The Two Faced Empath

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Thursday, 09 November 2023

As an Empath, do you sometimes feel like you have got two faces?

As in the face you show one group of people, and then the face you show another?

If you do, you are not alone. Many of us do. And there is generally a reason for it.

I know the majority of people have ‘their faces’. But for an Empath it can be quite a contradiction on who we feel we should be.

As Empaths we tend to dislike inauthenticity, and not being able to be our true selves, and wearing another face is just that. I will get to alternative ways to look at this shortly. But let’s dive a little deeper into the reasons behind this two faced thing…

Now, I know everyone has a ‘professional face’, as in the job personality shown to customers or clients when in work, but that’s not what I’m really referring to in this post. It’s more to do with when around people with whom you consider yourself to be friends, acquaintances, or even certain family members…

Many Empaths will probably admit that the only time they get to be their truest self is when at home or when alone. (And that is another reason why so many Empaths love their alone time, because they are ‘free to be.’)

But why, when with certain friends, do we feel like holding back?

There is a good reason… and it’s not to be manipulative or to get them to like us.

The Awakening

When we awaken as an Empath, a new way of life is gradually revealed. Not only do we come to embrace and appreciate our unusual traits – traits that set us apart from others – but we start experiencing more synchronicities, we develop greater intuition and discover a new outlook.

Everything we have experienced when around people, emotionally and physically, finally makes sense. We understand our need for time alone, why we feel crazy energy when in busy places, and why we experience overpowering emotions when with certain people.

‘Yes’, we holler, ‘these feelings are real and have a reason. And we are not the only ones!’

We may become so excited by our newfound knowledge that we want to shout it from the rooftops! Tell the world who we are, what we know, feel, see and intuitively perceive. We have an explanation for all the inexplicable things we’ve experienced throughout life, and we want to share it with anyone who will listen…

Sadly, this enthusiasm, to share our new discovery, is short-lived. We quickly come to understand it is no easy feat discussing the ways of an Empath. Discovering who we are, it would seem, was the easy part!

Oh, we may try to explain our traits. The reasoning behind our Empath ways seem so simple, why wouldn’t anyone else understand? But when we try, we are greeted with drooping jaws, wide eyes and blank expressions. Even with close friends.

Or we may also sense that some go along with what we say just to appease us.

How is it that something we were so excited to discover holds no interest or is unbelievable to others?

It’s All Too Woo Woo

We soon learn that people find it difficult to believe what they don’t experience themselves. It’s as though if it’s not being openly discussed or acknowledged in the media, it can’t be real. It’s just too weird or woo-woo!

That is not to say no one accepts our Empath traits as being real. There are some who are very open to learn about the ways of an Empath, but it is not the majority. As we go along, we come to recognize to whom we can discuss our ways and to those with whom we should stay quiet, by the energy they emit.

Empaths like to live authentically and liberated. It feels uncomfortable to keep our traits to ourselves. But it is also uncomfortable to open up to another, who either doesn’t want to know or doesn’t believe.

But there is also another reason why many Empaths don’t open up about who they are and what they feel, and that reason is to not make others feel uncomfortable.

Let me explain:

Because part of an Empath’s nature is to be protective of others, the last thing we want to do is cause discomfort or freak anyone out by revealing that we can feel their emotions or know things about them that they don’t want others to know.

People don’t like it if they know another can see through them. It makes some people very uncomfortable. (Although, it has to be said, it can also have the opposite effect and make people fully open up, and want to offload. This is a subject for another time.)

So, although we may feel like we are living a double life, by not telling those around us that we can feel their energy, we soon learn that it’s ok.

Not everyone is ready to know about an Empath’s traits. We have to respect the journey of others. And, as long as we work to be our best selves and to understand who we are and why we’re here, we shouldn’t worry about not revealing ourselves. Having ‘two faces’ is simply a form of protection. Both for ourselves. and for the comfort of others.

However, there is a way to feel better about not being able to be your true self around certain others, and that is to remind yourself that you are simply acting in the ‘great play of life’.

Life is a Schoolroom

One of my favourite sayings is ‘life is a schoolroom, and each day is a lesson.’ And when we are at school, we get to act, play, and learn lessons. We are learning every day. Everything we undergo offers us a lesson, and that includes having ‘the two face experience.’

So, to summarize, this post is really a reminder that if you feel like you are living a lie, or get frustrated by the fact you are having to still fit in to a world where you don’t feel like a fit, or that you are not fully able to openly discuss what you feel and believe, know that you not alone, and it really does serve a purpose.

The best place I find for being my truest self is when out in nature, or simply connected to earth. I’m talking being in the woods, by the sea, or even when simply connected to the grass in the garden. Nature knows who we are, and doesn’t judge us. When in her presence, we are simply free to be.

If, however, you have come to a stage where you want to be more open and reveal more about who you really are, as an Empath, then the Traits of an Empath Uncovered may give you the pointers you need. It helps by allowing you to better understand your traits, which in turn helps you better explain them to others.

Ok, that’s it for me today.

Until next time,

Diane.

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Diane lives in Manchester, UK. She spent the past twenty years researching everything from human anatomy to the law of attraction. She is a qualified colour and crystal therapist, massage therapist, reflexologist, aromatherapist, healing practitioner, yoga and meditation teacher, and has done in-depth research into diet and nutrition and how it affects Sensitive people.. ©Diane Kathrine