How To Protect Your Energy As An Empath? (Here are 7 Things You Can Do)

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Do you easily absorb the surging emotions of the people around you and PFFTT, you soon get deflated and burnt out?

Do you feel like people take advantage of your kindness far too often?

Unfortunately, this is a typical scenario for an empath.

I’m an empath, too, so I feel you.

Back then, I was giving so much energy away that I eventually reached my own collapse.

It was not a great phase in my life as I turned to my dark sides and rejected everything.

And to be honest, it took about a decade to return to how I used to be — a jolly, welcoming, and helpful human being.

So maybe, you’re reading this because you’re facing the same exhaustion.

That said, how can we manage our empathy and protect our energy? How do we continue giving without depleting ourselves?

Good thing, I’ll share with you these 7 things I do now to protect my energy as an empath.

Ready? Here we go!

7 Things To Do To Protect Your Energy As An Empath

1. Pick your battles. Don’t carry other people’s responsibilities.

As an empath, you may think you must solve everyone’s problems. We feel great satisfaction in it.

So… there you are, carrying your sister’s, mother’s, friend’s, or your workmate’s burdens as if they were your own.

It seems pretty heroic.

However, the truth is, even when you’re genuine with sending help, remember, not every struggle is yours to fix.

As for me, I’ve learned that sometimes, it’s better to step back and let people figure things out on their own.

That’s how they grow.

Although our intentions are good, sometimes, an empath’s willingness to fix others’ problems only breeds their laziness.

It’s not always the way to go.

Don’t get me wrong. Some people are truly on the edge, in the pits of sorrow and pain.

But there are also others who need to exercise their own muscles and minds.

Now, when I do decide to help, I try to be more purposeful.

I ask myself, “Is this the best way to support them? Or am I just draining myself without making a real difference?”

Am I really lending an ear to someone who can’t move on over her ex-boyfriend for three whole years?

Like, really?

Try to be more intentional. Protect your energy and make sure your help is genuinely beneficial.

Know when to step in and when to let go.

2. Unplug and declutter your mind.

The internet is always buzzing with info and drama.

Social media? It never stops! There’s always something new going viral.

You can’t hope for a peaceful day there because you see, people earn through engagements. It will NEVER be quiet.

So obviously, it stirs our minds. We’re absorbing the collective energy of the world.

That said, you know what to do next: we unplug!

Taking a break from social media or deactivating our accounts can do wonders for our mental clarity.

We’re making room for peace in our lives. We hear ourselves better. We see the real people around us better.

We give more quality attention to things that truly matter.

It’s a simple but powerful way to declutter our minds and protect our energy as empaths.

3. Have an emotional outlet.

Empaths need to have an emotional outlet. With all the emotional baggage we take in, we also must have a way to pour them out.

When I’m feeling overwhelmed, I reach out to the people I connect with the most and talk it out.

People dump their emotions on me? Hah! No worries, I can pour my emotions out in the open, too.

I believe all empaths should, too.

I think the loneliest empaths are those who keep everything in with no way to release their feelings.

Thankfully, I’ve improved at expressing myself in recent years, so most of my emotional baggage doesn’t stick around for long. It’s free-ing.

Sometimes, all it takes is time with a friend who truly gets you. Hang out, talk about everything and nothing, or travel together to shake off the stress.

But if we can’t meet up with friends, we can resort to creative outlets.

For me, journaling and blogging have been lifesavers.

Something amazing happened today? Journal them!

A bad thing happened and I learned some lessons? Blog it!

It’s a way for me to survive the chaos. I put those feelings into words and let them go.

So how about you? What activities allow you to express and de-stress?

4. Don’t deprive yourself of alone time.

Being there for others is fulfilling, but being there for yourself is just as important.

So to keep our sanity, say, let’s make it a goal to keep our weekends aside for some quiet, alone time.

Recharge without any outside pressures. Have time to daydream and gaze at nothing.

Other times, I’ll just sit with a cup of coffee, letting the peacefulness of the moment wash over me.

