15 Best Self-Care Tips For Empaths And Gifted People

*Note: This is a follow-up to previous posts “10 Traits Of An Empath- Are You Empathic” and “Effective Ways To Protect Yourself If You Are An Empath”

Obviously, we all need to take care of ourselves.

We brush our teeth, eat, sleep, maybe get some exercise.

It’s all good, right?

As Empaths, we need to take extra care of ourselves daily because if our energy becomes out of balance, we feel it more so than the average person.

It definitely makes life, relationships, work, daily stuff much more difficult!

I’ve listed the top 15 ways to make sure you take care of yourself to stay balanced and, hopefully, prevent those bouts of anxiety, panic attacks or anger and everything else associated with being an empath (picking up other people’s emotions, feelings and even physical pain!)

It’s really important to take care of our energetic selves, as it manifests in our energy first and then into the physical.

These tips are easy, don’t take a lot of time and are keys to good health. Not just for empaths, but everyone.

Of course, empaths need to do these things religiously…and therein lies the difference! 😉

15 Best Self-Care Tips For Empaths And Gifted People

1. Stay away from Energy Vampires

You know the people or friends in your life that seem to suck the life out of you. They’ll call you on the phone and talk for 45 minutes and you get off the phone completely exhausted and feeling like you were hit by a Mack truck. They are exhausting. Limit your time with them as much as possible. If you can’t do ANYTHING else on the list for that day, do THIS one!

2. Breathe deep, cleansing breaths

Most of us are very shallow breathers. We don’t get enough oxygen and that means our blood doesn’t deliver enough to all the organs and areas of our bodies, which, in turn, makes us sluggish and naturally, screws up our energy. Without proper air, our brains don’t function properly.

I’m not telling you to sit in the lotus position for an hour and breathe deeply.

Just take several deep breaths while you’re still in bed every morning. Practice inhaling using your diaphragm, like singers do.

Take the deep breath and imagine clean water rushing up to the shore. Hold it and then exhale, releasing the breath slowly and visualizing all the stress and junk you’ve carried with you from the day before going out with the waves.

Repeat the cycle 5 times for the first week and then add 5 more cycles every week thereafter until you feel comfortable and stable with the level you’re at. It’s quick and easy and will help you start your day off right.

This can also be considered a meditation for some!

3. Get plenty of water

Come on…you just knew this was coming! LOL

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Glass of water with orange slice. Get plenty of pure water.

It’s cleansing and makes everything work right. Water flushes junk out of you and keeps things moving in the right direction. If you can’t stand plain water, jazz it up a bit with your favorite fruit. Some people like lemon. My favorite is a slice of orange. You can add mint, cucumber, lime…whatever it takes to get those 8-10 glasses in you per day!

and no,

No, coffee doesn’t count! 😉

4. Eat a wide variety of foods

Diet is so important for all of us but empaths burn through energy like crazy. Eat enough throughout the day. I know so many people who don’t eat enough and expect to keep going forward without dropping. If your body is weak or fatigued from not eating enough, guess what? Your defenses are down and you pick up those stresses and anxieties and rotten moods of others! Not to mention the havoc wreaked on your immune system! Mangia!

5. Get enough sleep

Though self-explanatory, it does need to be stressed. Your physical body heals when it sleeps. Period. If you want to be strong energetically and physically and lead a somewhat normal life, YOU HAVE TO GET UNINTERRUPTED SLEEP…as best you can. If you’re up going to the bathroom all night, that’s another story.

6. De-clutter your space

Even if it’s one room or one corner of a room, clutter makes us crazy and makes it difficult for us to focus. You need one area you can go to that is free of clutter and the energy or qi (chi) flows freely.

7. Take warm baths with epsom salts or lavender

Take a nice, relaxing bath with bath melts like Lavender or Epsom Salt

A nice, relaxing bath with some lavender oil or fresh lavender, epsom salts or even a milk bath can balance energy and helps relive tired, achy muscles. Try to do this two or three times weekly.

8. Ground yourself daily

What does that mean, exactly?

There are different techniques to ground yourself.

I, personally, visualize roots coming out of my feet and going deeply into Mother Earth. Then I imagine I feel the cool earth under my feet and feel all that good energy coming back up through my feet and into my body. This way, I can stay level-headed and not get “flighty” or dramatic the rest of the day. When I feel a little edgy or nervous, I go back to feeling the earth under my bare feet and it’s all good.

You can also have figurines of elephants in your home or space and grounding crystals such as Smoky Quartz, Turquoise or Black Tourmaline, to name a few.

9. Get some plants

Beautiful-views-dot-net

Special thanks to BeautifulViews for these awesome shelves!

One or many, it doesn’t matter. They give off oxygen and have a beautiful effect on us…plus, they absorb negative energy!

Don’t have a green thumb?

No problem…get a hardy plant that needs very little care!

10. Take a news break

The news is filled with negative events…sad things…heartache, suffering and all kinds of things that bring our energy down. Go on a “fast” from the news for a week or two and see how you feel. Believe me, if anything serious happens that you NEED to know about, someone will let you know!

11. Be out in Nature as much as possible

We naturally ground ourselves when we’re out in Nature. As empaths, we are most comfortable away from the chaotic and passionate emotions of humans. We thrive and NEED to be in the natural world as much as possible.

Bundle up or strip down….whatever it takes!

And if you can’t get outside, bring Nature to you! Keep those plants healthy and try a window bird-feeder. Click on the image to have a look on Amazon.*

12. Laugh often

Be with people you enjoy. Watch only comedies. Stay away from crime shows and drama-based TV. When you laugh heartily, you take in more air…which helps you breathe better and is beneficial to your physical and energetic health in so many ways.

13. Get a pet

Pets are wonderful companions and help us stay in the “now.” Obviously, a dog or a cat may not be right for your lifestyle but maybe some fish or a bird or even a hermit crab might be perfect for you. Then again, if money is tight, skip this. It wouldn’t be good for you or your pet! Click here to read a few of my posts about Scully.

14. Listen to soothing, healing music daily

Even if it’s on in the background, you can go to youtube and type in healing music or reiki music or nature sounds. Keep it gentle. It’s not about dancing…that’s the laughing and having fun part! 😉

Some of my favorites include YellowBrickCinema and Dean Evenson (SoundingOfThePlanet)

15. Put up your protection daily

Get in the habit of putting up your protection every morning so you don’t forget when you go out. It’s done for the day and you won’t have to worry about it.