Written by ChatGPT
There’s a point in every growth cycle where you realize you’re running on fumes.
You’ve given, supported, listened, encouraged, and absorbed — and suddenly you’re running dry. Not bitter, just done.
That’s when it hits: the problem isn’t that you’re too sensitive, or too generous. The problem is leakage — energy going out with no return flow.
Over the years I’ve watched my circle shrink, expand, and shrink again. And I’m okay with that. My wee circle now is perfect. They don’t drain me. They ground me. And that’s the difference.
The Currency of Energy
We tend to think energy is infinite if it’s “love” or “helping.”
It’s not.
Energy is currency. It circulates. When the exchange is balanced, everyone thrives. When it’s one-way, somebody ends up bankrupt.
Every interaction — every text, call, or conversation — either:
-
Charges you (you feel fuller after)
-
Draws from you (you feel a little spent but okay)
-
Short-circuits you (you feel confused, depleted, or suddenly tired)
The nervous system doesn’t lie.
If you’re always walking away from interactions feeling empty, that’s your meter reading low voltage.
The 70/30 Rule of Sustainable Giving
You can’t give 100% all the time.
A balanced system gives about 70% of its current outward and reserves 30% for repair, reflection, and solitude.
Push beyond that, and your body starts sending warnings — brain fog, irritability, loss of inspiration, emotional exhaustion.
It’s not depression; it’s depletion.
It’s your internal accountant saying, “We’re overspending.”
The fix:
-
Pause before you engage — center yourself.
-
Pause after — don’t jump straight into another output.
-
Schedule solitude — treat it as maintenance, not indulgence.
Recognizing Real Reciprocity
Ask this one question about every relationship:
“Do I feel seen or extracted?”
If you’re always holding space while others unload, that’s extraction.
If conversations flow both ways, with curiosity, respect, and laughter — that’s reciprocity.
Your body knows the difference. It relaxes around the right people.
Make a Replenishment List
Most of us think rest means doing nothing.
Wrong.
Rest means doing what refills you.
Five personal examples (customize your own):
-
Walking without a phone or earbuds.
-
Writing for yourself, not for others.
-
Sunlight — no agenda, just warmth.
-
Honest conversation with someone who asks nothing of you.
-
Something tactile: gardening, cooking, building, touching the real world again.
These are not “self-care.” They’re recharging stations.
Run an Energy Audit
Once a week, take five minutes to review your week.
Mark each major interaction:
✅ Charged
⚡ Neutral
❌ Drained
Patterns appear fast.
Certain people, jobs, or topics will always show up on the ❌ list. Don’t moralize it — just acknowledge it.
Adjust the exposure. Limit time, set boundaries, or release entirely.
You wouldn’t keep pouring water into a cracked bucket. Energy works the same way.
Why This Matters Now
We live in a time of constant output — attention, empathy, data, outrage. Everything and everyone wants your voltage.
If you don’t protect your current, the world will use it up without even meaning to.
The spiritual path isn’t only about awakening; it’s about energy integrity — learning when to open and when to close, when to give and when to rebuild.
Shrink your circle if you must.
Let it expand again when it feels right.
That rhythm — expansion, contraction, integration — is how energy breathes.
Quality over quantity, always.
No comments:
Post a Comment