28 Mind-Blowing Signs You’re An Empath—And Why The Universe Might Just Be Using You As Its Emotional Wi-Fi Router
Added on November 28, 2025 inASTROLOGY CARDS
Popular
Numerology Meets Netflix: Get Your Daily Dose of Cosmic Cinema Suggestions Powered By Our AI Astrologer. Find The Show Or Movie You Were Meant To See!
Ever wonder why some people seem to pick up on every little vibe buzzing around them — like emotional radio antennas with volume turned all the way up? Being an empath isn’t just about having a big heart; it’s like walking through a storm of feelings that can leave you wired, weary, or wildly wise. With Mercury flirting with intuitive Pisces today, maybe it’s no surprise that those finely tuned souls among us are swirling in a cosmic soup of deep knowing and powerful perceptions. Empaths don’t just feel—they see the hidden layers beneath the surface and offer a rare kind of comfort and insight that can feel almost magical. If you’re that person everyone confides in, or you just want to finally understand why crowds make you jittery and why you crave solitude after the noise, buckle up. Here’s a dive into 28 traits that show how real empaths navigate a world that never quite feels the same to them as it does to the rest of us. LEARN MORE.
Being an empath may seem like a burden. Your emotions can run high and cause anxiety and moodiness. All of those feelings can be used to provide you with greater insights into life. Empaths have a profound emotional connection to others.
They can read the significance of complex emotions and are expert listeners. They see the world differently from others. You or someone you know may be an empath. If you are, you’re probably the person people run to for advice, consoling, and just a friendly presence. That’s an amazing power to have.
Advertisement
According to Dr. Judith Orloff, author of The Empath’s Survival Guide, not only are there different types of empaths, but certain characteristics as well. The types of empaths include emotional empaths, intuitive empaths, physical empaths, medium empaths, earth empaths, and more.
Empaths have a deep sense of understanding emotional significance that’s unwavering and unquestionable. Their knowledge comes with pinpoint accuracy in reading a person or situation. They are capable of reading others without obvious cues and can describe what’s really going on beneath the surface.
Advertisement
They know if someone is being dishonest or not speaking their truth. The more attuned they are to their empathy, the stronger and more frequent the knowing and reading abilities will be.
Hananeko_Studio via Shutterstock
Highly empathic people have a natural ability to listen with all their senses acutely attuned, which allows the person who is talking to feel as though they are being heard and understood. Empaths can intuitively guide a conversation with sincere compassion and enable even the most reserved person to respond and express their deepest and most painful thoughts and feelings comfortably.
Advertisement
The unspoken confidence and trust of the empath will often weigh up the need of the other person so they can act in the best interest of that person, even if it means risking ongoing relationships.
Shopping malls, supermarkets, or stadiums, anywhere masses of people gather, can be overwhelming and even lead to panic attacks or anxiety due to the myriad of emotions being sensed. Until this is contained and manageable, the empath tends to steer clear of being around large groups of people.
Due to heightened sensitivities to emotional and physical energy, it’s a common occurrence for empaths to take on the emotions of others and not even realize it, and to directly mirror those emotions as though they were the empaths’ own.
Advertisement
This can cause difficulty in distinguishing what emotions belong to oneself or another. Life can become overwhelming. Self-awareness can bring a greater degree of control, and the ability to determine whose emotions are whose will help the empath not get caught up in the outside emotions.
“Emotional self-awareness is the foundational element of emotional intelligence, which is a cluster of abilities that makes emotional regulation possible,” explained life coach Karen Finn. “But self-awareness is perhaps the most difficult element to develop. Learning how to be more self-aware starts with a U-turn that drives your focus inward.”
Empaths can experience extreme highs and lows, which makes them unpredictable in behavior at the best of times. One minute they can be happy, and the next minute feel sad and withdrawn, which is not always the result of how they actually feel, but what they have picked up on in others. This can be confusing, let alone depressing.
Advertisement
They can also be demanding of attention, be it for good reasons or not. If they feel they are not being heard, they will act out and come across as needy, even narcissistic, although they would seriously question and oppose the latter.
Just because one may have strong empathy at some point in time does not mean they are not akin to being so overwhelmed with it that they fall heavily towards narcissism. “Awareness is the very first step to recognizing and fixing a problem,” advised psychologist Karen Davin. “This is key in any life challenge. As you become more aware of your behaviors, you start the process of gaining greater insight into who you are as a person so you can make necessary, sustainable changes.”
Violence, cruelty, shocking scenes of physical or emotional pain, or depictions of abuse can bring an empath to tears. They may even feel physically ill, bewildered, and struggle to comprehend such acts as being justified. One sure way of dealing with this is to turn off the TV or radio or disassociate yourself from the chaos.
Advertisement
Because of the onslaught of emotional energy, empaths are highly sensitive and, in most cases, they don’t know how to deal with this. It can become problematic and manifest in varying forms of physical illnesses or diseases.
