What is the difference between empathy and an empath—and why you should care…

An empath is somebody who kind of absorbs other people's stuff, energy, and emotions. I chatted with Tara McGillicuddy to see if there's a difference between having empathy and being an empath.

Having empathy is the emotional equivalent of putting yourself in somebody else's place.  It’s a skill that allows you to feel what they're going through, and that's usually something you consciously choose to do.  An Empath can, especially at the beginning when people don't realize they are an empath, is someone who kind of just absorbs other people's stuff. They can’t help it, like any other raw talent they haven’t learned the regulation it takes to protect themselves from emotional burnout.

The Two Most Common Types of Empaths

For the purpose of today’s discussion, we will focus on the two common types of Empaths. There's Emotional Empaths who feel other people's emotions and absorb and/or reflect them back to the source. Then there’s Physical Empaths who absorb each other's physical pain or physical sensations.

What's the difference between ADHD, being overwhelmed and Empathetic Burnout? 

One day I was on Facebook and Dr. Daniel Aon, who's written books about ADHD, who I think people in the ADHD field are familiar with, posted something about being an Empath. And I think because here is a medical type person that I already connected with, and here's this word, Empath. 

i'll give a prime example of what I’ve learned through my research in a word picture. If you go to one of those super centers, which sometimes I love going to, sometimes I am just so bombarded with everything, I just feel sick afterwards.

• ADHD overwhelmed type feels like there's a hundred types of socks to choose from, and you're overwhelmed by that. There's too many choices or there's noise. There's lights flickering and you’re being bombarded with different things. 

• The Empath type of overwhelm  feels like stress that you are absorbing from other people’s energy, for better or worse and you might not even know it.

You might be three whole aisles away and hear somebody arguing with their spouse and you can pick up on their energy, you start to either feel what the person shouting is literally feeling or feel what the person being shouted at is feeling. 

As an Empath, how can we protect ourselves from Empathetic Burnout?

The thing no one wants to hear and everyone wants to have. Effective, healthy boundaries, saying no. Effective boundaries are essential for ADHD and being an Empath. Helpful questions to ask are:

• Is this somebody else's? 

• Where are you taking on somebody else's stuff without their consent? And without yours? 

• What can I say, “oh, this isn't mine” too?

Tara McGillicuddy has been known and celebrated in the ADHD community for decades of practical and long lasting shifts. The creator of class.com, the ADHD Awareness Expo and ADHD Support Talk Radio. She has also honed her natural skills as an empath. Coming soon is our newest resource, the Energy Shift Podcast. I'm so eager to listen to that, so, so welcome, Tara again. I am so thrilled you are. Thank you. I'm so honored to be part of your event.