Lost Empath

This is my first post so I hope I can get this right. About two years ago I learned that I am able to feel other people's emotions without them telling me about them (I have learned from this site yesterday this is called being empathic). These two years have been a real big learning experience and I know I have been able to do this all of my life, just never understood it and figured it was normal. I can do this just being within the same area as them. Some people, who I am close with, I get a really strong energy from and can feel them from many miles away. Sometimes they are so strong that I have a hard time separating them from my own emotions.

I love my ability and wouldn't trade it for the world but understanding it is so hard, and I don't have anyone that lives close to me to talk or help me with this. I'm really looking for help in mastering and growing this ability, I know it is not really any one else's responsibility to do so but I really hope you all can help. I have been told that meditating will help a lot and I do (probably not as much as I should) and it helps some, but I hope there are more things that I can be doing. Also, I always have a headache in some form and I know that they are caused because I can always feel people's energies, I am hoping that their might be a way to lessen these headaches or just make them go away completely. If anyone has any insight, I would love to hear it! Thanks