Empath Self Care

Meditation

Meditation is a fantastic way to calm your mind, recenter your focus back to the present moment. And at the same time, stay in touch with your emotions.

It doesn’t have to be long. My morning meditation is 10 to 20 minutes, and that is it. But it’s just enough to give me that centering and grounding that is needed for energy protection.

Learn more about meditation for empaths.

Journaling

Journaling is great for helping empaths to understand their emotions. Use it to go better understand what is yours and what isn’t. You can also use it to better understand yourself. The more you know you the easier it is to know when something isn’t yours.

For example, if you have learned that you don’t get angry easily but suddenly you have a short temper. And nothing has changed. Then you can stop and explore what you may be picking up from others.

Journal Prompts for Empaths:

• Is this my emotion? This is the first step in understanding what to  do next. It can take a bit to figure out if it is yours or not, but if you keep investigating the source of the emotion you will find the answer. The following two questions will help with that.
• When did I start feeling this way?
• Why do I feel like this?
• Am I taking on something that is not my responsibility? As empaths we tend to take on too much responsibility, being able to identify this is important.
• Do I feel depleted? If so, what do I think would help restore me?

Movement

As an empath, we have an excess of emotions – both ours and others. Sometimes all that excess energy that comes with the emotions needs to be physically removed. Movement will help you do this.

Movement is anything from taking a walk to yoga, to high intensity training. It should be whatever works best for you at that moment.

I allow my energy levels to determine what I do. For example, if I had an intense interaction with family, and then a work one on the same day. I will do a more intense workout to shed the stress. On other days, when there was nothing major happening, I will do a lower intensity activity.

The best thing to do is check in with your feelings. Are you agitated? Feeling overwhelmed? Maybe even angry? Or are you doing great. Your check-in will guide you to what is the best movement for you.

Energetically Clear Space

Energy can build up where you live and work. Especially if there are others in the same space or you live in an apartment.

You can make sure to clear yourself, but if your house is full of energetic gunk, you will still be impacted. And won’t stay clear yourself for as long.

For my own practice, right before I go to bed, I’ll do a quick check-in with the space and if it feels like I need to clean it. Depending on what I find, I’ll either use a combination of the following: Reiki, palo santo, sage, salt bowls or crystals.  I will also do an energy check of my space in the middle of the day if something starts to feel off.

This daily space check in is also a great way to start building your intuitive empath gifts!

Reiki

Reiki is a great tool for clearing a lot of stuff at once. It will clear your energy fields, balance your chakras and bring in good energy.

If you are not Reiki trained, there are a few options for you. You can hire someone but doing this every day may not be financially feasible. The best solution for low-cost regular Reiki is to use Reiki infused meditations or I also recommend the Mainstream Reiki YouTube channel (she has good energy and a cool name!).

Check out my playlist on YouTube of Reiki Infused Meditations.

Watch Media Consumption

Now the next thing isn’t necessarily self-care in the way that you might think. But I consider it self-care because if not careful about this daily, it can throw your entire system out of whack.

And that is media consumption, not just the news, but also social media. I am hyper aware of how much I am taking in and what I am taking in. Here are some tips to help you control your intake without eliminating it.

• Before you get on social media, set a timer, when it goes off make sure to get off! A good time frame is 20 to 30 minutes.
• When on social media, watch for mood shifts. Begin by knowing how you are feeling. Write it down if you need to. Then as soon as you feel a difference, if it is bad – get off immediately!
• Be okay with unfollowing or hiding those that impact your mental health. It is not worth your own emotions and sanity to see what hurts you.
• Only check news once a day. And even then, read highlights as much as possible. I check in the morning, reading only the details that I know will impact me.
• Take occasional social media breaks. Even just a day of nothing will help you balance your energy.

Nighttime Shower

Water washes off the bad energy and emotions.

Hop in, do a quick soap off your body and you’re done. This can take a maximum of a minute if you want it to.

You can also add a salt scrub for days where you are really struggling. Salt takes away negative energy also. The combination of a shower and salt is a great way to get completely clear.

This paired with the energy clearing of your space will help you have a great, restorative night’s sleep.

Myth Busting: Too Much Time Commitment

I hear what you are thinking. Isn’t that a lot to do every day? I already have a busy schedule!

I get it, time is valuable. But this doesn’t take very long. You don’t have to meditate for an hour. You don’t have to journal for an hour. It can be a 10-minute Reiki meditation, with a 15-minute journal session.

When you do energy clearing on a regular basis, it doesn’t take that long to clear everything out. It’s not an hour because it hasn’t been done in a while. It might take five minutes to get everything cleared. With occasional longer sessions during intense times.

By being consistent, it makes the entire process shorter. Not to mention, if you pull back on media consumption, it can make up for what you add that is helpful!

And then if you are having a crazy day and you miss a day or two, you’re not completely out of whack when you do get back to it. Because you’ve been doing it on a regular basis. So don’t let time be an excuse for maintaining your sanity and balance.

Feeling Overwhelmed? Download My Free Empath Overload Toolkit and Gain Back Control of Your Energy