If you are drawn by this title and taking time to read this, you may well be an empath. While the challenges it brings into one’s life can the great, being an empath is also a gift to experience life far more deeply than most other people.

The perceptions and intuition within empathic individuals are more penetrating than non-empaths and they can see truth that others would defy and refuse to acknowledge.

Being an empath is a gift. In this article are some of the characteristics and experiences of the empath.

Here are 17 Signs You Might Be An Empath

1. Empaths will feel the emotions of others.

The closer the bond the empath shares with the person, the greater intensity of this experience. For the strongly attuned empaths, geographic distance will have no damping effect on this. If the two souls are close to each other, this experience can be quite common.

2. Empaths are aware of what others feel and think.

Empaths are aware of how others feel about them even if it is unpleasant and the person involved tries not to show it. The empath will discern the other’s feelings despite outward communication which belies the true inner feelings. In fact empaths can be fairly accurate truth barometers in many situations.

3. Empaths have great difficulty with the pain of others.

Because empaths feel on such a deep level, a person with strong empathic qualities may have great difficulty in watching violence or witness any harshness between people or animals, or done by people toward animals. This is true whether in person, on TV or in movies and stories.

An empath may actually feel a need to physically remove themselves from such a setting, or change channels or have the TV off, in order to spare themselves the pain they are all too likely to internalize. Some may give up television or newspapers entirely.

4. Public venues may be overly stimulating.

Public venues may be painfully stimulating for these sensitive people, as they experience the assault of all the energy and emotion filling the physical space. They may experience a feeling of complete exhaustion after being in such a setting.

5. Empaths experience sympathy pains.

A sensitive empath is likely to experience what has commonly been referred to as ‘sympathy pains,’ meaning the physical ailments of someone they’re in a close relationship to.

6. They love to help the underdog.

As sensitive as these individuals are, it is not surprising they frequently will be all out to help the underdog. It is their nature to appreciate, more than most, the plight of those in a place of hardship. They may be the ones you will see volunteering their time in the community, helping stray animals, underprivileged children, the elderly or the sick or even speaking up for those who can’t be heard.

7. Empaths hold onto weight.

One odd characteristic that tends to hold true of a large percentage of empaths is they tend to hold onto weight, even if one doesn’t overeat. They may be inclined to put on extra layers of fat, which is thought to be a protective mechanism in the body to minimize the extreme sensitivity they have to the world around them. See Weight Loss for People Who Feel Too Much.

8. They are impacted by the “mood” or the “feel.”

The mood or feel of the day will effect an empathic person, whether or not they are directly impacted by the significance of the day. For example, a retired person may get a little boost in their mood as the weekend approaches despite not having to work during the week as before. They may also feel a down mood at the start of the work week. In December holiday festivities, empaths who observe neither Christmas or Hannukah were inclined to an uplift in mood too, beyond what is felt by the general population.

9. They love knowledge.

An empath may not excel in the restrictive kind of book learning that school provides, but they hunger to understand life more. They will read and inquire about varied subjects, or ‘Google it’ to find answers.

Furthermore they often have an intrinsic kind of knowing as well. If a science teacher explains some phenomenon about the stars that hadn’t been revealed to the class before, and empath would be thinking, “Yeah, that’s what I figured”.

10. Empaths are easily bored.

Empathic people will be prone to boredom. If life is too routine or lacking the right kind of experiences, they may become restless and seek new adventures that fit well into their level of comfort. Outings that include nature or conversation or interaction with a compatible friend may be examples of a satisfying relief of boredom.

11. They are wonderful listeners.

The true empath is a wonderful listener, who is sincerely eager to learn about other people. They are often far more interested in learning about others than in sharing their own story. Sometimes they are very protective in revealing their own emotions and feelings unless they are with one of the rare people they feel they can trust.

On the flip side, however, these people have low tolerance for listening to the narcissist, whose ramblings may fall into the arena of “It’s all about me.” This is a distinct displeasure for the true empath.

12. Empaths are daydreamers.

Daydreaming and solitude may be strongly evident in the empath. The world they live in day-to-day may overwhelm all of their senses, and retreating into a world more or less of their own making brings them solace, whether they seek to learn new things through resting on a subject that has their attention or just randomly daydreaming of happy times, all brings a sense of peace lacking in some of the activities of the day.

13. They will be resistant to buying used items most of the time.

Home furnishings, clothing, cars or even homes are generally new to avoid the unwanted energies that emanate from the previous owner on the item unless of course there are financial restraints that prohibit buying new items.

14. Very empathic people will be resistant to doing activities that aren’t enjoyable to them.

Unappealing or routine activities feel like an imprisonment to an empath. When they aren’t participating as others feel they should in activities that do not interest them, others may call them lazy, which causes a further retreat into themselves, since they can easily be hurt by insults.

15. They tend to be creative.

These highly sensitive people may find some creative ability as well. Whether in the performing arts as in acting or singing, or through painting, drawing or writing, empaths have creative ways of expressing themselves. Sometimes it can be reflected in their story-telling abilities.

16. Empaths may have a strong response to music.

The response is favorably, if it is a musical piece that suits their emotions at the moment. Empaths cross genres easily. Whatever music speaks to them, they will listen to enthusiastically, but may be saddened by lyrics that deal in heartbreak or any emotional experience, especially if they have recently experienced it themselves. Sometimes, these types of songs are helpful, however, for the empath to process their experiences.

17. Empaths are people magnets.

Their warmth and genuineness draws people to them both for their loving nature and their ability to be good listeners. Animals and children may also pick up on this quality in an empath, without any knowledge about one being an empath.