An Empath’s Confession: I Feel You (Too Much)

Free AI web copilot to create summaries, insights and extended knowledge, download it at here

1340

Abstract

verse poem tries to describe what it is like to be an empath — a person feeling too deeply for others. Empathy, the ability to put yourself into another person’s shoes, is an important social skill — it makes us communicative, compassionate, and caring individuals, with an instinct to think collectively and nurture others. <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/living-finesse/202202/the-challenges-being-empath">Too much empathy</a>, however, can have detrimental effects.</p><p id="80e6">Empaths are extremely intuitive. They feel so deeply for others that they forget about themselves, are prone to people-pleasing, try to solve problems that are not their own, and, by doing so, risk being emotionally overwhelmed and burning out. Especially dangerous are relationships between too-selfless empaths and too-self-centered, manipulative narcissists — both on the opposite spectrum of empathy.</p><p id="b9a2">Whilst the concept of empaths is still not understood completely and needs more research, there appears to be an overlap between empaths and<a href="https://psychcentral.com/blog/empaths-are-real"> highly sensitive persons</a>. For further information, read <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/what-is-an-empath">here</a> about signs of being an empath or <a href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/em

Options

paths-and-anxiety">here</a> about the link between too much empathy and anxiety.</p><div id="a929" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/wilderness-whispers-where-the-soul-blooms-in-quietude-cde7014c1ce8"> <div> <div> <h2>Wilderness Whispers — Where the Soul Blooms in Quietude</h2> <div><h3>A poem</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*Chtjbgdi_KKG8ZAzNfzFWA.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="0d80" class="link-block"> <a href="https://medium.com/@madmidori/membership"> <div> <div> <h2>Join Medium with my referral link - Mad Midori</h2> <div><h3>As a Medium member, a portion of your membership fee goes to writers you read, and you get full access to every story…</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*ZH6Kbs2oqQy71sCz)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

Free verse poem

Photo by Greg Rosenke on Unsplash

I feel what you feel, deeply in my soul. Sponging up your emotions your turmoil becomes mine, two persons intertwined — involuntarily.

I feel your sadness, dark clouds blurring my vision. I feel your stress and anger, nervous energy zapping my system. I feel your bitterness, green acid making me burn inside.

I feel your happiness, too — rare butterflies in my stomach. I feel your excitement, it's catching, delirious eagerness. I feel your yearnings, pulling the strings of my heart.

I feel your genuineness or hypocrisy, both have their own scent. I feel your wings and your weights, lifting us up, pushing us down. I feel your calm and panic, rolling like ocean tides.

I feel you (too much), don’t know where you stop — and I begin. I feel my essence draining, energy fading — until I’m exhausted, craving solitude. I feel like I am your mirror, an image I need to break, to reveal — myself.

Author’s note:

This free verse poem tries to describe what it is like to be an empath — a person feeling too deeply for others. Empathy, the ability to put yourself into another person’s shoes, is an important social skill — it makes us communicative, compassionate, and caring individuals, with an instinct to think collectively and nurture others. Too much empathy, however, can have detrimental effects.

Empaths are extremely intuitive. They feel so deeply for others that they forget about themselves, are prone to people-pleasing, try to solve problems that are not their own, and, by doing so, risk being emotionally overwhelmed and burning out. Especially dangerous are relationships between too-selfless empaths and too-self-centered, manipulative narcissists — both on the opposite spectrum of empathy.

Whilst the concept of empaths is still not understood completely and needs more research, there appears to be an overlap between empaths and highly sensitive persons. For further information, read here about signs of being an empath or here about the link between too much empathy and anxiety.