Empaths

Empaths are often regarded as the personality type opposite to narcissists, they are the listeners and carers of the world, and as such, often seem to be held in very high esteem. What is interesting is that empaths vs narcissists is frequently seen as the ultimate battle of good and evil, which is an unrealistic representation of how it works.

Narcissists are not the devil incarnate (although it can be difficult to remember this whilst in their company!), they are damaged and hurting, which causes their behaviour; empaths are not necessarily angels in disguise, they too have their issues, a consequence of their upbringing and experiences.

I'm sure we all know the benefits of having an empathic friend - they LISTEN, seem to understand exactly how we're feeling without us even having to say, know instinctively what to say and do to help, feel our pain and don't judge... And don't ever lie to an empath - they can almost invariably tell, and they really, really hate it.

However, empaths also cope badly with overstimulation, don't like crowds and noise, become stressed more easily than most, are seen as overly sensitive, take on other peoples' rubbish (physical or emotional) too much. They may also have a bit of a "god complex" - see themselves as everybody's saviour, think they know what's best - so when others fail to listen to them, they are hurt and angry.
All of this can be very difficult for those who are not as sensitive to understand and live with - why are these people so upset by such a small thing? Aren't they just over-reacting? A bit of recognition on both sides is the answer, methinks.