I used to be speaking and people would say, why are you so angry, or so excited, or so…something.  I’d stop, surprised.  Then check in on my gut.  How was I feeling?  Actually I was pretty peaceful, so I had no idea what they were talking about.  Has something like this ever happened to you?  Or maybe your children?

Turns out that many people can subconsciously feel the energy around them, but if you asked them they probably would say they have no idea what you’re talking about.  Or maybe they walk into a room and turn around and walk out again because something felt “off”.  Children are the most interesting because they can literally be fine one minute and throwing a tantrum the next.  Sometimes you can even get them to admit they feel great, and don’t know why they acted out.

Is this empathy for others?  Or are you or someone you have to deal with empathic?  If you don’t understand what’s going on this can be a little scary.  The first time you consciously become aware you can see or feel energy from someone else, it can throw you for a loop.  The simplest can be from someone who is angry.  And you can feel or even see the energy rolling off of them.  It might feel like it’s knocking you over.

The first time I had this was after a church retreat when I think I was in my 20’s, where we did a lot of praying, hugging and cleansing the negative.  I went to the airport and two people in line at the counter were arguing.  It was the kind of negative emotion I hadn’t been around for over a week.  All of a sudden I ducked to the right.  I can still feel myself doing that.  I had “seen” a big black mass of energy come hurtling toward me and I felt like I literally “dodged” it like when I was a kid playing dodge ball.  I was shocked and totally thought I was imagining things.  But it made a big impression.

Grief is another one that can literally be felt from others.  The other incident for me was when I went with my now ex-husband to his storage shed where he kept his mother’s things.  I’m not sure if he had been back many times since he locked everything in there, but when he opened the sliding garage door I literally almost doubled over.  I had trouble breathing and had grief wash over me.  I had to walk away to get it to leave my energy field and shake it off.  That was the first real time I knew.  It wasn’t just me all those years when people asked me if I was angry and I felt none of it.  I was just reflecting back other’s energies around me.  I was more empathic than I ever knew.

So if you do any of this, NO, you are not losing your mind. Nor are those around you that may be doing it that you question.  The more you feel others’ energy, the more empathic you are.  It can be totally overwhelming and children are very prone to this until they “grow out of it”; meaning they squash it down and ignore it.  Give them, or yourself, love and time to get used to it.  Everyone deals with it differently, letting it unfold naturally and loving yourself or the other person dealing with it, instead of judging what is happening, is the kindest approach for all involved.