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I just finished binge-watching Manifest Season 4 Part I on Netflix, and wow—my tear ducts are officially out of business. I ugly-cried like it was my full-time job when Zeke used his empathic abilities to absorb Cal’s cancer, saving Cal and effectively ending his own life (sorry for the spoiler, but if you’re an empath like me, you probably already sensed this coming). From the very beginning, I loved Zeke’s character, and watching him die—especially after that heart-wrenching phone call where he pours his heart out to his wife—was too much for me to handle. I had to pause the episode, sobbing like I had just lived through the heartbreak myself.

Unfortunately, this is my reality with everything—TV shows, books, music, strangers’ stories on TikTok. I don’t just watch or listen; I absorb. As an empath, I take on the emotions of everything around me like a human sponge with zero control over its absorbency level. Honestly, it’s both my greatest strength and my greatest weakness.

The Emotional Rollercoaster of Being an Empath

Imagine living in a world where you don’t just feel your emotions but also everyone else’s. Someone at work is having a bad day? You feel it. Your friend texts you a sad story? You feel it. Your neighbour’s cat looks a little down? You feel it. Even fictional characters aren’t safe! 

It’s like carrying an emotional WiFi connection with unlimited data—you’re always on and always picking up signals. And while this superpower can make life incredibly meaningful, it can also be downright exhausting.

Here’s how it feels to be an empath:

• People’s pain and sadness hit you like a freight train. If someone near you is hurting, your heart physically aches for them—even if you don’t personally know them.
• Music, books, and movies aren’t just entertainment. They are emotional journeys that leave you drained.
• You just know things. Your intuition is eerily accurate. No, you don’t have proof, but you know when something is off.
• Crowds? Overwhelming. Drama? Emotionally suffocating. Small talk? Excruciating (unless it’s with someone who truly vibes with your energy).

How I Stay Sane as an Empath (or at Least Try To)

To keep myself from becoming an emotional wreck 24/7, I’ve learnt to set boundaries and protect my energy. Here are some things that help:

✅ Surrounding myself with positive, supportive people. If someone drains my energy faster than a phone on a 1% battery, I limit my time around them.

✅ Saying NO. (Still working on this one, but we’re getting there!)

✅ Avoid unnecessary emotional triggers. I skip the news, avoid toxic social media posts, and politely remove myself from emotionally exhausting conversations.

✅ Writing. Getting my thoughts down on paper (or a screen) helps me reconnect with my own emotions instead of carrying everyone else’s.

✅ Letting myself cry. If I feel like crying, I cry. No shame in that. Tears are just emotions leaving the body, right? (At least that’s what I tell myself.)

✅ Daily self-care rituals. Meditation, grounding exercises, and alone time work wonders for resetting my emotional balance.

A Guide to Loving an Empath (Good Luck!)

If you have an empath in your life, congratulations! You’ve just gained an emotional detective, a personal cheerleader, and a deeply loyal companion. But, you’ve also entered a world where deep feelings are constant and boundaries are necessary. Here’s how to navigate life with an empath:

1️⃣ Don’t try to change them. Empaths feel deeply—it’s who they are. If you try to tell them to “just stop being so sensitive,” they will shut down faster than a Windows update.

2️⃣ Support them, but remind them to take care of themselves. They will gladly carry your emotional baggage, but sometimes they need someone to remind them to put it down.

3️⃣ Trust their intuition. If an empath tells you something feels off, listen. They don’t need hard evidence to know when something is wrong.

4️⃣ They love HARD. If an empath loves you, it’s an all-consuming, powerful, once-in-a-lifetime kind of love. Handle with care.

5️⃣ Let them feel. Sometimes, they just need to sit in their emotions. Don’t rush them to “move on” or “get over it.” Instead, offer them comfort and space to process.

My Empath Superpower (Cue the Hero Music)

Yes, being an empath can feel like a curse—constantly picking up on every emotional vibration around you, feeling things too deeply, and struggling to protect your energy. But over time, I’ve come to embrace it as a gift.

Instead of suppressing my emotions, I use them to connect with others, to write, to love fiercely, and to navigate life with a heightened sense of awareness. Sure, I still cry over fictional characters and strangers’ heartbreaks, but I wouldn’t trade this ability for anything. Because at the end of the day, being an empath means feeling the beauty in everything, too—the joy, the love, the kindness.

And honestly, I’d take that any day.

X, Hani ♥