There is so much suffering in the world that it is almost impossible not to be affected by it in some way, especially for an empath like me.
An empath is someone “who experiences the emotions of others; a person who has empathy for others,” which is the “ability to understand and share the feelings of another” (Merriam-Webster.com). To me, it is emotional intelligence, a strong intuition that allows us to understand life and people around us, without the use of words.
Empaths are so attuned to their own emotions and the emotions of others that they can sometimes become overwhelmed by it. The saying “to carry the weight of the world on one’s shoulders” definitely applies to empaths who feel everything so intensely that they take on the weight of the world. And when that happens, they are at risk for emotional exhaustion and burnout. This is why empaths often retreat to peaceful places like nature or a private sanctuary. It allows them to quiet their mind and emotions in order to fully recharge.
But these times of retreat can be perceived by others as detachment or even selfishness and, truth be told, it is quite the opposite. It is because we feel and care so much that we often seek solitude. This is how we keep our sanity. We take a step back so that the weight of the world does not consume us entirely.
Frankly, I have come close to losing my sanity many times but today I accept and embrace empathy as a gift. The gift of seeing the world not just with one’s eyes, but also with one’s heart.
As Antoine de Saint-Exupéry once wrote, “And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: it is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” – The little Prince