13 Reasons The Gift Of Empathy Is A Blessing And Not A Curse 2024

The gift of empathy may be overwhelming at times, but it’s certainly one of the biggest blessings you can have in your life.

If you’ve ever felt deeply moved by other people’s emotions or have been highly perceptive of the world around you, it means you’re an empath.

In my experience as an online coach, I’ve worked with many empathetic people; I’ve come to the conclusion that this unique gift of empathy can add so much value to a person’s life.

Today, I want to share with you why the gift of empathy is a blessing and not a curse.

Let’s dive in.

Is Being an Empath a Gift or a Curse?

Here are 13 reasons why the gift of empathy is a wonderful thing.

1. Genuine connections with other people

Empathetic people are not looking to create superficial connections with others because they simply can’t find any joy in those types of relationships. Instead, they seek genuine and meaningful connections with people.

Not only do they enjoy true friendships more, but they also crave this type of connection with romantic partners as well.

Since empaths are good listeners and very compassionate, it’s easier for them to connect with people on a deeper level and create long-lasting friendships.

Related: How To Spot An Empath

2. Understand people better

The ability to see past the surface is what helps empaths understand other people better. When you have the gift of empathy, you can quickly notice how someone else is feeling, but also understand their perspective.

You are capable of reading body language to understand another person’s feelings and you’re never quick to judge. Instead, you have patience for others which is one of the biggest gifts.

3. Feel other people’s emotions

Along with understanding other people’s perspectives, you’re also very good at feeling others’ emotions and sensing what they’re thinking.

And they don’t even have to explain their emotions to you for you to be able to experience these feelings with them.

Sometimes it only takes sharing a room with someone for you to feel if they are in a bad mood or are extremely excited. Whether someone is feeling fear, anger, or sorrow, you will quickly be able to tell.

As an empath, you will always try to impact other people’s lives. In that same spirit, you will always be there for your loved ones and that’s truly one of the biggest gifts anyone can ever ask for.

4. Experience your own emotions deeply

As an empath, it’s true you feel other people’s emotions, but this allows you to also experience your own feelings profoundly.

Don’t get the wrong idea that feeling deep emotions is a bad thing. Quite the opposite. It’s the greatest gift there is.

You get to process all those emotions quickly and thoroughly – even the bad ones – so you’re able to experience life to the fullest.

5. Showing compassion

This world needs more compassion and that’s what empaths bring to the table. As an empath, you’re understanding and compassionate about the outside world.

You have the need to comfort those that are suffering or those that are hurting. Children, animals, and sensitive people are drawn to you as your compassion has healing power.

6. Helping those in need

The Gift of Empathy — Photo By Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

Your gift of empathy makes you very helpful and supportive. When you see your friend or family members suffering, wanting to help them comes naturally to you.

But your desire to help is not only reserved for your close ones. Empaths attract those that are hurting with their kindness and openness.

7. Strong gut feeling

Because you can feel beyond words, you’re also good at sensing subtle changes in facial expressions, body language, or tone. A strong intuition is another reason why the gift of empathy is a blessing.

This is a great benefit of being an empath. You can sense when someone is being dishonest, has bad intentions, or is not telling you the truth.

This gut feeling can protect you from negative people, help you recognize toxic people, and ultimately help you lead a fulfilling life.

8. Provide emotional support

Empaths are the best shoulders to cry on, and that’s an understatement. As an empath, you have the capacity to understand others, comfort them in the most genuine ways, and make them feel loved.

That’s why many empaths tend to excel at jobs that provide a service to others, such as social work, hospitality, teaching, etc.

9. Highly aware of the world around you

You have a heightened awareness of the world around you which enables you to spot potential risks, dangerous people, or negative energy. Trust your intuition because it will show you the way.

It’s truly a spiritual gift to be able to sense danger and protect yourself from it. If you notice you feel low all of a sudden, that might be your inner alarm telling you that something is off and that you should stay away.

10. Excellent person to talk to

Empaths are fantastic listeners and great friends. Your gift of empathy enables you to be present and show up for your loved ones.

That makes you a great friend and an exceptional person to talk to because you actually hear what others are telling you.

Your energy can bring peace to the people around you. If they need someone to listen to them or to speak to about their troubles, you’re always the top choice. Empaths can truly impact lives and make the world a little bit better.

11. Self-sufficient

You love spending quality time alone. All those emotions can be overwhelming for you so it’s important to take a pause and spend some time with yourself.

Take some time to process all those emotions and sit with them. It’ll give you a chance to unwind, strengthen your intuition, and make space for your own feelings.

12. More creative

Creativity is another amazing reason why the gift of empathy is truly a good thing. Since you take in so much from your surroundings, it’s important you also discover how to express all those emotions.

