The Empath's Guide To Keep Going: Even When You Don't Feel Like It

This picture shows what I feel like doing when I feel overwhelmed by emotion. I just want to ride the waves and hope they deliver me to a shore of safety. I have a life to live though! This article is for the woman who feels deeply and wants to achieve her dreams, even when she's feeling a bit down.

A significant part of life (and business) is simply showing up.

Yeah, that’s right. Just being there. You know how many people aren’t there? A lot. Just ask someone on the street if they are living their dreams. If they are, great. And if they’re not – what are they doing? Are they going home every night and numbing their brain with another (admittedly very entertaining) TV show? Are they taking classes to hone the skills necessary to achieve their goals? A lot of people aren’t.

When you’re an empath, showing up can be hard. You might prefer to just stay home. Or stick to your routine, however unproductive and predictable it may be. When you feel deeply, it can be tempting to just ignore everything. How could you handle one more problem, one more item on your to-do list when you’re still considering the other tasks you haven’t finished and feeling overwhelmed at the thought of doing anything at all?

This article is for you. The one who feels, the one who dreams. The one who both has potential and has subscriptions to all of the best networks/entertainment, with high hopes and even higher expectations for herself (Hi, perfectionists! You are in good company here 😊). Your dreams and desires matter, and I wrote this to hopefully speak to your heart and stoke the fire of excitement to move forward. To keep trying. To go on…

Was that dramatic? :D I should write a play! Okay okay, here is the real start of the article. The empath’s guide to keep going, even when you really don’t fucking feel like it!

<3 Keep in mind all of the people who you’re going to help.

Think about the fact that when you achieve your dreams, you remind people that it’s possible to achieve theirs as well. When you reach your goals, you show others that those goals are attainable. You do the world a service simply by pursuing what matters to you. Since no man (or woman) is an island, you will get help from others along the way. People to listen to you practice your award-winning speech, to give you feedback on your manuscript, or to just listen to you wax poetic about the future. You’ve given them a gift – the opportunity to be a good friend, a good listener, a sounding board, etc.

All of that is valuable, and helps them realize their desires to contribute. Don’t make their effort and belief in you worth nothing! Use it to propel yourself forward. No matter if your dream is to own your own home, to start your own business, or to get a post doctorate in biomedical engineering, your path will intersect with others along the way and you will affect people positively just by doing what you do.

<3 Acknowledge how far you have come.

Any progress that you make toward your goals will feel satisfying. Allow yourself to feel proud of yourself by remembering what you can do right and what you have done well. Many times, empaths can feel heavy from the weight of their own expectations. You feel everything deeply, including disappointment when you don’t meet your own standards. You are also able to focus intently on any aspect you choose. This, combined with self-criticism and disappointment, can cause you to put too much weight on your mistakes. To put things into perspective, consider what you can do now that used to be difficult for you. How did you overcome that? If it was tough, say it! It was difficult but you got through it and you’re a better person now. You kept going then, and you can persevere now. Ask your friends, too! They would probably love the chance to remind you how wonderful you are. When you see yourself through the eyes of someone who loves you and believes in you, you realize that you are capable and that you are worthy of achieving your dreams. Having another person’s perspective on you could also give you a clear picture of how you could improve. Sometimes, all it takes is a new idea from someone to change your perspective and energize you.

<3Use your feelings as fuel.

Empaths have a high capacity to feel, which also means they have access to strong currents of energy. If you didn’t know, emotions are energy. When you are feeling so angry that you could break something, or you want to start pacing back and forth, that emotional energy is searching for an outlet. When you don’t feel your feelings, you often numb yourself by consuming entertainment that helps you discharge energy or you discharge energy by consuming. Chewing takes up a lot of energy. Personally, I noticed that I had a subconscious habit of eating snacks when I was stressed out. You can always choose to handle your feelings in a healthy way. When you are feeling depressed, rejected, or discouraged, you could choose to write instead of watching television. Or, you could work on a project or even exercise. When you are aware of your emotions and consciously choose to address them by using them as fuel or simply acknowledging them, you allow them to move through you quickly. Notice your feelings, give them their time, and then use them like they are a gift. If you make a gift for someone or if you work on a project that impacts others, then you will have engaged in a positive feedback loop! Feel - > create -> feel better - > create more! If nothing else, you will feel better from having discharged the energy from your body and then you can relax! 😊

Thank you for reading this! I was inspired to write this by a friend and I used the practices I mentioned to help me write this article! I would love to know if this article helped you, or if there are any other topics related to being an empath that you would like me to write about. If you feel inspired, leave a comment below!

-With love,

Valencia