Does mediation help empaths? (A Complete Guide)
By
PsychReel
In this article, we will answer the question ‘Does mediation help empaths?’. We will do so by describing meditation and empaths. We will also discuss different types of meditation, its health benefits, the process of meditation, and different tips to carry out mediation in daily life.
Does mediation help empaths?
Yes, meditation is helpful for empaths. It has a lot of health benefits including relieving headaches, stress, depression, and anxiety. Along with that, it can improve self-awareness and bring clarity to one’s thoughts and emotions. This can be particularly useful for empaths who need to separate the emotions and thoughts they have borrowed from other people versus their own.
After making this distinction, they can let go of the thoughts and feelings that don’t belong to them. This may leave them feeling light and peaceful. Meditation can be one of the self-care activities that empaths can employ whenever they feel emotionally overwhelmed. They can also use mindfulness as a strategy in daily life to achieve a higher state of consciousness.
Meditation
Meditation refers to a collection of techniques that are directed to encourage self-awareness and increased attention. It has been found to be quite useful to improve our general well-being. Meditation has been around for a number of years and is practiced in multiple cultures and religions. Even people without religious beliefs are drive to practice it. Psychotherapists also encourage the use of meditation. So, we can say that it has a number of benefits.
Meditation can change or modify our state of consciousness. While many people rely on drugs to achieve that, meditation is a much natural and side-effect free way of achieving it along with benefits related to health, sleep, and stress. Many people report that mediation helps them relieve headaches, anxiety, depression, and improves immunity. Whereas, psychological benefits include a higher self-awareness, self-compassion, and mindfulness.
Types of meditation
There are different types of meditation. Two main types include concentrative meditation and mindfulness. Concentrative meditation includes focusing on a specific object while slowly tuning out your surroundings. The purpose is to focus on one specific word or mantra to achieve an experience of wholeness. In contrast, mindfulness meditation can be individualized according to your state. For example, for depression, mindfulness will be different compared to how it will be for anxiety. The purpose for both of them is to stay present and accept yourself in the moment.
Empaths
Empaths are highly sensitive people who can detect the feelings and emotions of other people. They can see and understand the world from another person’s perspective. Sometimes, they absorb the emotions of others which can have a toll on their mental health. Places that have a lot of sensory stimulation can overwhelm them and leave them feeling drained.
To cope with this, a lot of empaths need to have an emotional overload toolkit which they can turn to when they are feeling this way. It can involve a set of self-care strategies that can help them unload the emotional burden they are carrying, and channel it into something productive. This can leave them feeling calm and light.
Meditation and Empaths
Different empaths employ different strategies to achieve this. A few turn to journaling and write their thoughts out. Others turn to music in order to connect with the rhythm. Some go into nature and try deep breathing exercises and so on. Meditation is one of the strategies empaths can try in order to connect with themself. It has multiple health benefits both at the physical and psychological levels. In a way, meditation can help enhance their self-awareness and give them a chance to reflect on their thoughts and feelings.
After spending an entire day listening to people unload their emotional frustrations on them, empaths may mix their own feelings with that of other people. Similarly, they may carry other people’s stories and emotional load with them throughout the day. So, meditation can help them separate the two and take ownership of their feelings while leaving the feelings of other people aside. It can bring clarity to their thoughts and activate their sensory functions.
How to meditate
There are different types of meditations and accordingly, different ways to do them. Amateurs can start with basic meditation. To do so, they can follow the following steps.
- Choose a location that is quiet and free of distractions. Limit any noise in your surroundings. Turn off your TV and phone. If you prefer, you may turn on some light music which is soothing and peaceful.
- Set a timer for 5-10 minutes. You may increase it as you get used to the practice of meditation.
- Turn your attention to your body and focus on getting comfortable. Sit in cross-legged posture on the floor or on the bed or chair, whatever is comfortable for you.
- Focus on your breathing. Begin by taking in a deep breath in, hold it in your belly, and slowly exhale it out while making a whoosh sound. Notice how each breath feels. If you find deep breathing difficult, you may use an app or follow instructions from a youtube tutorial.
- While breathing deeply, start noticing your thoughts from an objective point of you. Rather than judging your thoughts, analyze them, and pay attention to your breathing. Bring your attention back to your breathing if you notice your thoughts drifting away.
Meditation tips and strategies
Doing meditation daily from short sessions to longer ones can be helpful for empaths to to feel light and relaxed. They can start by setting a schedule and focus on their feelings in each meditation experience. It is important that they do not ignore their feelings and thoughts or try to change them in any way. Rather, accepting them for the way they are is the key to successful meditation.
Apart from a formal meditation practice that follows a proper procedure, one can employ mindfulness meditation in daily life as well. This can be done while carrying out daily chores. For example, while drinking morning coffee, one can focus their attention on their feelings, thoughts, and sensations. Particularly the smell, taste, and temperature of the coffee and appreciate the opportunity to have this cup, This is another way mindfulness can be practiced by empaths.
It is important to state that meditation is helpful for a lot of people. However, it does not mean it is a quick fix. It takes time to show its health benefits. Empaths should keep in mind that meditating daily does not mean their problems will go away. Rather, it is a self-care practice that they can employ whenever they are feeling stressed. Incase meditation brings up any troubling thoughts and feelings which are difficult to manage, seek help from a professional.
FAQs: Does mediation help empaths?
How do I protect myself as an empath?
One can protect themself as an empath by identifying and moving away from their source of stress. Establish healthy boundaries and limits. Focus on practicing deep breathing, mindfulness, meditation, and visualization techniques. These can be a few ways empaths can regain lost energy.
Do empaths feel negative energy?
Yes. Empaths feel negative energy. Sometimes they absorb it from other people. Other times, it can come from big crowds and busy places.
Does music help empaths?
Yes. Music also helps empaths. It can act as a way to cope especially when they are overly stimulated and want to calm themself or when they are looking to boost their mood. A recent study has shown that the reward system of the brain lights up when empathic people listen to music. It is the same area that activates when they are empathizing with others. So, in a way, we can say that music acts as a way to give them pleasure and makes them feel like they are connecting to someone at an emotional level. They consider it a rewarding experience and enjoy it thoroughly.
Conclusion
In this article, we discussed Does mediation helps empaths?. We found that meditation is helpful for empaths. It has a lot of health benefits including relieving headaches, stress, depression, and anxiety. Along with that, it can improve self-awareness and bring clarity to one’s thoughts and emotions. This can be particularly useful for empaths who need to separate the emotions and thoughts they have borrowed from other people versus their own.
After making this distinction, they can let go of the thoughts and feelings that don’t belong to them. This may leave them feeling light and peaceful. Meditation can be one of the self-care activities that empaths can employ whenever they feel emotionally overwhelmed. They can also use mindfulness as a strategy in daily life to achieve a higher state of consciousness.
I hope you found this article interesting. If you have any queries or comments, please state them in the comment section 😊
Citations
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-meditation-2795927
https://www.verywellmind.com/mindfulness-meditation-88369
