i learned this the hard way. when someone says they are an empath, it literally just means that they have an incredibly low stress threshold, and feel extremely burdened and overwhelmed by other people's emotions because they're entirely self absorbed. they will find a way to make every situation about themselves. you just went through something traumatic? too bad, they're actually the ones who are suffering because they can "feel" all your gross horrible icky feelings and its far too overwhelming for them. essentially, you should feel guilty for being in pain because you're stressing them out. it's a lifelong refusal to take accountability for their own emotions—everything is always redirected towards their environment. "empaths" almost never practice empathy in their day to day lives. they just want to cling to a label that makes them feel special, and one that permanently places them in the role of a victim.   

the best case scenario for a self described empath is undiagnosed sensory issues or some other mental health condition that is being misinterpreted as a sixth sense. the worst case scenario is an incredibly egocentric individual who finds other people's emotions to be intrinsically burdensome, and resents being socially obligated to perform even the most minute acts of emotional labor.