Why Empaths & Highly Sensitive People Feel Overwhelmed
Why Empaths & Highly Sensitive People Feel Overwhelmed (You’re Not Absorbing Energy)
If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, drained, or like you need to pull away from people—even people you care about—you’re not alone.
I work with empaths, highly sensitive people (HSPs), and sensitives every week… and I am one too.
I don’t just teach this—I live this life. I know what it’s like to feel everything. To walk into a room and instantly pick up what others are feeling. To feel exhausted, overloaded, or like you need to pull away just to reset.
And I also know—it doesn’t have to stay that way.
What’s Really Going On
For empaths, sensitives, and HSPs, this happens because you naturally match energy.
So when you’re around someone who is angry, stressed, overwhelmed—you don’t just notice it… you feel it.
And it shows up in everyday ways:
You start pulling back at work
You don’t engage as much
You keep more to yourself
You avoid gatherings because it feels like too much
You leave interactions feeling drained, even when nothing “bad” happened
I hear this all the time:
“I want to go… but it’s just too much energetically.”
Or,
“I was around someone upset and now I need two days to reset.”
And then comes the judgment:
“Something must be wrong with me.”
But here’s what I want you to know—There is nothing wrong with you. You are not “too emotional.” You are overloaded.
It’s Not Your Emotions
This is where so many empaths, HSPs, and sensitives get misled. We’re taught this is about emotions. That we need better boundaries, more self-care, more time alone. But that never fully solves it… does it?
Because this isn’t happening in your emotions. It’s happening in your energy system. You, as the Soul, are connected to the body through this subtle system.
And this is where you pick up information—data—about other people. That includes emotions.
So what happens is:
You’re having a great day… Then suddenly you feel anxious, heavy, or off.
And you assume:
“This is mine.”
But often—it’s not. You’re matching energy.A lot of people call this “absorbing energy,” but that’s not actually what’s happening. You’re not taking anything in—you’re matching it.
And without tools, it can feel like it’s yours.
“Who am I as a soul—and what am I here to express?”
Why I Don’t Teach “Just Manage It”
There’s this idea that being an empath, HSP, or sensitive is something you just have to live with.
You’re told:
Take time away
Schedule more “me time”
Just cope better
I lived that way too at one point. Pulling back. Managing. Trying to control my environment so I wouldn’t feel overwhelmed. But it never actually changed what was happening. Because it wasn’t addressing the root.
It’s like trying to rewire a house by calling a plumber.
Wrong system.
What Changed Everything for Me
What changed my life—and what I now teach—is learning how to work with the energy system directly. And understanding that what I was experiencing wasn’t just “overwhelm”… it was awareness.
The ability to feel energy is just one part of a much larger system of intuitive and clairvoyant abilities. When I began to understand this, everything shifted.
Learning how to:
Separate what’s mine and what isn’t
Clear energy in real time
Stay grounded and centered in my own space
This is the foundation. But it doesn’t stop there.
Because what we often call being “overwhelmed” as an empath, HSP, or sensitive… is actually awareness of subtle energy. And you may already have other abilities just under the surface—active now—that simply haven’t been recognized or developed yet.
These can include:
Clairsentience — the ability to feel energy
Claircognizance — the ability to know what’s true (a deep inner knowing, truth vs. lie)
Clairaudience & telepathy — the ability to hear guidance or receive information
Psychometry — the ability to read the history or energy of objects
And more
So what feels like a problem at first… is actually part of a much more advanced and natural system.
The key is learning how to manage your energy first, so you’re not overwhelmed by what you’re aware of. From there, you can begin to recognize, trust, and work with what is already there.
What Becomes Possible
I’ve seen this again and again—with myself and with my clients.
People who once said:
“I can’t go… it’s too much.”
Learn a few tools. Practice them. And then they go. And not only do they feel okay— they have a great time.
They leave feeling exhilarated instead of exhausted. And something even more powerful happens: They begin to recognize energy. They start to read what’s really going on with people—not from emotion, but from awareness.
That sensitivity becomes something they can use, not something that controls them.
You Are Not Meant to Shrink Your Life
I want to be really clear about this:
Being an empath, HSP, or sensitive is not a sentence to isolation. You are not meant to spend your life avoiding people, canceling plans, or thinking something is wrong with you.
There is another way.
And I know that because I live it.
A Simple Place to Start
The first step is simple:
Ground your body from the base of the spine to the center of the earth. Then bring your awareness to the center of your head—behind your eyes, between your ears.
From here, you begin to take your space back.
A New Way to See Yourself
If you’ve been told this is just something you have to deal with forever… I want to offer you something different. Your sensitivity is not the problem. It’s not a flaw.
It’s something you haven’t been taught how to work with—yet. When you learn how to work with your energy… everything changes.
And what once felt overwhelming becomes one of the most powerful parts of who you are.
An Invitation
If you’re an empath, HSP, or sensitive who matches energy and you’re ready to stop feeling overwhelmed by it…
I offer private readings for those who want individual support and a deeper understanding of their own abilities.
This is a space where we can look at what you’re experiencing, help you separate what’s yours and what isn’t, and begin to work with your energy in a clear, grounded way.
You don’t have to figure this out on your own.
With love,
Julia Harrell
Clairvoyant Teacher & Spiritual Guide
WATCH ON YOUTUBE
Why You Feel Drained Around People
(And How To Stop)
There is no need to navigate this shift alone.
If you’re ready to deepen your path and trust your gifts, I’d love to support you.
