Most people easily understand why a person would become exhausted or fatigued after a full day of rigorous physical activity. A difficult bike ride, a long hike, or an intense volleyball tournament is almost always followed by a lengthy nap. But what many people don’t realize is that emotional and spiritual exhaustion has a similar effect. This is why those with empath personalities often suffer from fatigue and insomnia.
What Is an Empath Personality?
A person with an empath personality is extremely sensitive to others’ emotions, energies, and physical symptoms. Empaths are highly attuned to moods and feelings and can easily absorb them from others, good or bad. Empaths are often introverted due to the sensory overload they experience when around others. (1)
Empath Personality and Fatigue
Judith Orloff, MD, is a member of the UCLA psychiatric clinical faculty and author of
The Empath’s Survival Guide: Life Strategies for Sensitive People. Dr. Orloff is an expert on the ins and outs of empath personalities. She explains how being an empath can be a gift as well as a challenge. Empaths are able to find deep compassion and care for others. But empaths can also become negatively affected by the pessimistic energies around them, especially in our hyperconnected, and often vitriolic modern society. (2)If you are an empath you probably know all too well how exhausting living this way can be. Constantly absorbing the energies and emotions of those around you can cause a lot of stress. Similar to the stress of physical activity, the mental stress you experience as an empath is equally as taxing on your body and mind. This perpetual stress is what leads to insomnia, exhaustion, and fatigue. (3, 4)
Survival Guide for the Empath Personality
Luckily, Dr. Orloff provides several recommendations for empaths to help minimize fatigue and exhaustion throughout the day.
1. Take Time for Meditation
The best way to calmly process all the energy you absorb is through meditation. Take a few minutes out of your day to acknowledge the stress and let it go. Breathe. Center yourself and find strength, positivity, and calm through your inner witness.
2. Give Yourself Limits
Empaths often find it difficult to say “no”. Learning how to use this word is critical for empaths to protect their personal space. Set boundaries and take control of how much time is spent with stressful people. Sometimes spending a little more time with yourself may be all you need to alleviate the mental and spiritual strain.
3. Visualize a Protective Sheild
Sometimes stressful situations can’t be avoided. In these cases, try visualizing a shield of protection around your being to keep the toxic energy out. While it may seem silly at first, research shows that simply visualizing this protection can be healing for your body and mind. (5)
Self-Care is Key
Having an empath personality is like climbing a mountain every day. It’s physically and mentally exhausting, but can be managed when approached the right way. With meditation, personal boundaries, and a mental shield, you may be able to keep fatigue and exhaustion at bay. Remember, caring for yourself is the only way to be able to care for others.