Empaths find meaningful relationships to be extremely important. However, it can be difficult for an empath to navigate the give and take required to maintain a fulfilling relationship. In order to have a successful relationship as an empath, adjustments are needed. Below are some tips you can use as an empath to create and sustain a committed, healthy relationship.
1. Practice Self-Care
Being an empath makes you more aware of the emotions of others. You are also more likely to absorb the feelings of others, especially those of your partner. In order to keep yourself from becoming overwhelmed by this, you will need to practice self-care. Make sure you eat nutritious food on a regular basis, exercise daily, and get enough good quality sleep. Spend time doing the things that make you feel pampered and cared for. If you enjoy reading, taking a bath, or listening to music, spend time doing these things. If you begin to feel overwhelmed by the vibes you are picking up from your partner, try practicing mindfulness and meditation. As you pay more attention to your own needs, you can find it easier to separate your own feelings from the negative emotions you are absorbing from your partner.
2. Spend Time Alone
If you are an empath, you will probably need to spend some time alone. Since you can pick up a lot from your environment and from other people, you can easily become overstimulated. Therefore, you will need to spend time separating your own feelings from the feelings of others. Spending time alone in a quiet environment can help you do this. Alone time also allows you to decompress and calm down your highly active central nervous system. When you have alone time, you can restore your energy and prepare for spending time with others. Let your partner know that you need to spend some time alone and why. This way the time you spend together can be more meaningful.
3. Know Yourself
As an empath, you may have difficulty determining your own wants and needs from that of your partner. During your alone time, spend some time getting to know yourself. Take some time to figure out what is important to you and why. Check in with your own feelings to figure out when changes need to be made. Get to know the things you want and need in your relationship so you can establish effective boundaries. Knowing what your needs are in your relationship is an important step in getting your needs met. This way you can have a more fulfilling relationship.
4. Establish Clear Boundaries
In order to maintain a healthy relationship, you will need to establish clear boundaries. Boundaries are limits you put in place to protect your physical and emotional well-being. For a boundary to be effective, it needs to be clearly stated. You will want to explain why it is important and have consequences if it is not followed. For instance, if your partner calls you names when you argue and it hurts you, a boundary is needed. You can tell them that it hurts you so if they call you a name you will warn them the first time and walk away if it continues. Empaths can be people pleasers. Because of this, you may put up with a lot. However, without clear boundaries you can end up in an unfair, or even an abusive relationship.
5. Get Curious
Empaths are more attuned to their partner’s moods. Even a small change in your partner’s behavior, facial expression, or body language is easily noticed. As you perceive a change in your partner, you may also believe you know why this change occurred. Even if you are right, assuming you know everything about what is going on with your partner keeps them from being able to share this from their own perspective. If instead of assuming, you get curious, you can learn more about your partner. This can help open up the lines of communication and bring you closer together.
6. Talk To Your Partner
Spend time talking to your partner. As an empath, you may learn a lot about others through nonverbal communication. While nonverbal communication is important, it is also important to spend time engaging verbally with your partner. You may naturally be a good listener. It will also be important to open up and share with your partner. Sharing your ideas, opinions, and beliefs will help you feel closer to your partner and can benefit your couple connection.
7. Learn To Take Constructive Criticism
As an empath, criticism can be very hard to take. You may take any hint of criticism as an attack and end up taking it very personally. Since you are an empath, relationship criticism can be particularly difficult. In a relationship, it is important to be able to talk about the things that bother you so you can work through them. If your partner is afraid you will take things as an attack, they may stop bringing up important issues. While these discussions may not be easy, coming to an understanding of what you each need is what will keep your relationship strong and healthy.
8. Spend Time Together
Deep meaningful relationships are very important to empaths. It is probably hard for you to make small talk and deal with superficial connections. However, you may expect your feelings and your partner’s feelings to remain strong without putting in a lot of effort. Especially since you value your alone time. Spending time with your partner and having fun together are important components of a healthy relationship. Doing this helps you bond through experiences as well as on a deeper level. This can bring you closer together and keep your couple relationship strong.
9. Share Your Fears
Since you are an empath, you find it easy to pick up on other people’s feelings. Sometimes, it’s hard to differentiate between your own feelings and the feelings of someone else. You may experience a lot of uncomfortable emotions from yourself and others that can be very difficult to sort out. It’s probably common for you to know when something feels off, or is not safe. This can cause a lot of fear, anxiety, and even depression. Keeping everything inside can cause you to feel more confused. If instead you share your fears with your partner, you can sort these things out easier. Sharing your fears with your partner will help you feel better and will bring you closer together.
Relationships require effort. If you are an empath, it may be easy to give in your relationship. However, it is also important for your needs to be met as well. You can use the above tips to help you establish a fulfilling and healthy relationship with your partner. If you continue to struggle to maintain a satisfying relationship, couples counseling can help. When you put in the effort, your relationship can thrive.
