Navigating Hypervigilance: An Empath's Journey to Energy Management

Are you always on high alert? Does your sensitivity to others and your surroundings often leave you feeling drained and overwhelmed? As an empath, you are not alone. This episode of the Realized Empath Podcast, guided by Kristin Schwartz, confronts the issue of hypervigilance and its impacts on empaths. Unpacking the origins and effects of this heightened state of alertness, particularly as a result of trauma and prolonged stress, we explore ways to manage it and live more empowered lives. By enhancing self-awareness and mindfulness, and setting personal boundaries, you can learn how to navigate the world as an empath.

To live a balanced life as an empath, managing hypervigilance becomes crucial. Let’s dive into energy management strategies that can help you handle hypervigilance effectively. With practices such as meditation, energy healing, and journaling, you can take control of your needs and maintain your energy levels. This episode also highlights the importance of self-care rituals and a supportive network in your journey. As you tune in, remember to be patient with yourself. It's a journey, not a destination, and this podcast episode is here to support you every step of the way.

Chapters

• 0:01 Understanding Hyper Vigilance in Empaths
• 11:51 Managing Hypervigilance as an Empath

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

You're listening to the Realized Empath Podcast, where we get real about loving and stumbling through our sensitive lives with your host and holistic counselor, Kristin Schwartz, who helps redefine what's possible for an empath who embraces a path of self-healing.

Speaker 2: 0:22

Hello everybody, welcome back to the Realized Empath Podcast. It has been a while and I know that, but I'm so happy that I'm back and I'm happy that you're here. So today, what we're going to do is we're going to explore the fascinating topic of hypervigilance and its impact on empaths. Sit back and relax and join me as we navigate the intricacies of this phenomenon, like its origins, strategies for managing hypervigilance. So grab a cup of tea, find a cozy spot and let's embark on this journey together. So we often hear the term empath used to describe individuals with heightened sensitivity and an innate ability to deeply understand and connect with the emotions of others. While being an empath can be a gift, right, it also comes with its own set of challenges, and one of those can be hypervigilance. So let's begin by really trying to understand, or learning to understand, what hypervigilance actually means. This refers to a state of heightened alertness and increase sensitivity to potential threats or dangers in our surroundings. When any of us are put through trauma, extreme stress or prolonged stress, what can happen in our brain is our amygdala can actually enlarge and the thinking center of our brain can actually shrink, and then what that leads to is that hyper awareness that extends not only to physical threats but also to the emotions and energies of those all around us. So it's like having a radar that's constantly scanning for emotional cues. This is why I combined trauma awareness and healing into my practice, for impasse is what I found over time after working with people is that a lot of times, what we think is this heightened sense of empathy actually is an after effective trauma, where we have this enlarged amygdala and we're actually hyper attuned to the things around us because we're looking for a threat, but we think we're tuning into others energies when in fact, it's our own nervous system and body responding to what we believe might be a threat. So how does hyper vigilance manifest in the lives of impasse? Well, it often leads to a heightened sense of anxiety.

Speaker 2: 3:11

As impasse, we constantly feel the need to be on guard against potential emotional overwhelm, and I don't know about you, but this can be exhausting and emotionally draining, especially in situations with intense emotions or conflict. For example, as you're growing up and you're not really aware of your heightened sensitivity, or you're not aware that you're a highly sensitive person or an empath, and you regularly feel overwhelmed and not sure what you're picking up on, and so that leads to this underlying stress that you're feeling every day and eventually get to the point where you don't want to feel that way anymore and so then you become almost afraid of what you're going to feel when you're out in the world and noticing different energies. That leads to prolonged stress on the body, on the system, on the nervous system, and over time we see those slight the brain changes that happen because of prolonged stress. Where does hyper vigilance stem from? Like I said before, we have the changes in the brain that can happen from trauma, prolonged stress over time. And then another is that impasse have a highly attuned nervous system that makes us more responsive to our environment. Additionally, any past experiences again of trauma or emotional distress can contribute to the development of hyper vigilance as a defense mechanism. So impasse may have learned to be hyper vigilant as a way to protect themselves from overwhelming or negative emotions.

