Empath Woes & Wins: Navigating Top 10 Complaints

Have you ever felt like the world's weight was a bit too much for your shoulders? Discover how to turn the heightened senses of an empath into a superpower as we flip the script on overstimulation, emotional fatigue, and the challenge of saying no. 

Embark on a journey with me as I unveil how to craft a life that celebrates your sensitive nature through creativity and strategic self-care. 

We'll navigate the common hurdles empaths and sensitive souls face, transforming buzzing coffee shops into artistic havens and intellectual pursuits into emotional sanctuaries. 

Carrying a notebook or engaging in a blog can provide solace and connection, as you learn to wield your empathic abilities like a finely tuned instrument.

Then, we dive headfirst into supercharging your empathic traits, not just to manage and enrich your life. Recharge your batteries through the solitude of photography, and reshape your perspective by engaging with local issues that resonate with your heart.

I'll walk you through setting up themed discussion nights that elevate the conversation and help you find your tribe. Plus, we'll explore how to turn overwhelming crowds into playful challenges and why contributing to group creativity can be your secret weapon for emotional resilience. 

Together, we'll build a toolkit that empowers you to embrace your empathic nature and thrive in a world ready for your unique touch.

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Transcript

Speaker 2: 0:22

Hello everybody, welcome back to the Realized Empath Podcast. I'm Kristen and today we are going to step into a necessary and hopefully illuminating conversation. But before we unfold today's discussion on the top 10 complaints of empaths and highly sensitive people, complaints of empaths and highly sensitive people, let's talk about a habit many of us fall into underestimating our power while overestimating our sense of victimhood. It's easy to feel overwhelmed by our sensitivities and to view them as burdens rather than opportunities. But today we're going to be shifting perspectives. We're not just going to be navigating through these complaints. We're going to transform them into stepping stones toward reclaiming your power. Let's tackle these challenges head on with real life examples and some more unique, actionable solutions. And if you're looking for a deeper transformation, if you're looking to really step into your power as an empath, I want you to stay tuned till the end for a special announcement about my four-week course, the Realized Empath From Surviving to Thriving as an Empath. It's designed to help you navigate feelings, set boundaries and thrive in an overstimulating world. Let's uncover the ways to shift from feeling overwhelmed to empowered, starting right now. First complaint that's very common amongst sensitive souls is overstimulation. I want you to picture this you walk into a really busy Starbucks and instantly the noise, the lights and the flurry of activity overwhelm you. But here's a twist. I would love you to use this moment for creative inspiration. I invite you to carry a small notebook and when you're sitting there and you're noticing every detail, every sound that feels like too much, I want you to jot it down. And then I want you to use these notes, turn them into poetry, make a piece of art, or maybe it's the setting for a story. It's about transforming your sensory overload into a reservoir of creativity. So imagine you're at this crowded place. The lights are flashing, music's blaring, dozens of conversations happening all around you. For a lot of people, it's just a lively environment. For empaths and highly sensitive people, it's just a lively environment For empaths and highly sensitive people, it's a storm of sensory input, but creativity becomes your ally. So what does this look like? Think of yourself, imagine yourself in this environment and you begin sketching scenes from similar events. You're turning overwhelming noises into visual symphonies on your paper. The artwork that you're making didn't just help you manage your overstimulation. It connected you with others who feel unseen in their sensitivity. So here's a question for you what's one creative outlet you've used to transform a moment of overstimulation into something beautiful or meaningful.

Speaker 2: 3:53

Another common complaint of empaths and highly sensitive people is emotional fatigue. You know those days when you've absorbed so much from others that you feel emotionally and physically zapped. Here's where intellectual stimulation can actually be your sanctuary. Have you ever tried solving a complex puzzle or diving into a topic completely unrelated to your emotions? A lot of times when we are overwhelmed by our emotions, we hyper-focus on the thing that's overwhelming us. I'm inviting you to take a step aside from the emotion focus for a second and dive into something intellectual. What this cognitive shift does is it gives your emotional centers a rest. For example, engaging in, let's say, strategic games or learning something new channels your focus and rejuvenates your mind, and it's creating a more balanced state of engagement. I'm sure a lot of you have had this experience.

Speaker 2: 5:01

You spend a long day absorbing not just your emotions but everyone else's. You're not just tired, you're emotionally depleted, and this is where intellectual stimulation can be a form of rejuvenation. Here's another example. You could turn to astronomy right. Think of the vastness, the grandness of the universe. You can put your day-to-day worries into perspective universe. You can put your day-to-day worries into perspective. Just going outdoors and looking up at the sky and all of the stars and just reminding yourself that planet you're standing on is just a speck compared to the vastness of the space that you're looking up into. It can really change your perspective. It's a way of reminding yourself that there's a much bigger picture. So what's the subject you always wanted to explore? To recharge your emotional batteries? Think about all the ways that you can take that. Think about all the ways that you can answer that question. What are you interested in? What would you love to learn more about?

