Judith Orloff’s Thriving as an Empath: 365 Days of Self-Care for Sensitive People is a wide ranging and lengthy work setting forth a day by day guide for empaths about how to care for and protect themselves. The world doesn’t always recognize or value the psychological makeup and particular skill set empaths deal with and bring to their everyday interactions; as a result, individuals drawing from a deep well of empathy can often find themselves overwhelmed by their contact with others and prey for those inhabiting opposite sides of the emotional spectrum. Orloff, an empath herself, recognizes the potential pitfalls and the book provides an exhaustive day by day guide for maintaining equilibrium in the face of life’s storms. One of its most remarkable characteristics, however, is the guidance it offers to those who aren’t empaths themselves; reading this book can contribute to your understanding of such people in many ways.
JUDITH ORLOFF: drjudithorloff.com/thriving-as-an-empath/
Her daily overview for self-care touches on every conceivable aspect of life an empath might face. It acknowledges most people are not wired in the same way and how to deal with them, issues of self-esteem (or lack thereof) empaths face, and acknowledges many such individuals can often feel overwhelmed by their connections with others. The book leaves no stone unturned in its discussion of an empath’s life – it is obvious Orloff has vast experience dealing with these issues in her own day to day life and observation of others. She writes from a first person point of view and mixes her assertions and theories with candid personal reflections and the mix makes for an even more effective work.
If you go into reading this as a novice to her writing, do not expect a lot of high flown ideas or jargon weighing down your progress. I find it refreshing how many of her suggestions are practical and, at their basis, lead to living a more orderly life. To-do lists, the importance of communication built upon mutual respect, the need to minimize frustrations, and not being so hard on yourself could be guidance in any self-help book, let alone one about empaths. Other insights are less obvious but equal in power – like her instruction for ongoing meditation that follows the path of nature’s four seasons.
AMAZON: www.amazon.com/Thriving-Empath-Self-Care-Sensitive-People/dp/1683642910
Her even-handed tone throughout the book is embodied well early on by how she even includes suggestions for how readers might tackle this volume. One of Thriving as an Empath: 365 Days of Self-Care for Sensitive People’s most rewarding features is how readers can come at the book in a variety of ways – they can digest it in an A-Z linear fashion or dip into it at various points with comparable success. Judith Orloff has authored and co-authored a number of books at this point in her career – her level of comfort addressing readers is apparent – and the experiences she has amassed in both her personal and professional life come together to make this one of the best books on living as an empath you will come across.
Clay Burton