Protecting Our Energy

Are you someone who easily takes on others’ negative energy? 

Is the heaviness in the world weighing on you?

Do you find yourself feeling drained after being around certain people?

Yes to all of the above? I can relate very much, and feel others’ emotions and energy, too.  And, if it’s negative (as it often is) we can leave feeling drained and depleted. With all of the negativity in today’s world, it can be difficult to protect our own precious energy, which is one of our greatest sources of power. This is particularly true if you are a fellow caregiver, teacher, or Mother.

Here are five most valuable methods I use to help protect my energy that I think you’ll find valuable as well. 

·      Journaling is helpful, even if it’s just jotting down a few lines of whatever comes to mind. For me, this helps “brain dump” and get those heavy or negative feelings out on to paper and out of my heart and mind. It makes me feel lighter and freer, making space for my positive energy to shine! 

·      Practice meditation. When we meditate, we can prepare ourselves by centering and creating an intention of protecting our energy so that we are less likely to absorb others’ negative energy. Additionally, meditating can help us release energy we may have picked up from others and bring the focus back to our own mind and spirit to center ourselves again. Even 5 minutes helps. I love the free Insight Timer app for meditations. For more on meditation and my best tips, check out this post.

·      Create and maintain boundaries. To  protect our energy, we must draw a line somewhere and when we’re clear on where that is, it’s easier to do.  Create a list of 3-5 boundaries you will maintain, such as: only visiting with certain family members for 2 hours instead of all day, attending a maximum of 2 events per week, and declining invites to events that don’t/won’t bring us joy in some way, etc. 

·      Practice saying “no”.  This can be both empowering and cleansing by limiting how much we are stretched and influenced.  Saying “no” can be our most loving response. Upholding our personal boundaries helps us feel confident, honors our heart, and allows us to step into deeper authenticity, all while protecting our energy.

 ·      Limit your exposure to known negativity. This includes limiting media, such as the news. It also involves being intentioally choosy about who and where you spend your precious time and attention.  This will automatically limit the energy-suckers in your life.

·      Bonus: Lay on the ground (in a spot with natural light coming in, if possible) for 5-10 minutes and visualize a clean, white light washing over you (called a “light bath”).  As you visualize this white light, see it pouring some of your most valued qualities into you (resilience, strength, compassion, etc.).  Then, see it washing away the negative emotions and feelings you may have taken on throughout your day (such as anger, resentment, and turmoil).  You may also say a prayer at this time to retrieve all of your positive energy.

I hope these suggestions help in protecting your powerful and beautiful energy!

>>> Which method will you commit to trying? I’d love to hear below.