Feeling others' emotions as if they were your own, sometimes staying in an emotional state that mimics those around you. Usually, when you separate / tune in to your own energy, the burden of these 'extra emotions' is released.

Overwhelm in public places, overstimulated by picking up on everybody around you. Lights, sounds, overhearing people in conflict or stress... a recipe for exhaustion (unless you have shifted into empowered empath mode!)

Knowing: called 'claircognizance', most empaths 'know things' without having a clear understanding as to why they have that knowledge. Sometimes people are shocked by it, and may doubt you, but you know what you receive.

Strangers (or anyone) often 'overshare', or open up to you more than they anticipated. You may be told things like 'I just want to tell you my deepest darkest secrets' or 'I feel like I can talk to you about anything!'

 Random physical symptoms, especially similar to those around you. Example: If you spend time visiting someone in hospital with a broken leg, you may find your own leg to be sore or stiff proceeding the visit. Not the same as hypochondria.

 Honesty/BS-meter is SHARP. You can tell when someone is being dishonest. Even though you believe in people being good, there's just this 'spidey sense' you receive when people act inauthentically around you.

Digestion + back concerns that are often emotion-based. Upper back discomfort = taking on others' emotions, lower back = being ungrounded, digestive distress = trouble processing emotions or 'digesting life', etc. Understanding the root causes of symptoms helps you become empowered to use your self-healing abilities!

 Loving nature and animals, developing deep connections with them. Nature is crucial in the life of an empath, and many empaths have special moments with animals, as animals are often very comfortable around sensitive folk.

Easily or frequently tired - feeling as if sleep is never enough, or that other people are taking your energy.

Struggling to watch violence, cruelty, and tragedy with entertainment content. Being witness to fear, paranoia, dark stories, and conspiracies, it can all be a lot to feel. Facing ALL facts and fears allows one to be clear.

Creative. How are you going to express all the emotions and human experiences you feel so deeply? Processing it through art!

Addictive personality... blocking out, toning down, muting, or bypassing emotional experiences and overstimulation can create numbing, and in later stages, self-destruction and self-sabotage.

Drawn toward healing modalities, learning about metaphysics, the nonordinary and spiritual realms. You just understand there is more than meets the eye so things that are expansive, spiritual or supernatural draw you in.

Keeping an eye out for the underdog! Empaths have a sharper awareness of who may be in emotional pain, isolated, suffering, or in need of extra compassion.

Need for solitude, and beyond that, quiet time. Without adequate peace and silence, an empath can become tense and easily distracted.

Gets bored or distracted easily. Some empaths are so used to being overstimulated, that they crave stimulation at all times. Daydreaming, doodles, tapping, fidgets, zoning out... and that's okay.

Having a VERY tough time doing anything that they don't enjoy or feel fulfilled by. It just seems impossible. Some empaths get labelled as lazy or unmotivated when really they just have different motivations than their peers (or coworkers).

Seeking knowledge, answers, and solutions, especially to suffering or frustrations. Finding truth to your internal knowings means lots of research!

Narcissistic people are drawn to you, and yet you feel repulsed by that behaviour.

Empaths often enjoy adventure, travel, and chasing freedom! Free-spirited, different thinkers and expansive minds do well with travelers. 

 Cluttered environments can stress an empath down more than their peers - though overwhelm can often lead empaths to create more clutter too. Sensitive folks generally feel blocked energetically in messy spaces. 

Daydreamers! They love to envision a better world, and that includes dreaming it up.

VERY good listener! You just really care about how people work and what they think.

Prone to challenges with weight (under-serving oneself, or carrying extra weight). 

Feeling the moon cycles, weather changes, and darkness internally. 

Food sensitivities, reading the energy of food, experiencing distress if there was a chef with negative vibes.

Sometimes appearing moody, distant, tuned out. It can feel extremely challenging to put on a happy face just for the sake of it.

Some empaths find it hard to buy vintage or antiques, and some find it thrilling. Usually it's a strong feeling either way - because you either pick up on the negative energies, or tune into the beautiful histories.

Finding routines, rules, control and similar to be like a prison.