Do you tend to feel like you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders from time to time? Do you find you're sensitive in most, if not all situations? Are your feelings hurt easily? If these things are true for you, you may be more empathetic than most other people.
Here are a few surefire ways you can tell that you are more in touch with others' feelings than most people are.
You’re a giver, and sometimes you give too much.
Most empathetic people feel like they’ll never be able to give enough to those they love. They will continue to give even beyond their own means.
"Empaths are big-hearted people and try to relieve the pain of others: a homeless person holding a cardboard ‘I'm hungry’ sign at a busy intersection, a hurt child, a distraught friend," Judith Orloff M.D. wrote for Psychology Today. "But empaths don't stop there. Instead, they take it on—suddenly they're the one feeling drained or upset when they felt fine before."
You’re highly intuitive and absorb others' emotions.
It's not easy for you to ignore the emotions of those around you. If a friend of yours is upset, or a family member seems off, you are disturbed by and absorb their emotions. And you feel the need to fix them. On the flip side, when you're around positive emotions and uplifted spirits, you feed off of them, and that's when you flourish.
People seek you out for help when they need someone to listen.
You’re the designated confidant to your friends and family, and everyone has always told you that you give "good advice." That’s because you have an ability to read people and their needs, and that may not stop at friends — it could happen with strangers too. However, this innate ability can be exhausting. Because you can’t carry or fix the problems of everyone who seeks help from you.
"Don’t attempt to take on responsibilities that are not yours," Amy Schaeffer wrote for Inquisitr. "Empaths want to help, but many people cannot be helped or must make a decision to help themselves first. Draw a mental line at when and where you will stop assisting someone and stick to it."
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