Being an empath is very hard. As Empaths people automatically come to us when they are troubled and need advice. They also tend to gravitate to us when they are in distress and are greiving a loss. We want to be able to help but boy can it be absolutely exhausting. It litterally drains you, wears you down, can have you in tears and can force you to retract from friends and loved ones.
What are we to do?
Protect, ground and clear.
First to protection. When we protect ourselves what we are in fact doing in saving ourselves from absorbing the emotions of others. Doing this enables us to help in the appropriate way they need us to be there. Many people like the White Light protection/bubble protection method. This had never been easy for me because I view a bubble as transparent. It all in your intention. What does work for me is a brick wall. Again, this rely heavily on your intent.
First, I take a few deep breaths to center myself and come back into my own skin. Next I visualize building a brick wall around me, brick by brick, laying morter, adding bricks all the way around me. As I do this I intend (basically a little “prayer” I have written for this, that changes as I need it to) that I will not feel any emotions that I do not need to feel. No one wants to feel the sadness of the cashier at the market, remember personal space, remember others privacy. Many people say they have to feel others emotions because that is how they know they are intune. I say feeling is important while working with spirit, not always in everyday life. Pesonal space is important and getting info about someone while having a conversation about making cookies is an invasion of privacy.
Back to the wall. I intend to feel only what I need to help others, I intend to feel my own emotions (important!) And I intend protection and safery while working with spirit. Yes. There are times I shut it all off because it is overwhelming, but that is ok, because I can also intend to bring back what I need with a thought. So brick my brick I build my sheild.
Now clearing space is also important here. Sometimes we can pick up on emotions that are left behind in a space. I recommend clearing your personal space weekly so that you can feel what it feels like to be clear. We leave so much emotional baggage in our homes and workspaces it can make us sick emotionally. Please see the article here on clearing, many refer to this as saging, bit in my article you will see that there are many many ways to clear and cleanse, not just with sage.
Grounding is super important as well. When we are grounded we are able to see clearly what is being brought to us in any form. We can use discernment and see truths normally hidden. I like to ground in water. Baths with epsom salt and lavander oil or washing dishes and intending to clear out the negative energy really helps.
It is important when we meditate or clear that we intend to send back to the light what we are releasing. You certainly don’t want all the things you release to be hanging out around you, be sure to send them back to be cleansed and then returned to their source.