About Me - Sue Gibbons

All my life I have known that I am different, and what I mean by that is, I have always been very sensitive to others needs, but in a way I have never seen in anyone else.

Sure, people can be empathetic, but I am empathetic to the max! I’m not just sympathising with someone, I am actually feeling their pain!

This gives me the ability to understand them better, and perhaps give them the help or advice they need.

I have often been told through the years that I always know exactly what to say, or that I should be a counsellor, or work with people in some way, but the irony is, as good as I am with people, I just can’t be around them. It’s a bit of a contradiction.

We love to help others, but at the same time, being around others completely drains us! It’s like a double-edged sword, hence the social anxiety.

I now have a better understanding of this, and because I ‘feel’ others emotions, not just sadness, but also joy, excitement, or even anger, taking on these emotions, somehow drains you of your own energy.

The thing is, unless you know how to control this, you will continually become drained, and it’s not just with people you are in direct contact with!

I also pick up on strangers emotions, sometimes even that of a stranger walking past me....

I noticed this from quite early on. I would be say, walking the dog, and as this person walks past me, I get this sudden rush of emotions, and it's like I experience a very quick flash of that persons life. 

It's hard to put into words, but it's usually a deep sadness, as if I have just momentarily tapped into their mind, and I take on their emotions, just for a brief moment.

It doesn't happen often in this way, but it leaves me feeling sad and helpless. 

The thing you have to truly believe, is that being an empath really is a gift!

I have often asked myself, why me? What makes me so special that I have to be like this? At first I saw this as a huge burden. Feeling so much pain and sorrow from others, being called overly sensitive, feeling so misunderstood by everyone around me, constantly worrying about everyone and everything, feeling anxious all the time, it’s no fun at all, but you need to flip it around and understand that it truly is a gift.

I hope that I can help you in some way, even if it's a small way, just to know that I may have made your day a little better, knowing that there are many others out there feeling exactly what you are, experiencing the difficulties that you face each day.

I hope that you can take some comfort, knowing that you are not alone.

Sue Gibbons

Sue Gibbons