When an empath stops answering every “emotional emergency,” something telling often happens: people disappear. Not because they’ve healed. But because in their eyes, you’re no longer useful to them. And as painful as it is, this clarity is sacred. It shows you who was seeking connection and who was seeking control disguised as closeness. This isn’t bitterness - it’s discernment. And it’s how you protect your gift.

We talk everywhere about respecting or imposing our limits. It’s true that setting and maintaining boundaries is a skill.