5 Essential Tips to Navigate the Holiday Season as an Empath

The Holiday Season can be an overwhelming time of year for the highly sensitive Empath. Especially for those who are unaware that they are empathic or are just beginning to focus on how their energy is affected by the people and places around them.

Before we begin, here is a short list of things an Empath can experience as they move through the holiday season.

• Overwhelm

• Exhuastion

• Mood swings

• Burnout

• Anxiety

If this sounds like you on the daily, you are most likely an Empath and these experiences may feel amplified during the Holiday season.

As an empath myself, I wanted to share some helpful and simple tips to help you move through this season with as much grace and ease as possible. Those who are able to focus on these tips will feel more grounded, peaceful and aligned (speaking from experience here!)

Tip One

~ Set Boundaries and Focus on Self-Care ~

This is a hard one to implement, especially as we move through our busy days with our never ending tasks and lists of to-do’s. The trick here is to take a moment before you say yes to committing to something you know you will regret later (I see you people pleaser’s!). Before you commit, take a beat and consider if you have the energetic capacity and if you will be able to show up fully. If you get the ick just thinking about this commitment, you are ready to implement a boundary and there are several ways to say No in a creative, thoughtful and heart centred way. Just ask ChatGPT.

Saying No to things you do not have the capacity to show up for this Holiday Season should create some space in your schedule to carve out some time for self-care. Which, by the way, does not always have to mean a spa day or an hour in the tub hiding from your family (although both are still amazing options). The trick here is to keep it simple and avoid further overwhelm by trying to come up with the time, the money and an idea that meets the self-care criteria of Social Media. It is really just about recognizing your needs and taking the steps to care for yourself in ways that restore balance and reduce stress.

Pro-Tip: Become mindful of your boundaries on the daily and plan some self care ahead of time. I will often add my plans to the family google calendar so everyone can see it.

Tip Two

~ Take Regular Breaks and Recharge in Quiet Calming Spaces ~

Collective energy is a combination of everyone’s moods, emotions and anxieties that exists in one particular space (think Costco) and it is usually a messy ball of energy that will leave us feeling moody, exhausted, overwhelmed and maybe even anxious.

When you are faced with a collective energy that you are feeling overwhelmed with try your best to find a quiet place to bring yourself back to a calm state. Plan ahead if you can and sort out when and where you will take a break from all of the noise, chatter and overwhelm. If you are unable to take a moment for yourself, be sure to spend some quiet time alone to decompress after your event.

Pro-tip: Throw on some AirPods or noise cancelling headphones when you're shopping or running errands and listen to some calming, meditative music. It helps, I swear!

Tip Three

~ Use Grounding Practices ~

Through the holiday’s we often exist in a constant state of GO and DO which can leave us feeling scattered and brain foggy. Sound familiar? My favourite practices to bring myself into a sense of alignment would be meditation and walking outside. Practicing one or the other (or both) will most certainly provide you with a sense of feeling grounded, calm and centred.

I want to take a minute to give you permission to go for a walk without the intention of increasing your heart rate to the ideal fat burning zone. Seriously!! Let’s go for a walk in nature with the intention of grounding and connecting to (or paying attention to) what is around us. How the crisp air feels on our skin or the sun feels on our face. Take a 5 minute tour around the block on your lunch break or after dinner and I promise this practice will bring about a sense of peace.

I also promise that meditation does not have to be complicated or hard. A simple 5 minute guided meditation will do. Find one on YouTube or insight timer to “Cleanse your Energy” or “Clear your Chakra’s” and you will feel magnificent after this energetic cleanse.

Pro-tip: Do a guided meditation to cleanse your energy after an event that left you feeling exhausted, moody, anxious or overwhelmed. I’ve done these in the parking lot of a certain store that begins with Wal and ends in Mart.

Tip Four

~ Focus on Meaningful and Authentic Connections and Traditions ~

This tip is for the Empaths in the room that are already practicing boundaries and have a good sense of how their energy is affected by other people and certain places. It is also a great one to work towards for all Empaths. Especially during the holiday season.

Take a moment to consider who you are spending time with, how they make you feel when you are with them and more importantly how you feel when you leave them. Taking this a step further to consider whether the holiday traditions we participate in align with our values and who we are.

For those on a path of moving into an elevated version of yourself, these are things that may shift and change in the years to come. Make changes at a comfortable pace however take this holiday season (as you move through it) to consider how you feel and what changes you may want to consider in the years to come.

Tip Five

~ Be Present ~

It’s seriously impossible to be present in each moment of each day so let’s remove the pressure up front and instead, let’s try to focus on finding pockets within each day where we bring ourselves into the present moment. Still a challenge, but not so much pressure.

As an empath we tend to add on the worry of other people’s potential emotion’s and reactions to our list of things. This can leave us feeling heavy, overwhelmed and, well - worried!! This is because we are sending our energy forward and partly existing in future events that haven’t even happened yet. This is why the holiday’s go by so quickly! Because we are so focused on what’s on the horizon.

If you’ve ever experienced being present in the moment you will notice that time slows down and all stress and worry minimizes to a quiet whisper that is hard to hear. So when you are feeling stressed or worried take a moment to bring yourself into the present moment. Focus on what it is that you are doing in that exact moment. For me, I am focusing on typing. How it feels and sounds when each letter clicks on my keyboard. How my wrists feel resting on the edge of my desk. Focusing on the rise and fall of my chest with my calm, consistent breath. In and out.

Take pockets of time throughout your day to bring yourself into the present moment. This tip will allow you to feel a sense of control.

Pro-tip: Bring gratitude into this practice and find something to be grateful for in your present moment. It can be as simple as a warm sip of coffee or even the breathe within your lungs. There is always something to be grateful for!

I hope you find these tips to be a great reminder and helpful as you navigate through the holiday season as an Empath.

~ Mandy