I didn’t want to get my sleeves dirty. That’s where it started. No one had noticed nor said anything prior to that, so I wasn’t worried. I went to continue working on my art piece, but I felt a hand land gently on the top of mine. When I turned to look at her, her eyes were intense. Suddenly, I could feel that intensity (that’s the thing about being an empath, just by looking at an expression, I can feel it to some extent.) A sharp ache shot through my gut— I don’t know if it was out of shock or fear, maybe it was out of anxiety. What I do know, is that at least part of it was brought on by the way she looked at me; her eyes brimmed with tears, and she spoke in a voice only slightly familiar, and with a tone I hadn’t heard before… 

“I’ve been there.”

This was three years ago, and I don’t remember anything she said after that. She might have told me that it “gets better” or it would “be okay.” I think I may have forgotten anything after that because they’re phrases you hear about everything at any time and any place. To hear someone say they felt the same way that I did was what stuck with me. 

Now, I’m more in her shoes. To this day, I notice things. (I can’t say that I know exactly  what someone is feeling by simply looking at them, but I get the gist.) Specifically, I notice when someone shows behaviors that seem off. It doesn’t have to be a visible sign of pain and suffering, like the girl saw from me my Freshman year. I notice other signs, too. 

They say the eyes are the windows to the soul, and I suppose they’re right because some people have a certain look in their eyes that reveals how tired they truly are. Body language can be another tell of how someone is feeling. If someone is slightly curled into themselves, they may be experiencing discomfort or distress. I’ll offer a smile, even if I don’t know the person. If I do, I’ll wave, too. Sometimes, I see a leg bouncing or hands fiddling, and that’s when I offer one of my fidgets. I like to offer even a small gesture that says a simple, “I see you” because when I was a freshman, and at my lowest, I experienced an “I see you” moment.