I’ve written before about the fact that I have the trait of High Sensitivity and am also an Empath. Many people are sensitive and empathetic but this differs from being a Highly Sensitive Person or an actual Empath, the former of which is a genetic trait (just like being introverted is a trait) and the latter a gift which currently resides in the realm of a ‘sixth sense’ (for desperate want of a better descriptor!) In my particular case I am what’s termed a ‘Somatic Empath’ which means I experience other people’s (and animals) physical pain as my own, as well as often being able to feel their emotions. It’s not always an easy gift to navigate and I have to tread warily in a world which can deeply affect me.

Alongside my empathic ability comes intuition. I doubted my intuition for decades until I met someone who I feel was brought into my life to prove that my gift was real. I’m now learning to differentiate my own thoughts and emotions from my intuition, which is much harder than it sounds and very much a learning curve. I’m currently taking part in research specifically aimed at highly sensitive people who also possess the gift of intuition and it’s been fascinating to explore this little understood ability in a space of openness, acceptance and trust.

It’s well documented that Highly Sensitive People and those who are empathic and intuitive tend to also be highly creative. I’d love to know what the correlation is but it seems that our ability to feel deeply and tune into the energy which is all around us needs an outlet and that outlet is often through creative expression. Whether that’s some kind of art (in which I include photography), writing or making things (from pottery to knitting a jumper) or a passion for music, gardening or dance highly sensitive people need expression of thoughts and emotions without which we can become lethargic, depressed, unhappy or withdrawn.

I’ve also yet to meet a highly sensitive person who doesn’t adore nature. Being immersed in the natural environment, with its innate tranquillity, plants and wildlife, is our happy place and where we are able to most fully be all of who we are. It’s no coincidence that I am most drawn to wildlife and nature photography.

It is not easy, however, to be sensitive in a world designed for non-sensitive people. It’s also not easy to have the gift of intuition in a world which doesn’t understand things which it cannot physically see or scientifically measure. I can’t attend a class which helps me improve, understand or navigate my intuition or high empathy and when I talk about it I risk being both disbelieved and misunderstood.

I’ve faced downright hostility with ill-informed comments like “why haven’t you won the lotto then?” or “why didn’t you know your boyfriend was cheating on you?” and I have to explain that I’m an energy reader not a mind reader and my innately kind, loving and trusting nature leaves me exposed to all manner of deception and dark energy, which I’ll write about in a separate post. While I can usually always tell when someone’s energy is ‘off’ I’m as in the dark as the next person as to why.

My free spirit has also been dubbed “eccentric”, while from my position I struggle to understand most people’s repression and inability to live uninhibited and with joyful abandon. Many people’s lives seem shallow to me and asking me to live within their confines makes me feel like a solitary flower in an icy, barren landscape.

Like everything in life, being sensitive, empathic, intuitive and highly creative has both its up and down sides. We have to learn to live in a slightly different way to non-sensitive people which, for me, includes breathwork, meditation, being able to express my needs (which will differ to most other people’s) and cultivating a life which enhances, rather than drains, my energy. I absolutely need quiet spaces, to live amongst nature, to be surrounded by people who accept and love me for who I am, and to have freedom of expression particularly in terms of the depth and breadth of my emotions but also my creative passions.

It’s taken me many years to build a life which allows me to be fully who I am without explanation or apology and been painful when I’ve had to let go of people who have taken advantage of my beautiful heart or dragged me down rather than raising me up. However, to live a life in which my creativity flourishes and my soul can expand is priceless and the most precious of gifts.