Find a creative hobby that will help you relax and communicate your feelings.

13. Natural healer

Because you understand and can feel exactly what the other person is feeling, your presence alone is often soothing to others and has the power to heal.

Your spiritual gift of empathy makes others comfortable and peaceful when they’re around you, therefore giving them space to heal more quickly just by being in your presence.

Being a natural healer is considered to be one of the greatest spiritual gifts, which is why empathy is a huge blessing.

FAQs About The Gift of Empathy

What Is the Difference Between Empathy and Sympathy?

Helping friend in a bad mood — Photo by pressfoto on Freepik

Unlike what most people think, empathy and sympathy are two different terms, but they’re commonly used interchangeably.

The word empathy means feeling and experiencing someone else’s feelings. On another hand, sympathy means understanding what others are feeling, but from your own perspective.

While empathy is about putting yourself in other people’s shoes and acknowledging their perspective, sympathy involves passing judgment and having thoughts about other people’s feelings.

For example, when you tell someone how sorry you are about what they’re going through, that’s sympathy. It’s just as important as empathy, but still very different.

An empath will be able to immerse themselves into the person’s world and feel exactly the same as they do, whereas sympathy involves a certain degree of judgment and personal feelings.

Can You Be Born With the Gift of Empathy?

While you can be born with a capacity for empathy, the gift of empathy is considered to be a learned behavior. According to scientists, empathy is an innate capacity but you need to develop it by yourself throughout your life.

To be an empath, you need to have a certain skill set. You are born with certain foundational abilities that help you learn and develop skills over time.

Throughout your early years, your parents teach you all sorts of abilities – such as compassion, listening, etc. – but it’s up to you to put those skills together and make them into something more.

So even if you are born with a capacity for empathy, without developing certain key skills, you won’t become good at empathy.

I suggest you check out this useful guide on levels of listening: Levels Of Listening – Complete Guide

What Is a Person Who Has Empathy Called?

A person with the gift of empathy is called an empath. If you want to refer to the traits of people with empathy, you can tell them they’re empathetic.

Empathetic is an adjective that refers to character traits that empaths have an abundance of compassion, understanding, active listeners, awareness, intuition, etc.

Here are the key traits of empathetic people: Empathetic Mindset – Important Traits

Don’t get confused if you run into the word empathic. Empathetic and empathic mean the same thing, but empathic is an older version dating back to 1909.

What Does Empathy Mean Spiritually?

But what is the spiritual gift of empathy? Just like empaths, spiritual empaths feel what other people are feeling. They have a one-of-kind ability of understanding others and personally identifying themselves with them.

But the spiritual gift of empathy comes with certain abilities that expand into spirituality. They can see into other people’s souls and perceive more than what an average person can.

For example, they can sense other people’s intentions, feelings, and thoughts, as if they were their own. This can be both a spiritual gift and a burden because some emotions can be overwhelming or painful.

Empathy also plays an important role in Christianity and it’s considered to be a gift from the Holy Spirit.

What Are the 3 Types of Empathy?

Empathetic about people's feelings — Photo by rawpixel.com on Freepik

Empathy is a broad spectrum. According to scientists, there are three types of empathy: cognitive, emotional, and compassionate.

Cognitive empathy is the type of empathy that involves understanding how another person is feeling and what they may be thinking.

Cognitive empaths are better communicators because their empathy helps them convey information better to others.

Emotional (or affective) empathy is sharing the feelings of another person. This type of empathy is particularly beneficial for building emotional connections with other human beings.

Compassionate (or empathic concern) empathy goes beyond just feeling what others are feeling. This type of empathy gets you to take action and actually do something about the other person’s problems or worries.

It may be worth mentioning that some people suggest that there are two more types of empathy – spiritual and somatic.

Just like I mentioned, the spiritual gift of empathy expands into spirituality. It’s considered to be a direct connection with a higher being.

On another hand, somatic empaths are believed to feel and share other people’s physical pain.

Final Thoughts

Thanks for reading my article and I hoped you learned more about one of the greatest gifts anyone can ever ask for – being an empath.

You might have always wondered whether you’re a true empath, so I hope you got to know yourself a little bit better today.

If you have any questions about this topic, I’m all ears! If all these things that you’re feeling make you overwhelmed or anxious, it might be best to talk to someone about it.

If you’re a true empath, you may sometimes feel like you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders.

But in reality, you’re changing the world for the better with your immense power. Still, you should try to become aware of what is your own emotion and what’s someone else’s.

If I can help you in any way, don’t hesitate to ask. Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below, and I hope I hear from you soon!