Empaths are the deep feelers, the sensitive souls. They’re often very intuitive and observant. The people-pleasers who likely have had (or have) issues creating boundaries. They feel the energy (emotions) in the air — and this can feel overwhelming at times, especially since their own emotions come through strongly, too.
Which is why empaths, especially when they’re unaware of their sensitivities, can sometimes confuse other people’s emotions for their own.
When we have an empathic or highly intuitive child (and if you are empathic, you’re even more likely to have an empathic child), it’s especially important to help them pay attention to and acknowledge their feelings.
After all, awareness of your emotional state is key to thriving and creating from your heart.
You can help your empathic child this in 2 main ways:
#1: By directly teaching them about their emotions and how to acknowledge and welcome them.
This means giving your child expressive language around emotions, regulation tools to increase their tolerance window (e.g., pausing and breathing, journaling, meditation, movement, tapping, etc.), and explicitly teaching them healthy boundaries (learning to say no with ease when something doesn’t feel good).
You can help your child understand their deeply emotional nature by having them tune into their body as they experience a heightened emotional state (either during or afterward) — and by helping them find words for the experience. It can be helpful to practice this, at first, during “positive” emotional experiences like joy or love. For example, if they appear happy to you, ask them to tune into their body and describe how and where they feel the emotion. Is it in their chest, belly, head, hands? What shape is it? Is it heavy or light? How would you describe it? And then, when it passes, how does their body feel now?
And if they are feeling sad, do the same. You can gently urge them to investigate their emotions during a tantrum, especially if you’ve practiced this in calmer/gentler states. By doing this inquiry, your child is learning how to tolerate discomfort and observe it pass.
The most important part is for you to stay present throughout these “exercises” and also while your child is experiencing a challenging emotional state; this shows them that they are never alone in their sometimes-scary and unpredictable emotional life.
Make it a game. Highly empathic kids will have a lot to say when coaxed 🙂 Believe it or not, this exercise can work with all ages; if your child is older, give them a heads up by explaining the strategy beforehand and why you’re employing it. Another option is to buy them a designated journal and have them write about their emotions as they come up. You can give them prompts and have them respond in their journal. They can choose whether or not they’d like to share.
And it’s essential that your empathic child understands that when something doesn’t feel good, they can say no. They are driving their bus — and what they feel matters more than anything else.
#2: Leading by example.
Show your child how you are connected to your own emotional state and how you aren’t afraid of big feelings (yours and theirs). Teaching boundaries is another place where your example matters a lot!
Again, there’s a good chance that, if your child is an empath, so are you. What they witness and feel around makes a big difference in their emotional well-being.
I know this isn’t always easy, and no one is expecting “perfection.” For me, knowing that my child is an empath gives me even more motivation to tend to my emotional health (and energetic vibration).
Your empathic child is a huge gift, a mirror into your own needs. When you both learn to sit with and welcome in your emotions, you become unstoppable. More at ease, more confident, and more empowered to live life on your own terms.