It’s vital to learn about emotional energy, distinguish its origin, and apply the tools that will allow the empath to move forward with balanced wellness. Existing illnesses and diseases can potentially be laid to rest once and for all in doing so.
PeopleImages.com – Yuri A via Shutterstock
Advertisement
Others, including strangers, are drawn to an empath like a magnet, and find it easy to express themselves and resonate with them on a deep, meaningful level. They will often feel like they have known each other for many years, even though they may have just met.
People have this innate sense of trust and feel comfortable and relaxed in their presence, yet are conscious that they would not normally feel this way.
They are drawn to helping others, and in doing so, take on more than their fair share to personally cope mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and physically. So they will experience constant fatigue. They may need to take daily catnaps or retreats to replenish their energy and feel revitalized.
Advertisement
“Tolerating mounting discomfort can take a toll on our bodies and our patience, as it should,” cautions psychologist Dr. Alicia H. Clark. “Discomfort is our body’s signal to our brain that it needs our attention. With so many competing demands on our attention, we can miss our bodily cues of discomfort. And sometimes, the habit of suspending our physical needs (and ignoring them) gets so entrenched that we fail to recognize what it is that we need.”
Whether it’s a career as a nurse, doctor, physiotherapist, neurosurgeon, psychologist, or massage therapist, homeopath, naturopath, social worker, or a veterinarian, those who have strong empathy from a young age are often drawn to these fields due to a pull to helping heal people and/or animals.
Strict and long-term education and work protocols, however, are known to stifle one’s innate empathy and remarkably deter them from what drew them to the field in the first place. Once in the field, there’s a great need to be aware of one’s empathy and not become overwhelmed in taking on others’ energy, as it can become a catalyst for burning out and walking away altogether.
Advertisement
Driven by curiosity to understand the intricacies of life, and an intense desire to seek the truth and question much of everything until they feel a resonance with any given answer, if it doesn’t sit well with them, their curiosity will grow. They will continue to seek answers even if it takes a lifetime.
Prostock-studio via Shutterstock
They can be drawn to the unexplainable, paranormal, metaphysics, and have a deep sense of spirituality (not necessarily religion, even though they may lean towards such to find a sense of belonging). They will dabble in many areas until they find their niche, and they will actively pursue it throughout their lifetime.
Advertisement
“Trust the messages that you receive,” advised psychic Polly Wirum. “This is huge. As young children, we were more in tune with the flow of the Universe. Children don’t question their feelings. As adults, we’ve been trained not to trust everything that is not part of our logical world. I can promise you, many messages are aligned with miracles and not logic.”
From a young age, they are the child who listens to the stories of old that are passed down throughout the generations. They have a genuine interest in wanting to know where they came from, who their ancestors were, and what they did in their lifetime.
They will grow up to be keepers of the family tree and possess a collection of photo albums and heirlooms. Feeling a sense of connectedness holds great importance, and as they learn this, they will be the ones to pass this knowledge on to their children.
Advertisement
Although they are quiet achievers who prefer to do the hard work behind the scenes, they will often be found in positions of leadership due to their ability to be focused, organized, and supportive, quick thinking, and capable of inspiring and motivating others with magnificent poise.
They are more comfortable in giving sincere praise to others rather than accepting it, and are often found meditating to maintain a balance of harmony. Career coach Lisa Petsinis suggested, “Effective leaders know that being connected with people on an emotional level is the only way to gain their commitment and engage them. To do that, they have to be able to put themselves in someone else’s shoes. This compassion goes well beyond empathy — it’s the willingness to act on their behalf to make their circumstances better. Simply put, kindness matters.”
A great love for expressing their creativity as artists, musicians, singers, dancers, performing artists, acting, poets, and designers, empaths love to tell a story and can captivate an audience through a vivid imagination. There’s an ease with which they can take you directly into the picture, as though you were actually experiencing it firsthand.
SeventyFour
Advertisement
They are inclined to have a pet as they love to give and receive the unconditional love that comes from dogs, cats, rabbits, and other living creatures. They are often advocates or supporters in the prevention of cruelty to animals.
They enjoy being outdoors, amongst the forest or high in the mountains, and are content being connected to the land. They will often escape from the busy world to rejuvenate their senses.
Be it swimming in the sea, floating in the pool, walking in the rain, a long soak in the tub, or a hot shower to cleanse and wash away the troubles of the day, they sense the healing properties of water. It’s a reconnection to the womb for the safety and comfort it held, and can be recaptured at that moment.
“Each of us has a body part that is more vulnerable to absorbing others’ stress,” explained Dr. Orloff. “A quick way to dissolve stress is to immerse yourself in water. My bath is my sanctuary after a busy day. It washes away everything from bus exhaust to long hours of air travel to pesky symptoms I have taken on from others. Soaking in natural mineral springs divinely purifies all that ails.”