Speaker 2: 6:04

Next, let's talk about saying no. The struggle to say no is so real for many of us. Imagine you're asked to take on another project and, even though your schedule is completely overloaded, you find yourself saying yes. I want you to practice scenarios with a friend where you say no in all kinds of ways. Start with simple, everyday requests. Practicing this can build confidence in your ability to set limits. Seeing the positive outcomes of practicing saying no in a safe environment can empower you to apply them in real life, and I understand that difficulty sometimes can feel like a trap, but with practice it becomes easier. Practice doesn't make perfect. Practice builds confidence, and then the confidence that you have allows you to move forward with something that you never thought you'd be able to do, and what this looks like is someone who might have felt overwhelmed with requests from friends. Through the role playing with a colleague or a close friend, you can practice saying no in safe, low stake environments, and this builds up your confidence. And then it enables you to set limits without guilt. Question who in your life could help you practice setting these really important boundaries? All right, so how many of you feel misunderstood?

Speaker 2: 7:35

Feeling misunderstood can be isolating. Consider Kate for a minute, who is an empath who feels like her family doesn't grasp her sensitivity. So she started a blog openly discussing her experiences, openly discussing how she experiences the world, and what this did is it provided her with an outlet and helped her connect with others who shared her feelings and understood what she was going through. It's about finding your medium to express and connect through writing or video or any other form of media, and what that does is it validates your experience and builds a community of understanding for you. Paying a feeling misunderstood cuts deep. It's like speaking a language that only you understand, and this is where sharing your story can be so life-changing. Beth did it through blogging, and blogging bridged gaps for her. She found that by articulating her experiences, she not only felt less alone, but also empowered others to share their stories, and it turned her feeling of isolation into one of community and understanding. What's one story of yours that could help someone else feel seen?

Speaker 2: 8:56

Next, let's chat about absorbing negativity. Absorbing negativity is a challenge we all know too well, like when you're at a meeting and tensions are really high and you leave feeling completely drained. In this situation, I invite you to redirect your energy. Take that energy that you've absorbed and engage in a physical activity, especially with a competitive edge, like tennis, or maybe focusing on a more strategic task, like chess. So what this does is these activities demand your full attention and it pulls you away from the negativity and more toward personal achievement and strategic thinking. Absorbing negativity often feels inevitable, but redirecting that energy is key and also a choice. Competitive sports as an outlet offers more than just like physical release. They teach us about resilience and strategy and personal strength. Question for you what physical activity could serve as your conduit for releasing negativity? All right, so I want to take a mid-episode pause here for a second Think about the solutions that I've offered so far. How do they resonate with your experience as an empath or a highly sensitive person? With your experience as an empath or a highly sensitive person, the reason why I want to do this is because reflecting on your own stories is a powerful way to connect with the strategies on a much deeper level.

Speaker 2: 10:41

All right, so what about needing alone time? Our need for alone time can sometimes conflict with obligations, social obligations, family obligations. Picture this you're invited to yet another gathering, but right now you just crave alone time. Here is an option you might not have considered Develop a mobile hobby like photography. What this hobby does? It's a beautiful excuse to have alone time while still engaging with the world on your terms, Like take a solitary walk to photograph nature, and what that does is it allows you to recharge without completely withdrawing. Our need for alone time is crucial, and it's crucial for recharging, but often it's misunderstood by those around us. So imagine transforming this need into an adventure. Lisa, who's part of the Realized Empath community, took up nature photography, and the hobby wasn't just an escape. It was a way for her to connect really deeply with her environment on her own terms. It gave her the solitude she was needing. It was more legitimate in the eyes of others and herself, and it turned alone time into creative exploration time. So what hobby could you explore that allows you to cherish your alone time and then also share your unique perspective with the world?

Speaker 2: 12:15

All right, so I'm guessing everyone's going to raise their hand with this one, overwhelmed by global issues, anyone. So it's easy to feel like a drop in the ocean, powerless against the tide of global issues right now. But what if we shifted our perspective from global to local? We can feel overwhelmed by everything that's happening in the world and we just want to help, but we need to shorten our glance. We need to pull our energy back and keep it within our family, our community, because that's really where our power is and that's really where our control lies. It's easy for all of us to feel disheartened by the news around the world, but we can volunteer our time, maybe tutoring children from underprivileged backgrounds in the community. What happens when we have this direct personal involvement? It allows us to see the immediate impact of our efforts, transforming our overwhelm and that powerlessness that we can feel into a deep sense of purpose.

