Some questions from a Natural Empath

[Mat Ethers]

Well I've been reading up on empathy for a while now because as I sometimes say "I suffer from it". Anyway I just finished reading the article on empathy on the main site. (JediKaren just linked me to it and I read really fast). And I got to the description of common traits (personality wise). And it's confused me a little. Okay so here's what it says.

While not all empaths are the same, there does seem to be some common signs you can find. Empaths can be rash, moody, and artsy. They have trouble with logic, problem solving and math. They succeed in sports and the arts. They may take anything worse than most people, like death or losing their job. Empaths can be easily excited. They are generally quiet and withdrawn a lot due to the overload factor. They attract a lot of talkers because they can listen. They also attract a lot of people seeking advice because empaths, by nature, have a good understand of emotions of different people and how to help people with their emotions.

After Reading this I realised that all these traits match the "Old Me" (I went through a major personality shift entering high school), other than the logic part I have always been mathematically minded.

But even though the "old me" matches the profile, the "new me" doesn't at all, well at least not as much.

Rash - Not at all any more.
Moody - Yes always have been.
Artsy - Yes always have been.
Trouble with logic - No Never.
Take death or losing their job worse - I always used to get really angry over little things and death I was a bit strange I was either really affected or not at all.
Easily Excited - Used to be it's almost Impossible to get me excited any more.
Withdrawn - Definitely not any more... I get along with everybody possibly due to the empathy?
Attract a lot of talker cause I'm a listener - Always been the exact opposite I attract Listeners and Non-listeners for that matter because I'm a talker.
People Seeking - advice yep all the time actually a little more recently.
Have a good understanding of people and their emotions. Yes except more recently I can but I've been that distracted with emotional overload (fairly large high school millions of people going through puberty... not exactly the most emotionally stable place.)



And another question I can often predict to the word what others are about to say would this fall under empathy or precognition because I only ever get it with people saying things no anything else.

[Fearn]

From the age group that you're speaking of (middle school) these seem a lot like the symptoms of a hormonal teenager as well (and that's sometimes what it feels like).

Have you started shielding? This may be what has caused you to stop acting like that.

That last part sounds like telepathy or precognition. Probably telepathy, but it's not empathy. I know that much ;D

[Mat Ethers]

I haven't started shielding (that I know of... can you do it subconsciously?). The thing that really gets me though is that since I stopped showing... the symptoms(?) I might have become less moody but I'm finding it a heck of a lot harder to concentrate etc. unless I'm trying to stop being like that subconsciously and thats distracting me or something?

[Fearn]

It's possible. You can shield subconsciously, so that may be what it is?

[Mat Ethers]

It could be. Or maybe I'm doing it through force of will. That could explain why I can't because I stop myself from being to moody. If you ask anyone I know they'll say that I'm normal and always happy, one of those people who is so happy all the time it annoys the heck out of people. But inside my head I'm always trying to be myself and consciously (and subconsciously) blocking out all the other emotions, and that's why I can't focus.

Or I could have some sort of subconscious shield up unfortunately I can't scan so it's hard to tell.


EDIT:

Also another question. Sometimes when someone I know well (like a friend or relative gets ill I feel the symptoms, is this also empathy?

Just an example during my end of year exams (convenient time hey) I all of a sudden out of nowhere got the worst headache of my life, it lasted almost 3 hours and left just before my science exam (thank god) (could have something to do with a trick I saw on "Survivor" the guy who did it called it getting rid of bad Chi anyway it worked (really well I ended up getting 97% or something like that)). Anyway when I got home that afternoon mum said something about getting a headache and I said I had one too we compared the times we got them and it was pretty much the exact same (I estimated as I didn't have a watch) but it turns out just as I was doing "the Chi thing" mum had some Coke (she's addicted to it (drink not drug)) which cleared up her headache.

So maybe it wasn't my dodgily done "Chi thing" but mum having a drink which resulted in my headache going away (if I'd have known I wouldn't have done the "Chi thing" which resulted in me having a big red mark on my forehead.

Oh well... what do you think is the sharing of pain empathy too?

[Fearn]

Sharing of pain is empathy. You most likely have a strong bond (called a link) between you and the friend/relative. This allows you to feel what they are feeling from far away.

For example. My mum was in a car wreck in the US and I was in France. I woke up in the middle of the night feeling my back breaking, and my ribs being crushed. The next day I was told about the accident.

[Mat Ethers]

Ouch... is you mum okay? That makes my headache seem like complaining.

But it is good to know that the pain is empathy. 2 of my close friends get migraines and I feel it whenever they get one (1-2 times a week) hopefully when I learn to shield that will help.