An empath is someone who is

An empath is someone who is emotionally, mentally, and physically sensitive to the energy around them. They often pick up the negative or detrimental thoughts, feelings, and emotions of others. They may also absorb or be sensitive to vibrations produced by electricity or cause disturbance to electronic devices.

This intuitive gift is increasing as the earth and humanity is shifting into a purer level of consciousness, which means more and more people are discovering that they have the ability to know what someone else is thinking or feeling. The difficulty comes when an empath or highly sensitive person doesn't know how to clear this energy and instead carries as if it were their own. This can create mental confusion, emotional mood swings, and even physical illness. Most empaths don't know what to do about empathy overload or compassion fatigue.

Article Source: http://weare1inspirit.com/empathy-intuition.htm