Speaker 2: 13:25

Find a cause within your community that resonates with your empathic nature. Whether it's helping at a food bank or volunteering at a shelter or mentoring, your contribution can create huge ripples of change. These actions will ground you in the present and offer a tangible way to make a difference, and what that does is it eases that sense of powerlessness that comes from global overwhelm. So what's one issue close to your heart that you could address within your community? How can your unique skills and empathic nature contribute to a solution? Who here is a fan of small talk? Hands up no.

Speaker 2: 14:14

Struggling with surface level conversations is a reoccurring theme in various client sessions, and disdain for small talk is something many empaths share. You can create opportunities for deep conversations, and here's a fun way you can do that. You can initiate themed discussion nights with friends or in online groups, where everyone brings a thought-provoking question, and it can be incredibly fulfilling. And what this does is it fosters a space where deep connection is the norm, not the hopeful expectation. Surface level interactions can leave us craving deeper connections, so maybe organize monthly gatherings where deep, meaningful questions are the norm, and these nights that you do that can turn the dread of small talk into an excitement for deep connection. What question have you always wanted to discuss with others, and how can you create a space for that conversation?

Speaker 2: 15:17

Next, crowded spaces can trigger our overwhelmed sensors. Can you approach crowded spaces with a game-like mindset, maybe set personal objectives that make the experience feel like a quest or a challenge. For instance, you can find three unique items or people if you're at a busy event. This playful approach can shift your focus from the overwhelming to the game and it can make the experience more manageable and enjoyable. So I've done this before where I've used my discomfort at crowded events to challenge myself with social scavenger hunts. Like I set goals to meet new people or learn interesting facts about someone. This fun way of looking at events shifted my focus from the overwhelm to the challenge and it made social events more fun and rewarding. It's about reimagining my engagement with challenging environments as opportunities for growth and having fun. Challenging environments as opportunities for growth and having fun. So what playful challenge can you set for yourself at the next crowded event you attend?

Speaker 2: 16:33

And lastly, the pressure to fix everything when you start to notice that pressure, to fix that pressure, to be that solution for, and then instead embrace being a creative contributor when you're in a group setting, offer ideas through brainstorming or creative expression, without being responsible for executing them. What this does is it allows you to contribute valuably while maintaining your emotional well-being. I'm inviting you to redefine your role in group dynamics so, when you feel burdened by the need to solve all the problems, I want you to contribute ideas, maybe through art, through offering perspectives without the pressure of implementation. This creative contribution allows you to maintain your emotional integrity while being an active, valued member of your community. It's about finding ways to contribute that honor your sensitivity without overextending yourself. How can you contribute to your community or in a group in a way that feels authentic and manageable to you?

Speaker 2: 17:59

As we wrap up today's discussion on the top 10 complaints of empaths and highly sensitive people, I really do hope that you're feeling inspired and equipped with new, unique strategies to regain your power. But if you're craving more and ready to dive deeper and truly transform your empathic experience, I have something special for you. I'm thrilled to invite you to join my four-week course, and it's online and it's self-paced. It's the Realized Empath from Surviving to Thriving. This course is specifically crafted for empaths and highly sensitive people like you, who are ready to move beyond merely coping with your sensitivities.

Speaker 2: 18:42

Over four classes. We will explore key areas, including letting go, where we dive into common empath struggles such as shame and resentment and doubt, and we're going to learn healing modalities tailored for you and establish a nurturing morning routine and build mental resilience. And then we have overwhelm, where you're going to master techniques to prevent and ease overwhelm and discover how to protect your energy and release what doesn't serve you. And then we'll have a week of boundaries, where we'll talk about energetic and physical boundaries and we'll teach you how to identify when boundaries are needed and how to set them confidently and uphold them against disrespect. And then, our last week we will dive into self-trust, where we'll strengthen your intuition to distinguish between your feelings and those of others fear versus intuition and practice self-validation to trust your path fully. This course is more than just learning. It's about transforming. It's your pathway to thriving in an overstimulating world, embracing your gifts and confidently setting boundaries.

Speaker 2: 19:52

If you're ready to embark on this journey with me, go to realizedempathcom and click on work with me. And then you go to courses and it's the Realized Empath from Surviving to Thriving. Course Spots are limited and, trust me, you don't want to miss this. Thank you so much for joining me today. Remember your sensitivity is not just a part of you, it's a gift to the world. So let's continue to explore, grow and thrive together. Until next time, take care of your beautiful empathic self. Bye everybody.

Speaker 1: 20:29

Thanks for listening to the Realized Empath Podcast. Revisit past episodes or contact Kristen at realizedempathcom. Did you love this episode? Please share it with a friend. Thanks for tuning in, Until next time. Sensitive souls.