How did you know you were an empath?

I'm 22 and have begun to wonder if the way in which I can so easily understand and know people goes beyond "normal" observational skills. I often know what a person is feeling when I walk up to them. I used to think I was picking up on subtle clues like facial expressions or posture, but now I'm not so sure. Recently I have also noticed people tend to feel how I want them to about me or just situations in general, is part of an empath being able to alter moods? Or am I just able to relate to them more and so I can manipulate them easier? If anyone could fill me in on how they knew they were an empath that would greatly help me in discovering myself, or even if they wanted to try to read me and see if they can tell. I'm open to anything, I just want answers.
updated by @emmy-long: 06/02/17 02:11:09PM

Heya Emmy,

For me it started off by picking up on someone else's negative emotions. As in I would want to cry, be depressed etc without any reason in my own life to cause it.

As for feeling that something will happen and it does or knowing what someone is thinking, I personally think that's partly to do with being an empath and partly due to your natural aptitude as a spiritual being.

I hope that helps ya!

Pillar

That all seems very similar to what I have gone through so thank you very much for that. It's nice to know other people have gone through similar things because I was honestly a little scared when I first realized I was different. And I did not mean I can really interfere with other people's emotions but that like if a friend comes to me and they are upset, I sometimes feel like I can calm them down more easily than it's people. I would never try to make another person feel something they truly didn't feel for themselves. I just feel like sometimes I can show people the truth if they are feeling irrationally or I can calm them down if they are upset.

I've touched on this before but as a youngster I would cry at happy gatherings and departures. In school I had a hard time focusing. I have always known myind works differently than most. A year ago I was going through a emo break down. A dear friend that is also an empath helped me through that spot and said she was an empath. I looked the word up and low n behold that's why she n I are so connected because I am too. Just didn't know there was a name for it and there are others.

For a long time I made it my business to know what kinds of supernatural abilities there were, whether fictional or real. About 12 or so years ago, I had this innate inkling that I was an empath. But back then, I didn't know half as much as I do now. So because I only thought it meant to feel other people's emotions, I thought that maybe I wasn't one since that's not what I was experiencing. But there's so much more to being an empath than feeling emotions. We're energy feelers. Everything is energy and that can come across as emotional energy that may affect us in relation to someone else. Even though I had given up on researching what an empath REALLY was, I still instinctually knew I was an empath. A few years later I did a google search for "Am I an empath?" and I found a bunch of traits which was like reading a book about my life and that then led me here. I think for a good chunk of us, we "know" we're different, but we may not know how different. For me, I knew I was different, but I also knew I was an empath. It was just something inside of me that knew. Some of us can be oblivious to our true natures, others just know.

Mine is kind've a sweet story I think . I was 16, and I met someone who changed my life. I was close to turning 17, and in my high school, this girl walked into the computer lab, BUT, I didn't notice until all of a sudden I felt something inside of me. Just out of nowhere, I felt so much joy, so much energy, so much love, like I was drawn to someone, and it hit me in the chest in a way. I was freaking out, had no idea what it was, but it caused me to look over, and there she was. She is a woman I've been in love with since not too long after that when we got to know each other, and i've loved her so strongly for the past 5 years. I believe we're meant to be together someday.

With that said, she is an Empath too, but that's only partially why. Our fates are connected. Recently, I saw a vision of her getting beaten by a man, ended up telling her describing the man and she said it might be her ex, sent me a picture, there he was. I warned her of the dangerous possible future, and so I may have prevented it. I'm supposed to be protecting her, comforting her. She didn't know she was an Empath until recently when I told her. My heart has been very guided lately and it grows with age and experience, you have to exercise these gifts as you do your body, but they also grow with age.

Being an Empath means sensing others, sensing their emotions, sensing if their intentions are good or bad (like a dog can, we connect with animals very well and they love us), and as you grow older, you go through changes, and aquire more abilities or that they grow stronger. Sometimes it CAN be overwhelming and it can be a pain, but if you feel someone out of nowhere, be patient, it means you are meant to meet them in the near future (don't be surprised if it's months), but find someone who can teach you how to handle things. You can also create a barrier around you to protect yourself from these signals from going in and out. You can manipulate your energy with imagination. Basically putting your hands up and creating a formation of energy and stretching it out all around you then snipping (use two fingers to cut like scissors basically) this sticky energy that looks kind've like it's from a spider web, those can drain you. Cut them.


Anyway, sorry for the loooong message, but this is what helped me. Don't be surprised if you end up seeing visions in the future, though not sure if all Empaths do. There are different types. I'm a natural "receiver" as my mentor calls me, a sensory type, someone who is highly sensitive to energy and emotions opposed to other empaths, partially because I have a blue aura. Look up auras and meanings too. Natural "senders" are good to team up with receivers because they can speak telepathically. The woman i mentioned is a sender, which is why I can hear her so well sometimes but she's unaware of doing it, but deep down she loves me and I know it, but she doesn't know I'm aware, I'm just there for her and comforting her in the meantime and I can feel and see what she goes through sometimes. We have a strong connection.

As you grow, you'll know what you're capable of and good at. It may take a year or two but along the way you may obtain abilities you never thought you would have. I never thought I could have visions, but that's recent, so I'm not sure if that means I'm partially Psychic or what, but it's cool. I can also read a single moment in a photograph (nothing to do with physical appearance, just need eyes to feel them, read them) sometimes knowing what they were thinking or feeling at the time of the photo. You can read people online too and on cellphones, keep that in mind