You see, taking time for ourselves isn’t selfish; it’s necessary.

It allows us to be the best version of ourelves, not only for us, but also for those we care about.

How can you make others happy when you, yourself, are not happy?

Activities You Can Do:

5. Connect with yourself, too.

Sadly, because empaths are so much into absorbing other’s emotions, they tend to lose even their own identity.

Some come to a point where they forget what they actually feel or want.

Who are you? What are your likes and dislikes? Boundaries, do you apply them right?

If you want to protect your energy, don’t be easily swept away by others’ emotions.

Not because they’re miserable, you’d be miserable, too. Not because they feel off towards someone, you’d think the same way, too, no.

They run their own lives, and you’re accountable of yours.

Breathe and recalibrate.

As for me, being comfortable in my own skin – being introverted, sensitive, and empathetic — has been a game-changer.

Because I now understand how my mind and emotions work, it’s given me the confidence to set boundaries and prioritize my well-being without feeling guilty.

I’ve learned that to love others, I need to love myself, too.

Self-love is not selfish. I wrote this post to help you cultivate loving yourself as much as loving other people.

6. Set clear boundaries.

As I’ve gotten to know myself better, I’ve become firmer in my decisions.

I’ve understood that saying yes should come from a place of genuine desire, not pressure.

And when I’m unsure whether I can commit to something, I’ve started using a simple phrase: “I’ll think about it.”

This firmness and confidence naturally signals to others that your boundaries are non-negotiable and should be respected.

After all, if we don’t stand firm on our boundaries, who else will?

Say, you have a close friend who repeatedly borrows money from you but never repays it, it’s obvious that you should muster the courage to confront him or her. Don’t let yourself be taken advantage of.

Similarly, if someone constantly dumps tasks on you they don’t want to handle, speak up!

Ultimately, people will treat you the way you treat yourself. So, be clear and consistent about what you’re willing to take on and what you’re not.

7. Be authentic.

Not all empaths are the same.

Some empaths are like me. Well, I have a built-in radar for detecting abuse of my kindness.

The way I protect my mental health? I isolate and regain my batteries through alone time. No one can tell me I can’t, and this is the authentic me. Pretty basic!

Now, here enters the problem:

Some empaths can’t deal with isolation. And this leads them to a huge mess.

For example, I’ve got extroverted, empathetic friends. Their authentic self is finding comfort in caring for others. They protect their energy by giving them out.

These empaths find joy when people connect with them.

The downside is that people WILL take advantage of their kindness and take it for granted.

I tell you, I’ve seen some friends chase and beg for love and attention. It was so difficult to watch.

My other friends can’t bear to see it, too. So they would endlessly nag and, if they could, would slap the stupidity out of my empath friends.

Although they fully comprehend what’s happening, the anxiety of not doing everything they can to fix the issue drives them crazy.

As my empath friend told me, “I know… I really know I need to stop. But my emotions are all over the place. I can’t do it.”

THAT is their authentic self. They care SO MUCH, it hurts them.

Do you know what I advised my friends?

Unlike others who try to talk them out of it, I chose a different approach. I encouraged them to be authentic.

Just as no one can force me to “go out more” when I feel the need to retreat from the world, I can’t effectively tell my friends, “Stop, you’re only hurting yourself,” when their satisfaction lies in spreading that love.

So, my dear, if you relate to this, pour everything you’ve got until you’re completely drained.

Truth is, I also experienced begging for forgiveness from my BFF when I was in 5th grade.

The whole grade level and teachers probably pitied me as I was brutally rejected and outcasted, while I kept chasing.

Long story short, that horrible event taught me a lesson: never chase.

Yep, only after the pain will we truly learn how to protect ourselves better next time.

We only learn to be cautious after we’ve been hurt so deeply that we never want to experience it again.

This may seem bad advice, but it’s the reality.

Experience — feeling an unimaginable emotional pain — is indeed the best teacher to hardheaded empaths.

That’s it! I hope this post gave you valuable insights.

Thanks for reading! 🙂

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