What is an Empath?

https://www.popsugar.com/smart-livin...mpath-42979685

Yeah, and one has to be careful about caring too much.

I think the term 'empath' is some made up jargon, or something imported from star trek. I could say more but I would probably attract naysayers from other forums so unless you're interested I'll leave it at that.

You know it's an interesting question, what is an empath?

A part of my understanding of the term comes from the psychic realm where certain psychics say they are empaths. Some people can pick up actual details regarding people's emotions. I had one person standing next to me one time who all of a sudden started telling me details about myself and my emotional world. Everything he said to me was all true. He even picked up on the fact that I want to sing -- that I practice alone often and am too scared to sing in public, but that I want to share my passion and need to. He also picked up on my lack of confidence at work. I had never talked to or met this person before, but he picked up on details about me that he could not have possibly known.

Then there's the non-psychic realm, like in the article you provided. I match most, if not all, of those signs of an empath, though much more so applicable to several years back. Now I no longer get overwhelmed in crowds.

I don't have any answers about it, but I find the topic fascinating.

I don't think it has anything to do with the psychic realm. Nor do I see it as a gift. It may even be a learned character.

To my understanding an empath is an individual with a knack for empathy to those and of those around them. The have an uncanny ability to see the world through others' eyes and emotions. It isn't simply about being able to walk in another's shoes but to feel their emotions. They often do so deeply to the extent doing so interrupts their own lives. It comes from several traits: a highly developed ability of observation, a keen sense of recognising non verbal cues, an understanding and ability to sense the relationship between cause and effect, and a strong sense of common sense. I am not saying the rest of us are lacking in these. I am suggesting an empath's ability to see and react to these things is heightened in comparison.

Again, just my thoughts.

Someone who is so emotionally connected to other people that they feel for the other person. I think empathy is kind of overrated, i mean why would someone want to feel other people’s enotions, especially when they’re negative?

I don't think is a "want to feel other's emotions" but that a person is actually sensitive where they "do" feel other's feelings.

I have most of these traits too, in fact I suspect there are a lot of PC members who are empaths because that need to help others is high.

I believe that the key to good emotional health if you have empathic traits is good boundaries otherwise you can be sucked into others problems without actually helping them at all.

Regardless of my wording, generally people tend to look down upon those who are apathetic and up towards ones who are enpathetic and i do not understand why empathetics are held in a higher standing than apathetics. Empathy as i said before, doesn’t appear to be that great of a thing, in fact it seems more hindering than beneficial to me.

It's a person who is farther out on the sphere than a "sensitive" who is a person who can sense other's states, especially emotions. Empaths take it "personally" imo, and that can make it difficult to help others.

I'm glad you can cope now, it is an encouraging post

This is one thing we agree on 100%.

Empathy is real...

Creating a noun and title out of it - that's a human creation, and made up...

Psychology Today writes about what an empath is:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog...c-people-share