Once you have clarified that you are indeed an empath, then you have accepted that you are a little "different".  Here is a link to previous post to see if you are an empath. There are different rules that you should abide by to prevent yourself from harm and to learn how to harness your gifts towards your higher purpose. Chances are if you are not an empath then you have a friend or family member that is.  As empaths get older and wiser they tend to gravitate towards one another so it is not uncommon to eventually surround yourself with several like-minded people.  Being a meter for those around you can be exhausting so with experiences and wisdom you naturally filter out the dark shadows in your life.  I'm not saying to isolate yourself in your house, quite the contrary. I want to give you tools so that you can vibrate at your highest frequency possible to be the light warrior that this world so desperately needs.

1. Acceptance- Accept that most of the feelings you are feeling are not yours. Sometimes having empathy for everyone that you come into contact with can make you feel like an emotional roller coaster, but accepting that most of them are probably not yours and they will soon pass should offer some relief.  Being able to become a part of the person with whom you are sharing times in your life with is a true gift but be picky with who you share yourself with.  Some will take advantage.  As I always say, the bugs are always attracted to the light. The more you harness your gift, the less this will happen.

2. Protection- Surround yourself with an invisible shield.  Continually throughout the day visually surround yourself with an invisible shield so that only the people you want in can get it.  This will protect you from feeling drained after being around a lot of people and help you appear invisible to those you don't want attention from. Once you have mastered your own shield then begin shielding your loved ones and continue on until you have the entire world enveloped in a shield of love.

3. Be wise- Do not suppress your power with alcohol and drugs. It is very tempting for empaths to try and suppress all that they are feeling with substance and drug abuse. Trying to mask the feelings that they have taken on. Hoping that by numbing themselves with getting high or drunk there will be some relief.  Drugs and alcohol are NEVER the answer. Lost souls depend and rely on these substances to temporarily feel good, when in turn it just suppresses their happiness and can easily turn into a downward spiral of depression and deadly addictions. If you are an empath, you will also be more sensitive to alcohol and drugs.  A little experimenting for a normal person could be a definition of a good time but to an empath it could be deadly. Real fulfillment comes in the form of accepting your gifts and utilizing them to the best of your abilities. These steps will help you do just that.

4. Surrender- Food addictions, obsessive compulsive disorders.  Growing up as a sensitive child can be a recipe for disaster if you don't have someone to help guide you through your special needs.  My Mom never understood why I preferred to be alone, even as a child.  But it was the only time I felt in control of my surroundings. I didn't understand why people where always dumping their lives onto me and needing me to help them. I didn't know how to protect myself and transmute the energies. I felt tired and confused all the time.  My only peace was when I was alone or dancing.  In a desperate need to regain some control I developed a knack for organizing my room that spun out into an obsessive compulsion where everything had to be in a perfect way. Obsessive disorders and food disorders are not uncommon to empaths, as they feel like it is the only thing that they have control over. As I got older I understood, acknowledged and ultimately surrendered control and was able to overcome my OCD.

5. Meditation- Spend time alone in silence, tuning into your knowingness.  Alone time is vital for empaths to be able to connect and get rooted back into their own bodies.  Check in several times a day to let go of emotions that may have latched onto you and give yourself the opportunity to release and get clear.

6. Earthing- Empaths crave nature and it is a great support for empaths.  It is one place where they actually get recharged instead of being the one to charge everyone else. Touching the earth often is cleansing and healing. Walk barefoot outside for several minutes a day and lay on the ground as often as you can. Try touching your forehead to the earth upon rising and before bed. This is called child's pose in yoga and is also a very common pose practiced in a lot of prayer rituals.  Be sure to at least touch the ground or shake off energies after you have been hugging or meeting a lot of people. This goes without saying when you are doing any kind of body work. Be mindful of who you let massage or work on you, as you might end up healing them by taking their pain on, if you don't learn to transmute and discharge that shadow energy you can get sick. Give it to Mother Earth she will recycle it into love, as you do.

7. Release- Finding constructive ways to transform and release the energies that are not yours is vital for an empath.  Dance, sing, sports, paint, anything that you can do to have a creative outlet to get lost in and transmute shadow energies so that you can live in your optimum health and vibrate at your highest frequency. I always say that dance saved my life. It was one of my tools to release all the pain and emotions that I took on.

8. High frequency music-  High frequency sounds have the capability to heal and repair your DNA.  A perfect way for empaths to cleanse and replenish your body so that it can work at it's highest capacity. I see it as a tune up for my soul. Listen frequently and share with your family and friends. This also makes great lullaby music for babies and children. Sounds that I love are 528hz (love frequency) or 432hz (earth frequency).

* Higher vibrations consume and transform lower vibrations. -LaOta Rassoull