How I Protect My Energy When the World Feels Too Much
Sometimes, burnout or the exhaustion that we're feeling, and I've been feeling it lately, it's not because of the effort that I'm puttin ing, it's from the unintentional giving and the energy leaks.
And I could see my energy slipping away in three areas, and it may resonate with you as well.
Today, I want to talk about how to protect your energy while still staying compassionate and awake in the world, but without losing your sense of peace in the process. And lately I've been having this conversation with so many of my friends, my clients, and it's about how tired we are. And it's not necessarily from doing more, but it's from feeling so deeply. The world feels heavy and dark because it is. And every day we see images or read something new about something painful or shocking or heartbreaking. And even when we're intentional with our boundaries, even when we limit our time on social media or the news that we choose to consume or watch, many of us are still carrying so much pain and grief and sadness because of what we're seeing.
And I've been wrestling lately with the question of how to stay compassionate and human while still protecting myself and without absorbing everything that I'm witnessing. We don't want to bury our heads in the sand. We don't want to stay uninformed or numb ourselves or be desensitized to the atrocities in the world, to the injustices. But I also know that we cannot carry it all.
And what I've noticed in myself and in the people that I work with is that if we're not careful, our energy leaks. Before we consciously choose how we want to use it, it can slip away from us. And sometimes burnout or the exhaustion that we're feeling, and I've been feeling it lately, it's not because of the effort that I'm putting in, it's from the unintentional giving and the energy leaks, and I could see my energy slipping away in three areas, and it may resonate with you as well. First is the emotional weight that we carry that's not meant for us to be carrying all by ourselves. We witness pain, and that doesn't mean that we have to absorb it, or compassion doesn't mean that we have to collapse. But many of us were not taught
how to stay aware without taking everything on as our own or hold space for others without absorbing it. Second, I see so many of us feeling guilty about creating boundaries that we actually need, especially if you're someone who supports others who's of service to others, who leads. We tell ourselves that we should be able to take more on to handle more, but the boundaries aren't walls. They're actually containers.
and their containers so that we can hold space for others and sustainably provide service. Third, giving way to our attention that we never get to fully reclaim the news, to scrolling, to hard, contentious conversations, even if you're just reading them online, to anticipating what comes next, to making assumptions.
All of these things are energy leaks. And if we're not careful, our energy is going to be redirected towards things that we do not want it to be directed towards. We do not want to add more energy to the things that are not beneficial in this world, especially without our consent. So the reframe that's been guiding me lately is that I don't believe we're asked to care less. I believe we're asked to care with more discernment.
with more wisdom, with more intentionality. And I wanted to share my practices because I'm asked a lot. And for me, I choose intentionally every single day. Every morning, before I consume the agenda of the world or others, before I show up for others, I have to participate in my own devotion practices. So for me, that's stillness, it's meditation, it's breath work.
It's reading text that is inspiring, that is true, that anchors me in what is true. Not to escape the world, but to be more grounded, to be rooted enough to show up in the world for others. I've learned that I can't hold space for others or be of service if I'm already depleted, collapsed, or in despair. I just can't. Presence requires replenishment.
And so I focus on what's in my control, how I treat others, how I present, how I am, how intentionally I give of my time, my attention, my resources, and I practice releasing what's not within my control over and over again to God. I pray, I listen, I take a line to action that is tied to my values, to my morals.
to my ethics, to what I believe God wants me to do. And it doesn't make life painless; it's still painful, but it keeps me anchored, and it gives me a greater sense of hope. And that's what allows me to stay compassionate and human and hold my own peace without losing myself in the process.
And I wanted to leave you with a couple of questions, maybe some journal prompts. I find that it's helpful for me, not to solve, but maybe just to notice. First one is, where does my energy feel most tender right now? And what am I carrying that may not be mine to hold?
What am I consuming before I've chosen how I want to live today? And what helps me return to myself when the world feels heavy?
Just creating that awareness can sometimes help how we relate to what we're hearing. And if you'd like additional support, I created a free daily alignment template. I use it every morning to set my intentions, my focus, my priorities. It only takes a couple of minutes to complete, but it allows you to manage and to choose your energy intentionally before the day chooses it for you. And you can download it through the link in the show notes.
Thank you for joining. If this conversation, this episode resonated with you, I'd love to hear your comments, for you to subscribe, to review, or just share it with someone else who needs it right now. I love you guys so much, and I'm just wishing for you so much peace. Thank you for being here with me.