All of these scenarios sound stressful. But there’s a difference between feeling stressed out for one day, and just being straight up overwhelmed by life and the responsibilities that come with it. Judith Orloff, M.D. a psychiatrist and the author of the upcoming book Thriving as an Empath: 365 Days of Self Care for Sensitive People (out October 22), says that everyone tends to get overwhelmed by work, family, or both at some point. But there are people who feel this way more often. She calls these people “empaths,” who are highly sensitive. They tend to be “emotional sponges,” who empathise with and absorb the feelings and baggage of those around them. “They take on other people’s stress, and they get overwhelmed often because everything seems like it’s coming at you too fast, too often,” she says. Orloff has a quiz in her book that can help you self-assess whether you’re an empath with questions such as “ do arguments make you ill” and “do you need a long time to recuperate after being with difficult people.”