Are you an Empath? Are you a person that is highly attuned to the feelings and emotions of those around you? Are Empaths born that way or are they created?
Nature vs. Nurture? Probably a bit of both.
Empaths are born with a sensitive nature—and—more than often—they have a background of trauma and huge dysfunction in childhood where there were no emotional boundaries. Often one or more of the parents were narcissistic with addictions.
The childhood would have been spent with parents intrusively transgressing their boundaries—setting up life for the Empath—to have no boundaries in relationships. An Empath would actually have no idea what in fact a boundary actually is! The Empath spends their life making bad choices in relationships trying to take care of others to insure that THEIR WORLD is safe. Empaths unfortunately, pick what is familiar to them.
Empaths “feel”and “know” for safety. It is a gift forged through and created by trauma.
The gift of being an Empath will work against you until you learn boundaries.
What is a boundary? When you set a personal boundary, you're essentially saying, “This is what I'm okay with, and this is what I'm not okay with.” Effective boundaries protect our personal space, our physical and mental health, and our safety and security.
When someone is asking you something you don’t want to do practice saying this Magic Phrase when you want to take control and set a boundary:
“Let me think about it and I will get back to you.”
This simple phrase gives you the power you need by putting you in control.
Magic Phrase #2
I’ve thought about it and it just doesn’t work for me. When the person questions this you again state, it just doesn’t work for me.
Congratulations. You’ve just set a boundary.
Being an Empath is great. But an Empath with no boundaries is a child. Setting boundaries is what an adult does. You can do it!! Being an Empath is the greatest gift and you need to be strong. Settings boundaries and taking control of your life, makes you strong so you can use this precious gift wisely.