What It Really Means to Be an Empath (And Why It's Different from Being Empathetic)

The word "empath" seems to be everywhere these days, but there's a lot of confusion about what it actually means. If you've ever wondered whether you're an empath or just a naturally empathetic person, you're not alone. Let's clear up this important distinction once and for all.

Empathy vs. Being an Empath

Most people have the beautiful capacity for empathy. Empathetic individuals are kind and compassionate—their hearts genuinely ache when others suffer, and they feel joy when witnessing someone else's happiness. These are wonderful qualities that make the world a better place.

But being an empath is something entirely different.

An empath doesn't just feel compassion for others—they literally absorb other people's emotions and physical sensations directly into their own body.

This isn't a choice or a particularly strong sense of empathy. It's an involuntary neurological response that can be both a gift and a challenge.

What the Empath Experience Actually Feels Like

Picture this scenario: You're sitting in a café, feeling perfectly content, when suddenly a wave of inexplicable anger washes over you. You weren't thinking about anything upsetting. Nothing in your environment triggered this feeling. Yet your body is responding as if this anger is completely your own.

This is the empath experience in action.

The Unaware Empath's Journey

If you don't yet understand your empathic abilities, this sudden emotional shift can be deeply confusing. You might spend the next hour trying to figure out why you're angry, searching your thoughts for an explanation that doesn't exist. Your nervous system is fully activated, responding to an emotion that originated outside of you.

In our café example, an unaware empath might become irritable with their lunch companion, order a drink to calm their nerves, or even cut the meal short—all while trying to manage what feels like their own overwhelming anger. They've absorbed this emotion 100% and are left to cope with its full intensity.

The Aware Empath's Experience

An empath who understands their gift approaches this same situation very differently. When that wave of anger hits, they pause and scan their environment. "Whose emotion is this?" they might wonder, glancing around the restaurant.

Maybe it's their lunch companion dealing with work stress. Perhaps it's the couple having a tense conversation at the next table. Or it could be their server having a difficult day.

Once an aware empath identifies the likely source, they can begin to separate themselves from the emotion. They haven't absorbed it completely—maybe only 50% and declining. While they still feel it in their body, they don't attach to it or make it their own story. The feeling passes more quickly, though they might still feel drained and need extra self-care afterward.

The Three Main Types of Empaths

While I used emotional absorption as my example, empaths actually fall into three primary categories:

1. Emotional Empaths absorb others' feelings—joy, sadness, anger, anxiety, excitement—as if these emotions were their own.

2. Physical Empaths pick up on other people's physical sensations, including pain, illness, fatigue, or even physical well-being and energy.

3. Intuitive Empaths have heightened spiritual and psychic sensitivity, often receiving information through dreams, symbols, or sudden insights about people and situations.

Many empaths experience a combination of these abilities. Personally, I'm both an Emotional and Intuitive Empath, as well as a Highly Sensitive Person—and you might be too.

Why Understanding This Matters

Recognizing whether you're an empath isn't just about having a label for your experiences. It's about understanding how your nervous system works so you can:

• Stop questioning your sanity when emotions seem to come from nowhere

• Develop healthy boundaries to protect your energy

• Learn techniques to release emotions that don't belong to you

• Transform this sensitivity from a burden into a superpower

If you're reading this and thinking, "This sounds exactly like my experience," you're probably right. Trust your instincts—they're likely more accurate than you realize.

Your Next Steps

Understanding your empathic nature is just the beginning. Learning how to work with these abilities rather than being overwhelmed by them is where the real transformation happens. If you're ready to move from surviving your sensitivity to thriving with it, know that support and strategies are available.

Tired of feeling drained by your empathic abilities? Let's talk about how to transform your sensitivity into your superpower. Book a complimentary 15-minute clarity call to explore how coaching can help you thrive as an empath. [Schedule Your Free Call]