Longevity logo

Letter to a Young Empath

For anyone who wishes they didn't have to feel it all right now

By Chelsey AlbertPublished 3 years ago 5 min read
4
Letter to a Young Empath
Photo by United Nations COVID-19 Response on Unsplash

Dear Empath,

I know how you feel, My Love.

Odds are, if you were here, you would know how I feel as well. That is your gift. It is mine as well.

I write this to you in the hopes that it can bring a little clarity to why you always feel this nagging feeling of being just a little removed from the world, while at the same time sensing everything the person next to you is feeling. You are not “weird” or “crazy.” Yes, you are sensitive, but not because you cry more often than others tell you that you should. That is just the by product of picking up on the hurt of the people near you.

I remember being you. For years I tried to deny it, I longed to be “normal” like all of the pretty people who were perfectly content to talk about what Kylie Jenner wore on her Instagram post (back when I was you, it was Brittany Spears in her last music video.)

Perhaps you’ve already mastered the art of being Not You, tapping into your gift of relating to others and trying on their personalities like an actor changes costume. Or perhaps you’re the theater geek or the “artsy” kid choosing to channel the feelings you have taken on as your own into some form of art, thus getting them the hell out of your head. Or maybe you’ve learned how to stuff your senses into a little box deep in the back room of your mind, diminishing all emotion to slight variations of wry cynicism. I get it, detachment is intriguing and sarcasm really is funny. I bet people are drawn to you, believing that your defenses are indicators of somebody who has figured life out and “sees through the joke.” It’s a practical tool, I’ll give you that.

But, My Love, how long do you wish to pretend that you are something you’re not? How long do you want to keep living in fear of being discovered? Of being found out, for being a closeted oddball and for the magic you possess in a world of technology and science. That STEM the world values so highly is not rooted in the same soil that was meant to nourish you. You are a being of magic, of light, of love. You were given a gift that allows you to perceive what most humans try so desperately to hide.

Their hearts.

Like a scientist knows how to spot invisible atoms, or a mathematician sees a poetic beauty in numbers and symbols, you sense that there is more to the story when the barista glares at you for requesting almond milk in your latte. And just like a scientist, this will always make you seem a little weird to the main stream. I’m sorry to say this, but the average person on the street has worked fairly hard to conceal their inner fears, doubts, and quirks that they view to be imperfections. Be gentle with them, Darling, it can be unsettling to have someone see through a mask as though it never existed. Survival tip: if they wish to be seen, they will usually come to you whether you invite them or not. Just like you sense them, others can sense you just the same. We all have the sense called empathy, but to feel it so strongly is your superpower.

“Fat load of good my ‘superpower’ is doing me.” You may say while checking your phone for the hundredth time, hoping for just one response to your latest Tiktok video or Reddit article. Or maybe you’re plagued by that feeling again that your partner is distant for reasons that they’re trying to convince you don’t exist.

Maybe it would be easier to sleepwalk through your life, contentedly missing cues in conversation and never once agonizing about them after the fact. Maybe your Psychiatrist’s diagnosis wouldn’t be an accurate label if you only had to worry about your own feelings, instead of the collective mental agony in line at the DMV.

Maybe it would be easier.

But do you really wish to give it up? For the clueless bliss of walking into a room and having no idea how to connect with a single person? For the joy of running on a hamster wheel of corporate drudgery in a cubicle made of soul-crushingly tan fabric? For the normalcy of a fight with your spouse that has no hope of resolution because they claim you simply cannot see their point of view?

To see others as they truly are is a rare skill, My Love. Once you understand that the feelings of others are not meant for you to keep, you are in the perfect position to be the light you wish to see in the world. Tell that barista you like her earrings, watch the smile crack through weeks of caked-on depression. Tell that joke you learned in your cynical years to the man working at the DMV, and your odds of him being merciful while taking your driver’s license picture will improve drastically. Did that date leave you feeling agitated and drained? Now you know what to avoid before you wake up married to it.

I know right now it feels like you are a glitch in otherwise perfectly functioning world. But please, Young Empath, do not abandon yourself like I used to. The world is screwed up, but it is changing. It has changed even since the days when I was you.

You are not weird.

You are not the piece that doesn’t belong.

You are simply the puzzle piece that has been missing all these years. The world needs you.

Sincerely,

One Of Many More Like You (I Promise)

mental health
4

About the Creator

Chelsey Albert

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.