Putting a name to Empath

Hi there, I’m Mz Leigh. I prefer to use somewhat of a pseudonym (Leigh is a given name) to remain centered as I write. More often than not, I find myself changing my behavior depending on who I am around or place that I’m in. It’s more like all of the thoughts in my head take over to the needs of my surroundings, which of course would end up changing certain behaviors. This makes it incredibly hard for me to sit down and solely listen to my thoughts and my needs. So I’ve created a character of sorts that I can channel when I need to focus on her…me.

** If that doesn’t accurately describe an empath to a tee…sheesh, I’m good.

So here I am, about to turn 41 and I’m at a major juncture in my life….again. Over the last four decades I have, in some way or another, taken many, many chances. Some people would call them failures or successes, wins or losses, but I have found using those terms for my own decisions does more harm than good on my mental health. I judge myself if I lose. I judge myself if I win. But if I look at it as I took the chance, then I feel at ease (it’s all a practiced mindset).

This has been and continues to be a process of all sorts. I had to heal past wounds and that meant actually living with the pain and working through it. A dear confidant once told me that to get to know me was like pealing back the layers of an onion. Each layer represents an experience that I’d had up to that point that caused significant emotion, and most of my layers were of a negative kind. Or so I thought at the time due to an overwhelming feeling of sadness as I opened up and shared my true self.

I feel absolutely blessed to have had a time in my life where someone cared so much about getting to know me that they didn’t mind crying through the potent onion layers of my thoughts. Those moments in time allowed me to process grief, anger, and fears that were all caused by years of experiences and taking chances.

Once I got passed the rocky emotions, I was able to see a whole new world in front of me. One where drama doesn’t exist because it TRULY DOESN’T EXIST unless we create it.

So why create it?!

As soon as I put that thought process into practice I became my best self, which made me a better mother, daughter, friend, partner.

Of course, that’s not where the story ends because, well, that would be boring and life is certainly not that. I still have many layers of onion left that need to be peeled and healed.

This brings me back to the point of being an empath. Once I began the spiritual awakening process (didn’t know the process had a name at the time) I was able to understand why I took the chances I did and communicate in a much more effective way. (Ask my kids. They’ll tell you!)

Do you know what clear communication ends up doing to a situation? It opens up the opportunity for growth and learning about yourself and others. It’s when I stopped editing my thoughts that I discovered I was taking on others emotions. If I hadn’t been brave and spoken up about how I was feeling, I would never have received the feedback that that was exactly how the other person felt. It was an “a-ha” moment where I was able to sit back and contemplate whether or not I was truly feeling that emotion or if I was just taking it on. It certainly wasn’t a new feeling, but for the first time in my life I was able to process it.

There were many more opportunities for me to test my theory before I found a name for this type of event or person. You would call a person that takes on the emotions of others, animals, and places an Empath. And so, for the past five or so years, I’ve been studying what it means to be one and how to control it because the more information I absorb the more intune I am with it all – and let me tell you, it’s draining. Well, it has been.

But I’m a fighter – a survivor – a chance taker! I’m a healer that’s meant to heal her own wounds so she can be of service to those that seek it. Life is so much prettier when you’re able to peel away some of those layers of onion and I want everyone to see what I see. That being said, I have to be able to block energy that doesn’t belong to me unless I allow it. And this is my biggest obstacle that I haven’t mastered…..yet.

So this is why I find myself here, writing for the first time in a very long time. Peeling away layers of onion that have grown over the last three years of chaos and allowing myself to feel and heal. I’m taking another chance by putting my words out there for you to see, but my hope is that you read and digest them and if something hits a chord in you and helps you on your journey of life, I am at peace.

Here are a few tools/habits that have helped me along the way:

• Stop complaining. Show gratitude.
• Only put out good thoughts/energy for others and that’s what you’ll receive.
• Be honest and kind.
• Be yourself.
• Trust yourself.
• Breath! When you find yourself in an overwhelming situation take 7 deep breaths (take in as much oxygen as your lungs and diaphragm will allow and blow it all out).
• Writing, saying, or thinking something negative will make it happen. Focus on positive verbiage and a positive mindset. This is a hard habit to get into but if you start catching yourself that is a huge win and it will become less of struggle the more you play your own referee.
• Be open to new experiences, new foods, new people.
• Our relationship to mother earth should be cared for just as a dear loved one. Ground yourself often with healing and loving energy from where we came from.

A few harder ones for me:

• Stay off social media.
• Use TV as entertainment not for killing time (and be selective of what you allow your brain to take in!)
• Stay away from alcohol – it hinders the gift.

Having the innate power to read emotions can feeling draining or burdensome, I know that intimately. The thing is….I want it to feel empowering and so that is what I shall focus on.

Hello, again. I am Mz Leigh and I am an Empath. It is a pleasure to have you in my life. ♥️ Love to all!

For more shorts, go to mzladyleigh.com