How To Open Your Heart Chakra Safely As An Empath

It’s a real quandary for many empaths. How can you follow your natural impulse to be kind, generous, and caring, without becoming overwhelmed or depleted and without exposing yourself to exploitation? 

The answer lies in learning how to open your heart chakra safely and with balance. We’ll get to the how-to in a moment. But first, let’s explore the wisdom of the heart chakra.

What Is The Wisdom Of The Heart Chakra?

“Chakras”, Sanskrit for “wheel”, are energy centers located at vital points along your spine. They distribute the flow of life force throughout your body.

You have seven primary chakras — from the root (base of your spine) up to the crown chakra (top of your head). Each chakra carries a specific set of information and capabilities that are essential to your development as a human being.

Your heart chakra (fourth chakra) is located in the center of your chest. It bridges and integrates the world of matter and the world of spirit. The heart chakra is the balancing point between these two aspects of you — the spirit self and the human self.

Your heart chakra is also the bridge between your inner world of self-love and your outer world of relationships.

A key lesson of the heart chakra is to bring these two aspects into balance: self-love and external relationships. 

With a healthy, open, and balanced heart chakra, you experience a harmonious exchange of energy in your relationships. You can both give and receive love in a way that generates a healthy flow of connection with the other.

Self-love is at the core of being able to give and receive in a balanced way. Self-love is the fundamental lesson offered by the heart chakra. When you love yourself, you perceive yourself as worthy of receiving. 

And then, you relish in the dynamic flow of giving and receiving. You know that they are two sides of the same coin that foster genuine connection, intimacy, and love.

What Do Empaths Struggle With In Relation To The Heart Chakra?

The very nature of an empath is to be kind, compassionate, caring, and intuitive. You sense and feel the emotions and energy of others. This window into others’ experience makes you naturally inclined to care for and heal others whenever you can.

The real challenge is that you may have a tendency to overgive. You may put others’ needs above your own. You may take on the emotional pain and labor of others and try to heal it for them. 

Overgiving, and other empath triggers, lead to exhaustion, overwhelm, and depletion. And, it may invite people into your life who take advantage of your generosity. 

If you’re an empath, your struggle most likely is not an issue of opening your heart chakra to others. You have a big heart. You instinctively know how to open it. Being so aware of how everyone is feeling, you genuinely want to help. Compassion and altruism come naturally to you.

The real issue is balance. Can you open your heart chakra to yourself?

Will you allow yourself to receive as much as you give? Would you be willing to see yourself as worthy of the same generosity that you offer so easily to others? 

The journey of the heart chakra for most empaths is about opening their hearts to themselves first. It’s about seeing yourself worthy of love. And, it’s about learning to receive as part of a balanced and harmonious flow of energy between two people. 

So, how do you open your heart chakra safely and create balance as an empath?

How To Open Your Heart Chakra Safely As An Empath

#1 – Acknowledge The Unique Gifts Of Being An Empath

Acknowledge that you already know how to open your heart chakra. You are innately caring and compassionate. You are intuitive. Honor these aspects of you. 

Recognize that your sensitivity is not a weakness. Your deep feeling and caring is a strength. Know that what you have to offer is what the world needs most in these evolutionary times. 

You are a natural lightworker. The more you can acknowledge what it means to be an empath, the more you’re able to use your special gifts to heal yourself and others.

#2 – Identify Where You Are Out Of Balance

Next, you want to consider your current relationships and ask yourself where you are out of balance. 

You know that overgiving without receiving is a recipe for emotional pain, burnout, and possibly exploitation. Even if doing so feels uncomfortable, allow yourself to acknowledge where there is an imbalance. This is an essential step to being able to open your heart chakra safely as an empath. 

You might also explore the ways in which you overgive. Time? Attention? Money? Are there other ways that you overgive? 

#3 – Feel The Feelings That Arise In Relation To Overgiving

As you explored relationships that may be out of balance, what did you notice? Perhaps you felt some sadness and grief, or anger and resentment? Maybe other feelings came to the surface? 

Allow yourself to feel whatever you feel. Know that you’re in the process of releasing an old pattern of imbalance in your heart chakra. You can feel your feelings without making anyone wrong. For example, you can feel angry about overgiving without lashing out at the other person. 

Give yourself space just to feel without doing anything else with the feelings. If there’s action to take or an expression to make, allow that to emerge in divine timing. 

This is an essential part of the process. You’re clearing a space for you to create a new experience that is balanced and aligned. 

#4 – Practice Asking For What You Want

With the intention of creating balance, practice asking for what you want. 

You might need to spend some time being curious about what it is you actually want. Many empaths are so accustomed to accommodating others’ wants and needs that they aren’t in touch with their own. 

If this is the case for you, take some time. Have fun imagining what would feel good to you as you consider your relationships. 

And, when you feel ready, you can begin practicing asking for what you want. Start with people in your life who feel safe. See what happens.

One important thing to know about this step: it’s not about receiving. This step is all about identifying what you want and taking a step to ask for it. For many empaths, this step can feel like a stretch! Success here lies in identifying and in asking.

#5 – Allow Yourself To Receive

Sometimes we overgive because receiving feels dangerous. We somehow feel vulnerable when we’re on the receiving end of attention and generosity. As an empath, you may be out of practice, and maybe even a little resistant, when it comes to receiving

But receiving is like a muscle. It can be learned. And, the more you practice, the stronger you get. Pretty soon, you get into the flow of it and find the joy in it.

So, pay attention when things are offered to you (compliments, caring attention, a helping hand). If you notice feelings of fear bubbling to the surface, lengthen and expand your breathing. Make more space in your heart and lungs — literally — to receive whatever is being offered. 

And every time you expand to receive, acknowledge and celebrate yourself. You just opened your heart chakra to you and to the balanced flow of giving and receiving in your life.

The wisdom of the heart chakra is balance. It’s about learning to give and receive in a balanced way. Doing so contributes to a harmonious exchange of energy between two people. 

Most empaths struggle with balance. They tend to overgive and under-receive, which causes them to feel exhausted, depleted and even exploited. 

If you’re an empath, you can learn to open your heart chakra safely and in a balanced way. That way, you can enjoy the dynamic flow of love in your life. 

Begin by acknowledging yourself and the special gifts that come with being an empath. Next, identify where you are out of balance. Feel any feelings that arise in relation to overgiving. Then, practice identifying and asking for what you want. And finally, allow yourself to receive. 

The more you practice these steps, the more you expand your capacity to give and receive love with balance and safety. 

If you’re an empath wanting to learn how to manage your sensitivity, reading about it may not be enough to create the shifts you want in your life. Take your next step in empath empowerment and join us for our upcoming training Essential Energy Care For The Awakening Empath. You’ll be in a community of like-hearted sensitive souls and will learn simple yet powerful techniques to build energetic balance and stability, no matter how intense the world around you becomes. All the details are over here. I hope to see you there!

Or, tell me how I can help by emailing me at elizabeth@elizabethhunterdiamond.com.