Confessions of an Empath & a Simple Guide to Grounding

Confessions of an Empath…

Any one else find themselves periodically somewhere between IDK, IDC, & IDGAF? 😆

“Who do you think you are?” she asked me.

I had a performance review when I was around 27 years old. My manager told me I had a “strong silence” which others took as me being arrogant & I needed to be more understanding of other people‘s weaknesses.

To put it bluntly: “You’re resting bxtch face & the fact you can do other people’s jobs better, make them uncomfortable.” 😂 

It was eye-opening & ego shattering at the same time. I had no idea that is how I was being perceived & it forced me to sit down & observe my past behaviors. 

Why did I develop this “strong silence?”

I was going through divorce at the time, in radiology school full-time & working part time on top of it.

💁🏼‍♀️I was like come on sister, my life feels like getting stuck halfway putting on a sports bra when you’re either sweaty or not dried off from the shower yet & I need Jesus to come down & cut me out of it. 

Part of this strong silence was because I am an empath. I’m sure many of you are asking wtf is an empath, Katie?

Empath: noun, a person with the ability to apprehend, experience, & understand the mental &/or emotional state of another.

I didn’t understand what was “wrong” with me when I was younger, just thought I was weird. 💁🏼‍♀️Well…I know I’m weird but I embrace my weirdness now.

Crowds give me anxiety. Jam packed email & DM inboxes give me anxiety.

I literally can feel & read the energy of a room — even a simple text message, too.

Watching a sad movie brings me to tears sometimes & hurts my soul.

I can observe a person & understand a sense of what they’re feeling, down to what kind of day they had.

This happens all the time — at the grocery store when I pass by people & at the gym.

Sometimes it’s suffocating. 

Which is why I’m quiet & wear my headphones a lot— not that I’m stuck up or in a bad mood.

Energy can feel heavy or light. I’ll put it this way, it’s like when you’re trying to follow directions & you turn the radio down because you can think clearer, you feel lighter, right?

I know I’m not the only one out here that feels the same things to a varying degree, so I wanted to tell you it’s OK to be quiet & take time to do what you need to do to ground & find peace.

It’s also OK to get frustrated to the point where you’re like fxck everything! 

Take a time out.

WAYS I GROUND:

Walk in nature

Walk breaks at work

Listen to music

Journal & write 

Color

Talk to a friend 

Spend time alone

Have a spa day

Infrared sauna

Workout

Get a massage 

Clean my home 

Netflix & cuddles with Pete 🐈‍⬛ 

Set boundaries & communicate them with others unapologetically

2 of my favorite quotes for inspiration today:

“I get up every morning determined to both change the world and have one hell of a good time. Sometimes this makes planning my day difficult.” ― E.B. White.

“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, & could say, ‘I used everything you gave me.” — Erma Bombeck

We live in a society where we can literally be, have, & order anything & go anywhere we want at the press of a button.

We can communicate with people across the country with an app. We devour other people’s lives reel by reel simply by swiping, scrolling, & rubbing a piece of glass we hold in our hands.

We compare & criticize diets, religion, weights, bodies, workouts, politics, sex, race, relationship preferences, status, & bank accounts.

We doubt our sexiness, our abilities, our worth.

Just wanted to remind you it’s ok to be human. We need the contrast to appreciate the light.

Remember kindness, unity, & empathy never go out of style.

So pull up a seat at my table — your table, any table — & let’s get up every morning determined to both change the world & have one hell of a good time embracing our weirdness❤️