You were told that you were too sensitive and that you had to toughen up to get by in this unstable world. Somehow you just know things that other people don’t. You feel things that most people can’t feel. You walk into a room and know the vibe before you even take off your coat. These are signs that you are more empathetic than most.

Most often, this awareness begins to some extent in early childhood. We tend to eventually shut it down so we can fit in and stop drawing attention to ourselves. Although “Empath” has not yet been officially certified as a psychological designation, it is widely used today and might be more relevant than you think. Empathy may be a latent superpower that can give you the edge.

12 subtle signs of deeply empathetic people

1. You have no problem putting yourself in someone else’s shoes

Starting with the most obvious sign of empathy, the ability to understand the experiences of others, regardless of your perspective. If this is your superpower, you will naturally have a great emotional understanding of others and what they may be experiencing.

You have no problem putting yourself in someone else’s shoes when someone shares their woes with you, and you may feel it so strongly that you feel like it was your life and they were telling you was arriving.

2. Your intuition is more than lacking

Seto counterras via Shutterstock

You know the strong feeling you get when something goes wrong? It’s your intuition screaming at you to pay attention, like explained by Yinying Wang, Ed.D.

When you know that what someone just told you isn’t the truth, it’s a hunch. It can even be as simple as taking off your sunglasses, even if it hasn’t started raining yet. Or take a different route home and hear about a big accident on your usual route that has brought traffic to a standstill.

Always listen to your instinct. Your intuition is your internal GPS and will never lead you down the wrong road.

RELATED: The 3 Different Types of Empathy – and How to Express Each of Them

3. You are an energy sponge

Have you ever been in an argument, and even though it had nothing to do with you, you walked away from it? feel heavyas if you had absorbed everything? You might even experience flu-like symptoms.

Empaths are the energetic room cleaners of the world. More often than not, most don’t even know what they are doing. The next time you’re in a crowd, imagine putting yourself in a double bubble, the energy version of Teflon, and watch all the negativity slide away like water off the proverbial duck’s back.

4. People want to tell you their story

It’s like you have a beacon above your head to let the world know that you are a great listener. They don’t even need to be part of your entourage.

You’ll be the one at the party who hears all the stories, and because you’re an empath, you’ll probably feel like you should stay tuned and try to help, which leads fantastically to number five.

5. You attract energetic vampires

One of the downsides of being highly empathetic will be inadvertently bringing together people who want drain your energy. Often starting with a tale of woe, you listen kindly before feeling hooked.

The big sign is that once you leave their company, you feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders or like the life has been taken away from you. Your friendly vampire will happily run away into the moonlight singing, “Wow, I always feel so good after spending time with you!”

RELATED: 5 Ways to Stop an Emotional Vampire — the Type of Person Who Drains Every Bit of Your Energy

6. You have hyper-tuned senses

Andreonegin via Shutterstock

You can smell as good as a bloodhound, hear sounds only cats hear, and when you watch a movie you feel like you’ve been shot when the bad guy goes down. Research led by Marylou Mantel, Lyon Neurosciences Research Center, helps explain why you feel all these sensations and why you feel them more than others.

7. The crowds are overwhelming

Your empathic superpowers can make large crowds a little overwhelming, and you may prefer smaller, more intimate environments for your social life. This is why most empaths tend to lead more insular lives and choose when and with whom they share their magical space.

8. Mother Nature is your supercharger

Whatever the view, Mother Nature fills your cup until it overflows, like shown in research by Lucy E Keniger, Ph.D.. A walk in the forest will take you from blue to blossoming. A trip to the beach can turn the tide on your dark moods.

Something as simple as sitting and admiring your houseplant will uplift and brighten you. When in doubt, find yourself a tree and hug it.

9. Peace and love are your favorite setting

As a high-functioning empath, you may find any form of conflict difficult. It’s hard enough to hold and know your center when you’re challenged, let alone when you’re also reading the energy and feelings of others. It can be intense to decipher what you are and what they are.

10. Sometimes you feel like isolation is your only friend

Tairome via Shutterstock

Especially if you’ve been in an intense situation, you might have a craving to isolate and reset, which is completely normal after being overwhelmed. Meditation is a fantastic tool for a daily reset if fleeing to the forest is not planned. It’s good to love your own company.

RELATED: If You Feel Lonely or Isolated, You Need a “Third Place” in Your Life

11. Boundaries tend to be tricky

Boundaries, we all need them, but as an empath, they can be difficult little creatures to keep, like explored by Ingrid Bachmann and Arly Faundes. As children, we are not always taught boundaries.

Everyone needs healthy boundaries, not just with your energy, you need them with your personal space too. A sign of whether your boundaries are good is to see how close people stand to you in a crowd.

If someone is in your personal space, you need to take a long, hard look at your boundaries. A good rule of thumb is arm span above, below, in front, behind and side to side. Think of Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man and double your bubble.

12. You have so much love to balance

Empaths have the biggest hearts. They can love the world 100 times over and still have more to give, which is a wonderful and beautiful thing when they are in balance.

When it’s not balanced, hearts are hurt and you may wonder why the world is picking on you. Just add a little empathetic self-care in your daily routine, and you will always be full of love beaming for all to see, and because you are an empathetic superhero, you have the heart and the power to do it.

Go light up the world!

RELATED: 5 New (And Not So New) Spiritual Tools The Most Resilient People Use to Overcome a Broken Heart

LouLou Palmer is a professional and personal development coach with over 20 years of experience using scientific therapies, shamanic techniques and other modalities. His work, presented on BBC Women’s Houris based in the UK but available worldwide.