babies and their pets, but empaths feel like that is where they belong. You don’t just feel happy in the presence of children and animals, you feel unhappy when they are not around. As kids and animals don’t have complex emotional baggage, you don’t feel drained when in their company.

In fact, you share a close and unexplainable relationship with animals, especially cubs and baby animals. Their innocence and ability to give unconditional love fills you up with love and positive energy. As most animals have empathic abilities, they give you the emotional support that you look for.

Sharing a close bond with babies and animals is another sign that you’re an empath.

9. You avoid conflict

Do you hate confrontations? Do you avoid arguments like the plague? Empaths are not confrontational and always focus on maintaining peace at all costs. 

Being highly sensitive, you become easily hurt by others’ negative behaviors and tend to take criticism personally. This is why even minor disagreements cause distress and get you riled up.

You become too overwhelmed by the intense negative emotions involved in a confrontation which can compel you to make adjustments and compromises to either avoid it or to reach a resolution.

You hate conflict so much that you have become an expert at changing the topic when the conversation becomes tense.

However, as an empath, you often repress your genuine emotions to avoid conflict which causes pent-up frustration in the long run.

10. You thrive in creativity

Do you become easily bored with repetition and routine? Do you have a vivid imagination and creative talents? Then you just might be an empath. Powerful emotions make empaths more creative and drive them to tell stories.

Empaths are known to be writers, artists, performers, musicians, designers, actors, and poets. As an empath, you know how to express your emotions creatively and captivate people. 

You are also an art appreciator or an aesthete and love to appreciate the beauty and aesthetics in works of art. Your ability to take different perspectives as your own makes you appreciate and experience art more deeply than others.

However, your creativity makes it difficult for you to follow rules strictly and makes you a bit rebellious at times.

Can you identify these signs of an empath in yourself?

Being an empath is a blessing. But it can become a curse if you don’t set boundaries, say no to others when needed and prioritize yourself. 

Empaths are healers and as an empath, you need to start by healing yourself first.

Do you think you are an empath? Let us know in the comments below.