Advertisement
Although they can be very sociable, they also like to escape from the hustle and bustle, and are content with their own company. They enjoy the tranquillity that comes with being in a quiet space. That means reading a book, watching a movie, drawing a picture, or pursuing a hobby — they love to just relax. They will display this tendency from childhood and throughout life.
They have a need to be stimulated and focused on one project or another and will give all their energy to any given task, whether it’s at school, work, or home life. If the task fails to stimulate their senses, they become bored, distracted, and will either begin to fidget or doodle, or be off in their minds, daydreaming.
PeopleImages.com – Yuri A via Shutterstock
Advertisement
They enjoy spontaneity in their life by exploring all that life has to offer and will seek out adventures, travel to far-off places, or find enjoyable activities nearby. They enjoy being free-spirited, leaving the constraints of the world behind them, and if they don’t get to do this as often as they would like, they will become quite restless and agitated.
An awareness of energy comes naturally, and they will feel weighed down by clutter and chaos. Although they may collect things, everything has a place and order, and they will constantly do clutter-clearing to allow the balance of energy (flow) in their environment. They can place furniture or even plant gardens in a way that energy flows in and around everything.
Routine, repetition, and rules can become mundane for the creative empath who continuously seeks ways in which to express their loves, the things they enjoy in life. If they are told they cannot do something within reason, they will find a way they can. The willingness to challenge themselves goes hand in hand with being spontaneous.
Bursting with energy and an appreciation for life, and living it as fully as they can, empaths are filled with enthusiasm. However, the downside is that they can exert so much energy that they will burn out and need to take time to recuperate. When they do, they will bounce back and give themselves fully.
Advertisement
They don’t do anything in halves; it’s all or nothing, and they tend to feel disappointed if others around them don’t share the same zest for life as they do.
Conflict is extremely unsettling, regardless of whether it’s with family, friends, colleagues, or even strangers, or if it’s direct or indirect, locally or internationally. They will voice their feelings towards such and endeavor to find a peaceful resolution, even if it means being a mediator.
Advertisement
They have a love and respect for all people and cultures, and vehemently oppose wars, political unrest, cruelty, racism, hatred, and separatism, as they believe deeply that we can all live together in harmony. They will advocate this in one way or another, if not by being pivotal to the establishment of humanitarian organizations or in support of them.
“Peace and love are your go-to setting,” suggested holistic healer LouLou Palmer. “As a high-functioning empath, you may find any form of conflict challenging. It’s hard enough to hold and know your center when being challenged, let alone when you are also reading others’ energy and feelings. It can be intense to decipher what is you, and what is them.”
Holding objects such as rings, jewelry, clothing, ornaments, or touching door handles to old buildings, or entering historical homes, can bring through very vivid and accurate accounts of the owner’s history and life experiences. This can be extremely daunting and off-putting to those sensitive to picking up energies, whereas those who are more aware and in control of their empathy will feel at ease and be drawn to such.
The dream realm is not just a meaningless place where one goes when they are asleep. An empath often has vivid dreams from a young age and will have lucid dreams where they are awake in their dreams and have an ability to control certain aspects by willful thought alone.
Advertisement
They are capable of describing in graphic detail the dream content. They also have a strong desire to interpret the dream, knowing that it has direct relevance to their physically awake life. In doing so, they can find answers to guide them well. It’s not unusual for an empath to, at some point in time in their lives, have an out-of-body experience or astral travel, be it voluntarily or not.
fizkes via Shutterstock
Empaths love to love others and be loved in return, and will seek meaningful relationships throughout their entire lives, though they are not always adept at self-love as they are inclined to give of themselves freely to others. They can grow up thinking (by what they learn from society) that it’s selfish to love yourself, and that it’s narcissistic in behavior.
Advertisement
They do not like to be caught up in fights, be it verbal or physical, as communication comes easily to them. However, they will not be passive, but they will aim for a peaceful resolution as quickly as possible. They get extremely frustrated if the other person is not willing to resolve the conflict fully, as they don’t see the logic in dragging things on.
Intense visionaries are blended with an adventurous love of life and enthusiasm. Empaths will dabble in many ventures and business opportunities and find ways to expand their potential, feed their creative minds, and do the things they love.
They have this instinct, knowing they are capable of achieving greater things, and will constantly think outside the box and push through any boundaries (often against the odds), with focused energy. Where there is a problem, there immediately lies an answer, and they won’t stop until they find it — even if that means inventing it themselves.
Advertisement
Christel Broederlow has spent the better part of the last 20+ years researching and writing about innate empathy from a real lived experience and sharing her knowledge of natural-born empaths.
Auto Amazon Links: No products found.
This will close in 0 seconds
This will close in 0 seconds
){kind=link}