In my book "Emotional Freedom," I emphasize the importance of learning how to stay centered in a stressful, highly emotionally charged world. Since research has shown that emotions can be contagious, you can potentially "catch" fear, anger or joy from people without realizing it. If you tend to be an emotional sponge, it's vital to know how to avoid taking on an individual's negative emotions or the free-floating kind in crowds. Another twist is that chronic anxiety, depression or stress can turn you into an emotional sponge by wearing down your defenses. Suddenly, you become hyper-attuned to others, especially those with similar pain. That's how empathy works; we zero in on hot-button issues that are unresolved in ourselves. Negative emotions can originate from several sources. What you're feeling may be your own; it may be someone else's; or it may be a combination. I'll explain how to tell the difference and strategically bolster positive emotions so you don't shoulder negativity that doesn't belong to you.
This wasn't something I always knew how to do. Growing up, my girlfriends couldn't wait to hit the shopping malls and go to parties, and the bigger the better -- but I didn't share their excitement. I always felt overwhelmed, exhausted around large groups of people, though I was clueless why. "What's the matter with you?" friends would say, shooting me the weirdest looks. All I knew was that crowded places and I just didn't mix. I'd go there feeling just fine but leave nervous, depressed or with some horrible new ache or pain. Unsuspectingly, I was a sponge, sensing the emotions of people around me.
With my patients, I've also seen how absorbing other people's emotions can trigger panic attacks, depression, food-, sex- and drug-binges, and a plethora of physical symptoms that defy traditional medical diagnosis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that more than 2 million Americans suffer from chronic fatigue. It's likely that many of them are emotional sponges.
Here are some strategies from "Emotional Freedom" to practice. They will help you to stop taking on other people's stress.
6 Tips To Stay Centered In A Stressful World
To detach from other people's negative emotions:
Keep practicing these strategies. You don't have to reinvent the wheel each time you're on emotional overload. With strategies to cope, you can have quicker retorts to stressful situations, feel safer, and your sensitivities can blossom.
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I also use my hands as a 'rake' and 'rake my energy fields (aura) as I breathe, I do it from head to toe, and get my back and send the excess energy back to light. by saying, "go back to light."
That will take care of it, and I will do that until I feel lighter.
Also, after working on clients at the end of the day, I do a salt scrub (or salt bath if you have a tub).
Thanks for the tips Judith! Thanks for being you.
Life is too short to be surrounded by those whose views are always of the downside - yes, we have fears and worries, but to subject someone else to those feelings may drive them away and not help mitigate those fears and worries. Solving life's problems is a major "do it yourself" situation.
Being 'centered' can quite literally be the difference in whether someone remains sane or subject to a breakdown, (emotional or physical). In this day and age it is imperative to be as balanced albeit as flexible as we can! ...
I agree about walking, it is highly underrated....
Blessings, to all, MEA
preferably in a park or quiet neighbourhood, some place where you mind can focus on nature
that's why i love playing golf
i'm a pretty good player, but my score is rarely the focus of my games
getting away from the world and focusing on hitting the ball and enjoying the game are the most important to me
that's why i also love sailing
i realize that golfing and sailing can be expensive and not for everyone, but even a 30 minute walk by yourself can clear your head and is a great way to shed negative energy that may be pent up in your body
even a city walk, and maybe looking into store windows (what we used to call window shopping) can take us away from our current stressful state of mind
it doesn't have to be a power walk
just getting away from your office/home/phone/family etc.
a nice walk can be a great way for some much needed 'me time'
something we all need and it's a hell of a lot cheaper than a 'spa day'
many people in this world cannot create their own positive energy and so gravitate towards those that do create their own positive energy
these 'energy vampires' then attach themselves to try to drain off as much positive energy as possible
these 'energy vampires' are to be avoided at all costs, for they can cause serious emotional, mental and even physical damage to the person creating the positive energy
the vampires crave the positive energy since they are usually ones who create negative energy and as such need huge amounts of positive energy to overcome the negative energy they create and then even more to make them feel positive
it is important to quickly recognize the 'energy vampires' as quickly as possible and dispense with them ASAP
I do recognize that sometimes we need to help people who are creating negative energy - friend, relatives who are facing crisis, but it's important that we also help these people to create their own positive energy instead of literally sucking the life out of someone else
positive energy is so important for our emotional, mental and physical well being
the world is stressful enough and throws without adding the strain of letting an energy vampire latch on to us
Corny maybe...but then again...who knows for sure?
Your clients are mighty lucky people. They've sought out one who comes from their own hard-won truth. What a marvelous invitation you are to others to mine their own.
Appreciation your way,
Cara
"Everybody's got a choice. You can piss in your boots and whine about it or walk in dry socks."
I choose to walk in "dry socks".