How to Love an Empath

If you are in a relationship with an empath, or you are an empath, this is for you. Learning as much as you can about what an empath really is a very important thing. There are a few key things to really focus on if you are the partner of an empath. Knowing, respecting and understanding your partner for who they are is important for building and maintaining a healthy and happy relationship. When you learn your partner is an empath, you need to fully understand what an empath needs in a relationship to make it work. One thing to keep in mind is that being an empath is not a diagnosis or a mental illness. It’s a trait. It’s something a person is born to be and it was built from birth. It’s who a person is.   

The first thing to know about an empath when you are in a relationship with them is that empaths need their alone time. They need quality alone time to decompress from any loud activities and public or social situations. When you are involved in a relationship and your partner doesn’t fully understand your need for alone time, it can cause some issues down the road. And if the empath is in a relationship with someone who is codependent or insecure and they don’t fully understand this need, it will create a problem. Empaths need alone time to recenter and recharge. Many will turn to meditation, acupuncture, or other alone activities that help them recenter; even just sitting alone for a while.  

The next thing to know is that empaths can get very overwhelmed easily during an argument or heated discussion. This in turn can exhaust them and then they shut down. Most empaths become exhausted when there is a ton of back-and-forth confrontation. Empaths need to take a step back often and declutter their minds to get through a situation like that. The non-empath partner needs to know the best ways to help them when they get overwhelmed and to understand when they need a break. Being respectful and knowing your partner well enough to know when to take a step back can really strengthen your relationship.  

The next thing to know when in a relationship with an empath is that not only do they overwhelm easily in conversational situations, but they aren’t always a social butterfly and can become exhausted easily in social situations. This can make an empath not want to be in a social environment for a very long time. Being in crowded and loud environments can be rough for an empath. This creates an issue in a relationship if the empath’s partner doesn’t understand this fully. If they are in a social situation and the empath feels exhausted and needs to decompress, the non-empath in the relationship might get upset over that if it’s not fully understood. In any relationship, both partners need to feel understood, respected and valued. The attitude should be “if you’re not happy, I’m not happy,” and there should be compromise from both parties.  

Something helpful that can be done for an empath is for the non-empath to bring light to the relationship. An empath can pick up so many different energies, so it’s important to know when you go through something and move past it, your empath is probably still going through it. A lot of empaths wish they could turn this trait on and off at times, but that’s impossible. Movies, the news, and other people’s lives are examples of things that can make an empath feel sad, overwhelmed or anxious. On the flip-side of this, there are beautiful things that go along with being an empath. They are extremely giving and caring. Empaths struggle with putting themselves first. The good that comes from being in a relationship with an empath is that they love and care extremely hard. It takes a very secure and strong person to really love an empath. You must look at them and value all that they are. Empaths are the healers and creative people in this world. They want to bring love, light and joy into the world.