Emotional times and hope

August has always been a difficult time for me emotionally for various reasons. Grief is foremost at that time even though those I grieve for may have passed over twenty years ago. There is also a deep sadness at their loss knowing what they could have achieved if still here. But these things are meant to be and you learn to live with their loss. It does get easier generally but there are times when I feel as if it was yesterday and the emotions run high.

As an empath, world events affect me daily and again I feel a deep sadness over recent events. I don’t feel anger as that would lead nowhere but I do feel this sadness at what has been happening all over the world. However I do have hope.

I have done a lot of reading and a lot of listening and I understand, and this is my point of view, that we all need to find our spiritual connection to the earth. We need to feel the earth beneath our feet, listen to what she is saying to us, listen to the trees and the animals that live on our planet. If we listen carefully then we can hear them and learn to do what they ask of us. It is quite simple really. Find that connection and the understanding that everything on our planet is connected in one way or another. You only have to think about what I was taught at school about the food chain and see how each species is connected to another species. We are the human species and we are connected to all the other species in some way or another. Find that deep contentment that comes from being in nature. Let your emotions flow into the earth to be healed and find joy amongst the trees and plants and the many insects some of whom have wonderful colours.

There is joy out there if you go outside and search. I find joy in the simple things like sitting on a seat overlooking a local lake and watching the birds on the water and seeing the dragonflies flitting about. Being by water is good for the emotions especially flowing water or the sea. It cleanses and heals too. So forget your anger and hate and go and find the joy outside in our wonderful natural world.

Empathy and sympathy

Empathy and sympathy are often thought to mean the same but they are different. The dictionary definition of sympathy is a feeling of pity and sorrow for someone else’s misfortune. It can also mean a common feeling or understanding between people. So there are many times in our lives when we have sympathy for others often when people have lost something or someone close to them.

But empathy is very different. It is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. You try to imagine yourself in their place so you can understand what they are feeling. Empaths are often told they are too sensitive and I have been told this many times in my life. An empath feels everything sometimes to an extreme. There are different kinds of empath too, some are sensitive to the earth, or plants, or animals more than people. Some empaths are sensitive to many of these. Empaths can also be sensitive to noise and smell and feel exhausted when around a lot of people together like in a shopping centre. It is easy for an empath to be overwhelmed by their feelings which are often the feelings they have gained from others.

It is OK to feel overwhelmed and to feel extremely sad but an empath has to learn to deal with all of this so that they don’t become ill or totally stressed out. Being an empath can be hard to live with as you take on the feelings of others so you can understand their sadness and their problems. I always knew I had that kind of insight into how others felt but it has only been in the last few years that I really understood that I was an empath. I find that those who need help are often drawn to approach me and this can be overwhelming when they all come at once! But I am learning to deal with this and learning to keep myself from being overwhelmed too often.

Are you an empath and if so how do you deal with it?

Obstacles and feelings

After my lovely few days away I came home to various small problems. Some were easily dealt with via a phone call but others have seemed to linger on and one in particular has been ongoing for several months now. As a druid I try to go with the flow, to see small obstacles or problems as part of life’s journey. But larger problems which don’t go away bring up various emotions like anger, frustration, feeling a lack of control over my life as well as other feelings.

How do you deal with the little problems that life throws at you? Do you get angry, shout or just shrug your shoulders and get the problems sorted out. If we let feelings of anger or frustration continue for a long time, this can affect our health. It certainly affects our everyday life.

My larger problem is really out of my control but I have asserted myself about getting the necessary repairs done. Responsibility comes in here too. How do you deal with things that go wrong but which are the responsibility of others to deal with? This can be quite tricky but so far I seem to have dealt with the problem as best as I can and now wait in hope for a positive result. Staying positive and visualising the problem solved has also helped. There is always something positive to be found when things go wrong so look for what is positive about the problem. Is it teaching you something about yourself and the way you react to problems?

My photo this week is of the oak woodland just starting to come into leaf. The oak seems to be coming out much later this year. I wonder if the ash is out first. Oak before Ash, summer a splash or Ash before Oak, summer a soak.

As usual your comments are welcome.