Being an Empath is both a blessing and sometimes a curse. There is a near constant onslaught of energy rushing into and through us at all times. Crowds, highly charged situations, even our children’s outbursts can bring us to our knees and deplete us of our vitality.

But being an Empath is much like any other quality. It’s about learning to work with the energy rather than against it. It’s about learning what brings us greater stability and protection rather than leaving ourselves at the mercy of what is tossed our way.

As a type A Empath I have had to learn how to work with this gift rather than feeling taken under by it. The same practices I outline for you here are those I employ myself and encourage in my clients. They work wonders IF we put them to work. Like much of life, information is useless unless it’s applied.

Try these practices for the next 40 days. I assure you that they will shift the flow of energy and place you in a position where your Empathic gifts are a welcomed addition to your unique and luminous experience.

1. Get up early

I hear you-I am not now nor have I ever been a morning person. I could burn the midnight oil and sleep half the day if you’d let me. However, now that I have small children and a busy career, the option of staying up all night simply is not possible. Instead I strive to get up at least an hour or more before my children.

Getting up before everyone else gives you the rare moment of absolute quiet. A time of solitude where you can simply be. Time alone is essential for Empaths but not always practical. We must seek out with intentionality these much needed moments and the morning serves as a wonderful time to do so.

2. Get moving

Energy, even the emotional energy we pick up from those around us, is something which must have a pathway through which it can travel. Working out and moving the body is the perfect opportunity for us to expel excess energy be it our own or that which we’ve picked up along the way. Nevermind the multitudinous health benefits which are reason enough to get up and get moving, this practice alone has proven absolutely life changing in helping me to remain in energetic and emotional integrity as an Empath.

3. Mindfulness

One of the greatest challenges of being an Empath comes when we cannot distinguish between our own emotional experience and that of a person or place in our experience. Mindfulness is a practice whereby we foster greater awareness of even the most mundane. By tuning in mindfully to our emotions we can begin to dialogue with this part of our self. We can begin to learn how our emotions feel. How we express one emotion over another. We can learn our emotional language and begin, very clearly, to tell the difference between what we’ve picked up and what is genuinely ours to explore and feel our way into.

4. Limit technology

Let’s face it, social media and technology in general can be a bit of a energy suck and one that can rob us of precious time. When an Empath is glued to their phone, tablet or TV it can be a recipe for disaster. Not only are we exposed to all of the energy in these realms and capable of picking up on what is underneath the facade it also exposes us to electromagnetic frequencies which can diminish our vitality. How we spend our time is how we expel our energy as well as the energy we expose ourselves to. Choose wisely and practice moderation.

5. Meditate

It took me years to get on board with this one but I can tell you that it has made all the difference. Not only as an Empath but as a mother, a wife, a business owner etc. Meditation gives us those few moments of inner stillness. A chance to ground our energy. To quiet the mind and simply focus on the one true North we have within; our breath. Like exercise, I could spend days going over the benefits but the truth is all the evidence and studies and resources do not matter. What matters is that there is a real and perceptible shift when we meditate consistently. It gives us the spaciousness between our inner world and our outer world and allows us to move gracefully in even choppy emotional or energetic waters.