World Class Hugs

By Rachel Puryear

For people who are highly empathic, introverted, or highly neurosensitive; life can be full of things we find more tiring and draining than most other people do. That doesn’t mean, however, that we were destined to go through life constantly exhausted and depleted.

There are plenty of things which energize and uplift us – and for the things that do energize and uplift us, we often benefit from those to an even greater extent than most other people do! This is because we tend to feel things more deeply than the general population – so the disparity works both ways.

With that in mind, here are some things which uplift and energize highly empathic people:

Nature and the Outdoors

Empathic people have a special love of the outdoors, and Earth unspoiled by humans. Spending some time outside, in quiet and peaceful natural surroundings, will pick us up big time. This should be done frequently by highly empathic people, or at least as often as possible.

Physical Affection (With People You’re Comfortable With)

So long as we’re with people we feel comfortable and safe with, a great many empathic people get a huge lift from hugs, cuddling, snuggling, and physical affection in general.

Deep Connection With Others, Including Mutual Empathy and Giving

Empathic people aren’t big on small talk, but that’s not because we don’t crave connection with others – it’s just that instead, we want something deeper than just sticking to a shallow surface.

We want to truly connect with others, and we want those others to also want to connect more deeply with us. We want to know others on a deeper level, and also – when enough trust has been first established – share of ourselves more deeply with others.

This can be accomplished with the help of Big Talk, as opposed to small talk.

Doing Something Creative

Empathic people tend to feel at home when they’re creating something – be it painting, drawing, building, writing, coming up with original ideas, and other creative and artistic pursuits. It’s a part and parcel of who we are. We need creative activities – whether it’s how we make our living, or a passion we do when we can. These help to energize us, fulfill us, and make us feel more whole.

Rest, Relaxation, and Self-Care

This one sounds obvious, but it can be hard to stay on top of when life gets very busy and complicated. Nonetheless, much-needed down-time is essential for people who are empathic, introverted, or otherwise neurosensitive. A little down time can reap rewards later on which are bigger than the time taken for such, in the form of feeling a lot better and getting more needed things done later on.

If at all possible, this should include time with animals and pets!

Self-Compassion, and Setting Boundaries

Empathic people in particular can get down on themselves, probably more than most – we can tend to judge everything we do, shame ourselves, and carry a lot of guilt. We also may have a harder time saying “no” to others, even when we probably should. All of this can sap our energy, and make us feel more tired and drained – even if we may not always connect this cause and effect.

However, giving ourselves some of the compassion that we tend to readily give to others can help restore some of that sapped energy, and give us a much-needed lift. We can treat ourselves the way we would treat a friend in a similar situation, instead of viewing ourselves through the lens that the harshest enemy would.

Empathic people must also set realistic boundaries with others. That doesn’t mean we can never be helpful again – but instead, that before automatically saying yes without thinking, that we can stop for a moment and think things through first, and be really honest with ourselves about whether a commitment is realistic; and whether or not we’re doing something for someone else out of a genuine desire, or more along the lines of guilt and shame around saying no. If you need to think about it, there’s nothing wrong with simply saying, “I don’t know. Let me think about it and get back to you.” (And someone who doesn’t respect that is probably someone you should distance yourself from more.)

Acceptance of Ourselves

Self-doubt, excessive self-criticism (as contrasted with constructive self-criticism, which is healthy), and constantly not feeling good enough can weigh down everyone, and highly empathic people may be even more prone to such tendencies than the general population. Accordingly; practicing better acceptance of ourselves is not only a good thing in its own right, but it can help highly empathic people preserve more of our energy.

Awareness of the Present

It’s a good idea for anyone, at least now and then, to slow down and be aware of the present moment – what’s going on around you, what feelings and sensations you’re having, and what you’re aware of. This can be especially good for highly empathic people, though – because we tend to get lost in our thoughts more than most other people do; and also because we may get an even more intense benefit than others from better awareness of the present, and better awareness of what’s going on inside of us, and why. Greater awareness of the present can help discharge thoughts and sensations that we were trying to block out, as trying to block things out is a huge drag on our energy. Accordingly, better awareness of the present helps to keep our energy levels lifted up.

Spirituality (the Positive, Evolved Kind)

A regular spiritual practice, so long as it’s of the variety of things like being a better person, love, compassion, giving, and other prosocial values; can be a great source of energization and upliftment for anyone, and especially for highly empathic people (who tend to be naturally drawn to such prosocial values). It can also be a great source of connection with others, and communities of kindred spirits, as discussed next.

Community of Kindred Spirits

Connection is important, and community builds upon connection as well as offering opportunities for connection. Highly empathic people need one another, and we thrive together. Therefore, it is important to seek out and find communities where lots of highly empathic people can be found – which only requires a bit of imagination, which thankfully we tend to have. Finding communities where we can meet other highly empathic people is a key source of energization and upliftment for highly empathic people, as well.

What about you? What else gives you energy and uplifts you, as a highly empathic person? Let us know in the comments below!

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Thank you, dear readers, for reading, following, and sharing. Here’s to that which uplifts and energizes us, as highly empathic people. If you enjoyed this content and want to see more of it, please hit “like” and subscribe, if you have not done so already. xoxo