Speaker 2: 4:54

I'd say, on my journey in becoming an empowered empath, figuring out how to live my life, the best way to suit my own temperament and my body is and my mind is to figure out and sort through and kind of like un-muddy the waters between what is the innate trait of high sensitivity in myself. What is me being an empowered empath? And then what is the part that is related to past trauma and in sorting that out and figuring out what those different parts of me need and how I can live best to soothe and heal and show up the best version of my whole self. So let's explore some strategies that can help empath manage hyper vigilance effectively. The first one is self-awareness and mindfulness. Now, developing a deep understanding of our own emotions and triggers is crucial.

Speaker 2: 6:02

A lot of us, when we get to the point where we decide you know I can't live like this anymore, what gives A lot of us? We point outwards and we say you know that energy needs to change, that person needs to change. You know, instead of going okay, what is going on inside of me? That's why I think I lack to be able to be around that type of energy or that person. What is actually going on inside of my head? What thoughts are going on inside of my head? How am I internally reacting and what are the stories I'm telling myself underneath? Any request for someone else to change is really a belief in that we're not enough. So practicing mindfulness techniques is helpful to ground ourselves in the present moment and maintain a sense of calm. Our biggest triggers, the people that trigger us the most, are our best teachers, if we're willing to step into that Boundaries. So an empath without boundaries is self-destructive. You show me an empath without boundaries. I show you someone who is self-destructive and is not happy and is overwhelmed most of the time. May isolate, is overly controlling, because they're trying to control their environment to offset their lack of boundaries.

Speaker 2: 7:37

Here's another really important point about boundaries is to have to get to that place where you have really solid boundaries set from a place of empowerment with other people. You have to first have boundaries with yourself and be willing to follow them, honor them, explore them and show up consistently for yourself. So if you don't have boundaries with yourself and you're not willing to show up for you, it's almost impossible to understand how to navigate those with other people. So setting clear boundaries with others, we do that to protect our emotional well-being. Boundaries are not requests for other people. It's not like, hey, you need to do this. It's hey, I don't. I choose not to participate in this. It's always about you. It's always about your limit, what you're willing or not willing to do. It's about loving yourself, not trying to change someone else. It's essential to recognize that you can't always take on the emotions of others and it's okay to prioritize self-care.

Speaker 2: 8:53

Here's where that can get tricky, when we have the ability to tune into the discomfort of others and we are in relationships or we're around people that have benefited from us not having boundaries. When we first begin to set boundaries and honor our limits, it can be uncomfortable for others because, like I said, they benefit. People benefit from other people not having boundaries. If we're just honest with ourselves, I mean, if you have someone that's willing to do everything for you, try to fix your problems, as a human, it feels good. Right, we equate that to love. But it's not. If we believe that we have to fix other people's problems, then we also believe that they don't have the potential to do it themselves. They don't have the capacity to do it themselves. And also, if we're doing anything at our detriment, then we're not changing the energy in the world.

Speaker 2: 9:59

So, depending on what type of relationships that you're in and sometimes we have to do almost like a cleanse and we really have to look into our relationships but if we're talking about collective healing as a whole, if we have a relationship and have an opportunity because that asks to contact them to try to heal their loved ones, then if that actually is what I want to do, that's been the this relationship One person's coming to the other person who's half empty, and you're half empty and you're wanting that person to pour into you and they do the other person, if they're pouring from a place of depletion. Now they've walked away half empty and so collectively as a whole, we haven't changed the energy in the world right now. One person came to the other person half empty. Now that person's full, the other person's half empty. But If you have a relationship where you're pouring into each other and there's this consistent give and take, then Then that's fantastic.

Speaker 2: 10:46

But a lot of us, as impasses, highly system sensitive people, that's not what ends up happening. We have one person that consistently pours in and then that person may have difficulty asking for help or accepting help, and so there's never. They feel like there's never anyone pouring into them. So in that situation there's some boundaries that need to be Honored and I'm set and they're usually our own boundaries, like if I am constantly pouring into others but I am uncomfortable allowing other people to pour into me or I feel like no one ever does, which is a belief. Right. Then I need to set a boundary with myself that says I'm not going to pour in if I'm, if I'm leaving, depleted. There has to be some limit I set with myself so I can Reassess the pattern that I have with certain relationships where I allow myself to be depleted but I don't accept or have those around me who are willing to pour into me.

