Are you an empath? Here are 5 ways to deal with emotional overwhelm.
How to manage the world as a highly sensitive person
If you are someone who absorbs a lot of energy, is highly sensitive in general or an empath, it can be difficult to deal with emotional overwhelm and pressures that modern lifestyle puts on us.
Some of the issues that we may face including overthinking, emotional overwhelm and anxiety can be countered by assessing where we need more balance in life.
Here are 5 ways you can find greater balance and healing:
When we are constantly engaged in outer activity, we don’t give time to sit with our energy or what are experiencing. Empaths often tend to neglect their own needs at the expense of others.
To find balance, schedule multiple points in the day to disconnect from activity and be!
In the Vedic tradition, there is a concept of ‘Trikal Sandhya.’ Adapting the guidance from our ancient ancestors, taking 1 hour in the morning, 1 hour in the middle of the day and 1 hour in the evening to keep all activity aside and ground yourself can help you restore your energy.
Aside from this, if a lot of your work is digital or office based, getting up once every hour to do some physical based activity which doesn’t involve mind/intellect work, or five minutes of breathing, reading a book or anything that relaxes your nervous system.Take more space to do things that make you organically happy, aside from what you need to do for others or for work, society and so forth.
Modern science distinguishes between the right brain and left brain - the modern education system has programmed us to put overwhelming importance on the left brain and not the right brain, the latter of which is related to feminine, creativity, intuition etc.
Empaths often need creative ways to transmute and integrate emotional energy.
Find a healthy activity that doesn’t involve self sabotage to do this; what you are inspired by. For example, learning a musical instrument, movement, painting or singing.We also store our emotions in the body, when we hold a lot of emotions without giving time to feel them, this can put pressure on our nervous system and even manifest as physical illness. Mind body connection, you know?
If you feel out of balance, find some physically orientated ways to transmute energy. For example, yoga practice, some form of movement or exercise. Whilst mechanical exercise is good for health, it doesn’t do much for emotional integration. However, yoga in the traditional Hindu system helps you to find balance in all the levels of your being.Repatterning yourself also involves finding more healthy ways of expression. Too often, we are attached to unhealthy coping methods or people that don’t fully hold space for us. That’s why it’s a good idea to be discerning without holding resentment.
If you are struggling on your own, remember that you don’t have to do that. Seek out healthier connections you already have, where you can express yourself, in real life or there are many healing orientated communities everywhere in the world, online and offline.Connect with nature. Nature is our biggest healer, when we are disconnected from the air, sun, plants and animals we can feel disconnected within. Spending time in nature is one of the most effective ways to deal with emotional overwhelm.
For example, take more time to sit under trees. Walk outside in the first half an hour of the day and absorb the sunlight. Don’t just stand outside for two minutes, actually sit there. Water the plants, we all need nature and nature needs us.
If you are someone who experiences emotional overwhelm or is highly sensitive, it is so crucial to have some sort of daily pranayama + meditation practice.
I will share a separate guide for that here on Substack!
Some more points
Take time to do more human things. Call your parent / family member. Too often in the spiritual community we’re always floating in the ‘5D’ and doing all the work but we need to ground into this dimension too.
Feed a cow or animal. Empaths have a loooot of energy to give, taking time for the outlet of service / giving helps us find that avenue. In the Sanatan Dharma tradition we have a concept of ‘Sewa’ or selfless service which helps us purify the ego. We can feel overwhelmed when we have too much energy and nowhere to channel it. So plant seeds in the earth, give but don’t deplete yourself.
Protect your energy! Notice which environments and situations make you feel depleted. You don’t need to constantly be giving access to your energy to everyone. Sometimes we fluctuate between polar opposites of over-giving and completely shutting down, hence when aligned with your swadharma and purpose this helps you stabilise.
We all need support sometimes. There are so many spiritual healing plants and healing modalities to help manage and regulate energy. We need nature, community and love. We need our ancestral traditions too.
Ultimately, we are sentient human beings. It is okay to feel strong emotions or be a highly sensitive person. Whilst inner work and healing help to find greater integration within, remember you are simply a human being and sometimes it’s not about constantly working on yourself but just flowing and enjoying life, accepting the spectrum as you are now.
Finding balance is a daily process of unfolding. Whilst we need to give space for emotional integration, we don’t need to wallow in them either. You can always come back and continue moving in the direction of your dreams.
Here is some artwork from one of my favourites on the gram, @alexisrakun
Love and blessings