About 1 in 5 people is an empath with a higher amount of empaths noticed amongst the caring professions, amongst vegans/vegetarians and amongst pet lovers.

I am definitely an empath – only recently ‘self-diagnosed’. I remember as a child going to visit my very ill and much loved elderly Grandfather in hospital who was writhing in his bed with a twisted bowel loop. I felt physically ill in my own stomach and had to leave the room. It was the first time I realised that I felt his pain.

I also find a trip to the supermarket or any large shops exhausting – I start to feel tired as I enter any of the big supermarkets especially if they are cramped and I feel I absorb other people’s stress!! A mother shouting at her child in a public place usually reduces me to tears as I feel the pain of the child, and I am at my happiest ‘talking’ to Ruff who seems to understand every word I say and I seem to understand every word he thinks:)

Friends and sometimes even strangers seem drawn to me to as a confidant and I am able to use this intuition to work out not only what a client is concerned about with their beloved pet, but what they are feeling when they enter the consult room. I know that I am not alone in this, especially amongst vets and vegans. I see it as a wonderful gift and also a huge burden to carry and find myself needing regular ‘alone time’, afternoon naps and I have to curb my overeating that is my comfort from the stress.

See if you are an empath and who else in your life may be an empath too by reading to the end of this Blog!!

Signs That You Might Be An Empath

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Have you ever been labelled overly sensitive, shy, or introverted?

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Do you frequently get overwhelmed or anxious?

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Do arguments and yelling make you feel ill?

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Do crowds drain you and do you need time alone to revive yourself?

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Do you often feel as though you do not fit in?

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Does excessive noise, smells or non-stop talkers overwhelm you?

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Do you have chemical sensitivities or a low tolerance for scratchy clothes or labels in clothes?

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Do you prefer taking your own car to places so that you can leave early if you need to?

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Do you overeat to cope with stress?

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Do you easily get a fright?

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Do you react strongly to caffeine or medications?

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Do you have a low threshold for pain?

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Do you tend to socially isolate?

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Are you overwhelmed by multitasking and do you prefer to do one thing at a time?

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Do you need a long time to recuperate after being with difficult people or energy 'dementors' (as I call them:) ?

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Do you feel better in small towns or the country rather than in large cities?

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Do you prefer to be with just one other person or in a small group rather than in a crowd?

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Do you absorb other people's stress, emotions or symptoms?

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Do you find you are at your happiest in nature and you replenish yourself in nature?

If like me you answered yes to more than 12 of the questions above; you are a full blown empath. For advice on how to deal with these emotions as being an empath carries so many challenges; I found Judith Orloff’s book so helpful – ‘The Empath’s Survival Guide’

From all the questions asked above, I now want you to apply each of them to your own dog! When applied to Ruff, I realised very quickly that he too is our own family Empath which is what makes the lives of our pets just SO valuable in our own lives.

A published study was shown that dogs can detect when humans are experiencing stress!

Read the full published paper here that concludes that “Dogs can detect an odour in humans associated with stress and this sheds light on the human-dog relationship and adds to our understanding of how dogs may interpret, and interact with, human psychological states.” No wonder we love our dogs so much – they are our natural empaths!

It makes us realise how important it is to bear in mind that our dogs are highly sensitive souls who will sponge all our emotions – good and bad and they deserve all the respect and love that we bestow upon them!

Top tips to be the kindest pet owner you can be