Speaker 2: 11:51

So the next one is energy management. We want to explore practices like meditation, energy healing, journaling, releasing and balancing the energy that we absorb from others. I talk about this a lot with my clients, talk about in my book, but for me it became a lifestyle of healing. Not and I don't mean that as like I wake up every day and I'm like I'm not enough, I need to heal. I need to heal. It's more of like I wake up every day. I know that I have a tendency to take in energies and I'm grateful for the opportunity to clear that energy and work through whatever that energy brings up for me, and I do that through a lie of practice and I call it a healing lifestyle. So meditation, energy healing, journaling, whatever I need to do to release and balance that energy. I take ownership of who I am and my needs, and I do that every day for myself.

Speaker 2: 12:57

Another way is yourself care ritual, what, what have you tried, what works for you and what doesn't? And if we go back up to the first thing that I mentioned, which was self awareness and mindfulness, when we deep in that Within ourselves, then we're also going to be aware that there are some things that we need to change about how we care for ourselves and those rituals. So we want to be engaging in activities that rejuvenate us and replenish our energy, and that could be like spending time in nature or yoga, or enjoying, like creative pursuits, or that could be, you know, maybe your empath, who loves to move your body and more powerful way. So maybe you like to, you like to lift weights, or maybe it's the food that you eat, but it's taking ownership of that level of self awareness that you're growing into and being willing and curious about what you can change and how you can show up differently for yourself every day. Another way, another strategy that we can use to manage our hyper vigilance is a supportive network, and I know that this can be difficult at first, especially if you have long-term relationships or friendships and you're just now waking up to realizing you need something different. You know that you want to surround yourself with people who understand, support and respect and honor your empathic nature, not to say that the people that you're with now won't, can't, evolve and see you differently or be open to what you're coming into, that new awareness that you're coming into. You want to be able to share your experiences and seek guidance from like-minded individuals, and it can be immensely beneficial to have that.

Speaker 2: 15:12

And I will say this that a lot of times, when we come into these, or we're beginning to come into these realizations about ourselves of like, oh wow, I've always been like this and I'm just now understanding it and you know, I'm in my 30s or later and then, once we're there, we're like, hey, we want to shout it out to the world and we're like, hey, you know, I need you to accept me, this is who I am. I want you to be curious about that too, because the more and I find this for myself when I look back, you know, 10 years ago is like, the more we need others to accept how we see ourselves, the less likely we really truly do accept ourselves. Because if you're still unsure, then you're going to be a little bit more defensive or almost like in control, want to control how other people perceive you. So when you, when we're truly in a state of like peace with it, this is who I am, I'm totally cool with it. I don't. I don't need the world to agree with me. We're never going to get to the point where we don't care what anyone thinks. You know we're going to go in and out of that. I get it.

Speaker 2: 16:31

But I guess what I'm saying is you want to just stay with yourself and get to a point where you own it and when you're sharing stuff about yourself, just know that it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, because their perception of you is who they think you are, is who they are. It's not really who you are. You are the only one that knows who you are. So just be curious about that. Like, if you're in that phase of that early phase of like, oh gosh, I think this is who I am and I never knew it, and then you're looking for other people to agree with you and to validate your realization yourself, just be mindful and curious. So remember, managing hypervigilance is an ongoing process, so you want to be patient with yourself, allow room for growth and self discovery.

Speaker 2: 17:22

I always say that, like that part of us that is hypervigilant and hyper aware and hyper attuned and is afraid Afraid of being hurt it's a part of you that has really good, pure intentions. It's there to protect you. It's initial intention, it means well, but what ends up happening is, as we become adults and we've lived in that state for so long it ends up having the opposite impact, but the intention is still pure. So be more curious than judgmental about that part of yourself, be patient and give yourself grace. Hypervigilance is a common experience for empaths and it stems from our deep sensitivity and empathic nature. But by developing self awareness and setting boundaries and practicing energy management and prioritizing self care and seeking support, we can navigate the challenges of hypervigilance more effectively.

Speaker 2: 18:27

Alright, you guys, that's all the time I have today for today's episode. I hope you found our exploration of hypervigilance and impasse and lightning and I'm super excited and stoked to be back and I plan on doing a new episode every week. So join me next time as we dive into another intriguing facet of our empathic journey. Until then, take care of yourself and embrace the unique gifts that come with being an empath. Bye, you guys.

Speaker 1: 19:02

You're listening to the Realized Empath Podcast, where we get real about loving and stumbling through our sensitive lives With your host and holistic counselor, kristen Schwartz, who helps redefine what's possible for an empath who embraces a path of self healing.