Oh hello, you beautiful empath! You are welcome here. And you will benefit from reading this blog about how to protect your energy as an empath. It’s applicable to literally everyone, and especially critical for those of us who are sensitive.

What Is An Empath and Why Protect Your Energy?

If you’re not familiar with the term empath, it refers to a small percentage of the population (estimated between 1 and 20 percent) who are particularly sensitive. “Highly sensitive person” (or HSP) is a similar category, and thought to be slightly more prevalent than empath. Empaths have extra attuned intuition, emotions, energy fields, and physical bodies. They become drained or overwhelmed easily and can sometimes sense the emotions of others as well as unseen energies. 

Because energy makes up everything in our universe (think quantum physics), learning how to protect your energy as an empath becomes an essential life skill. It can make the difference between feeling good and feeling debilitated when interacting with the world.

What Does It Mean to Protect Your Energy As An Empath? 

Protecting your energy means learning strong self-care tools and practices, and then doing the ones that resonate with you. They can be internal, i.e., things you do in your mind or heart; or external, things you do with other people or out in the world.

Go Easy On Yourself, Empath

My best advice is to be gentle with yourself. Behavior change, including adding or removing small practices to your day, takes time. It’s usually not possible or sustainable to make massive changes at once. There can be a rush of excitement at first, followed by waning commitment and consistency.

Progress, not perfection. Slow and steady wins the race. Not that it’s a race! That’s part of the conundrum for empaths. You may rush around, putting all this pressure on yourself to fit in and be like everyone else; aka the “normal” people. 

Let me tell you, there is no normal! But our society glamorizes stress, 24/7 work, competition of perceived scarce resources, comparing yourself to others on social media, etc etc, as you know. Keep in mind that no one (usually) puts an unflattering photo on Instagram. Don’t compare your reality with someone else’s highlight reel – that’s not the truth of life. For more on the current world transformation from my perspective, go here.

Here Are 10 Ways To Protect Your Energy As An Empath

As an empath, there are three areas of your life you want to pay attention to when you think about protecting your energy: physical, emotional, and spiritual. Below are specific ways you can work with your energy to protect yourself and feel better. This is a “survey” of general methods to choose from. 

Physical ways to protect your energy as an empath

1. The first piece here is your diet. What are you eating and drinking? How do you feel afterward? I suggest a food journal where you write it all down. Reflect on what uplifts your energy and what drains or scatters it. Then consider clearing out those habits and foods that aren’t serving you. An example is reducing processed sugar because it clouds your intuition.

2. Movement, especially in nature, is another great way to protect your energy as an empath. Exercise can not only ground and protect your energy but help you shake off interactions or emotions that have been taking your energy. And being amongst trees, sun, grass, ocean, lake, river, dirt, and/or animals is one of the most healing places you can be. Heck, hug a tree!

3. I also suggest clearing clutter from your home. When you release old physical items or clean a space, you are simultaneously clearing out old energy with it. This explains why many people feel relieved when they clean out a drawer or donate a bunch of clothes. Our physical space often reflects our emotional space and deeper psyche. Underlying the attachment to an old sweater could be a story or a previous version of you that is draining your energy. Ask yourself, what are you hanging on to?

4. Finally, take an Epsom salt bath or use salt scrub in the shower. Salt has powerful clearing properties and is best used after interacting with draining people or crowds.

Emotional ways to protect your energy as an empath

5. Empaths feel emotions very deeply. It’s important to let yourself feel your feelings. Emotions = energy in motion! Drop the judgment and let the energy flow through and out of your body. That’s the quickest way to protect your energy as an empath. When we don’t, the energy gets clogged in our chakra system and can eventually cause physical symptoms. In the short term, it can lead to overthinking, depression, anger, or numbness.

6. Journaling is a great tool to accompany this emotional process. It might include forgiveness work: who are you perhaps resenting? When we hold onto a grudge (often without realizing it), we keep that rage or hurt alive in our energy field. Write it allllll out. Don’t force yourself to forgive too soon either; we usually need to feel and process the full spectrum of emotions first. Journaling helps move the energy of what’s going on inside of you into the open for release, which clears your energy big time.

7. Say NO. It’s a complete sentence, as they say. When you put others’ needs or opinions above your own, or take on their projections, your energy is being drained. Only say yes when you really mean it. This can require some serious codependency healing work. For help, contact me at erin@centeredone.com.

Spiritual ways to protect your energy as an empath

8. Do a meditation or sit in silence while you imagine white light surrounding you and clearing out all that isn’t yours. Be sure to ground yourself first into the earth. I can help you get started with meditation or create one unique to your situation.

9. Ask yourself, either in meditation or out of it, who or what drains your energy. Note how you feel after interacting with people and places. Then have the courage to act on those intuitive nudges.

10. Also ask, “is this mine?” when it comes to intrusive feelings and thoughts (those you have often). You may be reacting to energies and emotions that aren’t even yours! Addressing this protects your energy massively. In 1:1 sessions, I often help people clear out these kinds of energy attachments.

Protect Your Energy As An Empath For True Power 

Well, there you have it! This is how to protect your energy as an empath. Change your energy, change your life. As you start to implement some of these practices, you’ll notice an improvement in how you feel. You won’t be as drained by the world and other people. Your well-being allows you to be happier and more efficient in your life, and better support others. We need you at your best. Love yourself enough to take that first step.

If you’re called to go deeper with tailored guidance as you work through your own process, contact me below in the comments or erin@centeredone.com.

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