boundaries
Is Your ‘Friend’ A Toxic Energy Thief?
Do you have a friend who constantly makes you feel unbalanced and drained, while adding no value to your life? We’ve all had that so-called ‘friend’ who doesn’t seem to care much about our well-being. Sometimes they don’t even seem to like us at all!
They are that fair-weather friend who drains your energy and constantly exhibits toxic behaviors that destroy your inner peace, steal your joy, and disrupt your spiritual balance. Interacting with them increases your stress or anxiety, and even triggers a sense of disconnection from your true self.
If you have such a “friend,” consider this a serious wake-up call. After all, with a friend like that, who needs enemies? And if you have more than one such friend, consider this an urgent intervention!
The truth is that having an energy vampire masquerading as a friend in your life poses significant spiritual dangers and negative effects on your overall health and well-being.
Constant interaction with someone who is unkind and unsupportive hinders your personal and spiritual growth. Instead of uplifting and encouraging you, they serve only to hold you back and may even discourage you from pursuing your dreams. These people are not your friends.
It reminds me of the karate classes I used to take. We were taught to have ‘situational awareness.’ In karate, this refers to being fully aware of your surroundings, including potential threats, opportunities, and obstacles during training, sparring, or self-defense scenarios. It involves being mentally present and observing the environment, the opponent, and any relevant factors that could affect the outcome of a situation.
Spiritual Maturity Is A Lifelong Journey
What does spiritual maturity mean to you? Every time I ask someone this question, I get all kinds of different answers.
A Baby Boomer I asked said it meant going to church, donating to charities, studying the Bible, and following the Ten Commandments.
When I asked a Gen Z client, she said it meant minding your own business and not caring what others think of you because it is none of your business what they think. She also said she was a Wiccan and didn’t believe in wishing negative energy on others, because she knew it would only come back to her if she did.
I recently asked four people at a social gathering, and they had different opinions on the subject. They were in their 30s and 40s and had a young teenager with them. Interestingly, one thing they all agreed on was that it is spiritually mature to create healthy boundaries with family and friends for your own mental and spiritual well-being. One woman shared, for exxample, that if she hadn’t stopped hanging out with one of her friends, she would have hit rock bottom emotionally.
“I just could not put up with the way she treated me. I used to spend a lot of time stressing about the things she would say and do. I was always overthinking every toxic interaction with her, and our so-called friendship was not good for my mental state,” she explained. “So, for me, spiritual maturity is walking away from those who bring you down.”
Energy Imprint, Energy Cord, Or Entity Attachment?
In my work, I often encounter people who are experiencing phenomena that are negatively affecting their energy field, causing them to suffer a loss of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health and well-being.
Usually these problems are simply due to their own negative thinking, or external negative energy imprints or residues that their aura has picked up from toxic people or environments. In many cases, it can be due to the energy cord of a dysfunctional or unhealthy romantic relationship or other types of energy cords with family, friends, or co-workers that are contaminating or draining their personal energy and vitality.
In some cases, however, these negative energy influences have a far more sinister origin that the “carrier” or victim is rarely aware of, while it is destroying their well-being and wreaking havoc in their lives.
The problem is that many people do not understand the difference between negative energy imprints, energy cords, and evil entity or spirit attachments. In my experience, the confusion is mainly due to the fact that the effects these three categories of negative energy phenomena have on people are often similar, leading to misinterpretation of the source or cause of these influences and disturbances.
Energy Self-Care Strategies For Empaths And Sensitives
Empaths and highly sensitive people (HSPs) often feel drained by other people and certain environments due to their inherently sensitive nature and the way they interact with the world around them.
We face unique physical, mental, emotional and spiritual challenges because of our innate ability to deeply feel and absorb the thoughts, emotions and energies of those around us. While our sensitivity is a blessing and a gift to the world, it can also become a curse through overwhelming experiences of empathic overload and energy depletion.
Energetic self-care is therefore of paramount importance to the sensitive person. Every empath or HSP should adopt a daily routine of energetic self-care practices designed to cleanse, protect and rejuvenate their aura or personal energy field.
Mastering these practices is not only beneficial to our health and well-being, it’s essential for maintaining holistic balance, protecting our mental health in particular, and nurturing our deep connection to the world and those around us.
As empaths and HSPs, we can manage our energy more effectively by employing several strategies that help us maintain our energetic well-being, while navigating a world that can often feel overwhelming. The following are essential tools and strategies that can empower empaths and HSPs to thrive in their sensitivity and turn their deep empathy into their greatest strength through effective energetic self-care:
Why Do Empaths And Sensitives Often Feel Drained?
Have you ever left a meeting or social gathering feeling completely drained or energetically depleted?
Or maybe you’ve walked out of a store or other public place and noticed that you were short with your loved ones and irritable? Or you come home in the evening feeling sad or depressed for no apparent reason, after starting the day feeling cheerful and happy?
If this happens to you often, it is very likely that you are an empath or a highly sensitive person.
Empaths and highly sensitive people (HSPs) often feel drained by other people, social gatherings, crowds and certain environments due to several key aspects of their inherent nature and the way they interact with the world around them. Here are the major reasons for this phenomenon:
Genetic predisposition: Research suggests that the trait of high sensitivity is influenced by genetic factors that affect how individuals process sensory information and emotional stimuli. A key aspect of this genetic influence is the way the brain processes serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps regulate mood, appetite, sleep, and sensory perception. Variations in genes related to the serotonin transporter have been linked to differences in emotional reactivity and sensitivity to the environment. Studies have shown that individuals with certain variations of these genes may exhibit traits consistent with high sensitivity, such as deeper cognitive processing of sensory information, higher emotional reactivity, and increased empathy.
The Magical Ways Spirits Contact Us
I was recently heartened to learn that a good friend of mine has embarked on an exploratory journey to better understand his psychic abilities and the direction of his spiritual path.
He shared with me his amazement that since he began his developmental journey, more and more spirits have been reaching out to him and asking, “Why me? To which I replied, “Why not you?”
It’s common for spirits to try to communicate with those of us who are more sensitive and receptive. People who are more open to spirit contact tend to experience more paranormal activity and visitations from the deceased.
It is important to note that once you open this particular door to the other side, you may experience an onslaught of souls trying to get your attention.
You have the right to let spirit know that you are willing to listen and communicate only when they present themselves one at a time, and only when you are available and it is convenient for you to do so. It is important to set firm boundaries to ensure that your personal time and energy is respected and protected.
Learn To Say No To Toxic People!
Do you allow others to steal your energy with their drama and demands? If so, you may want to reconsider how you deal with them, because it is very unhealthy physically, mentally and spiritually to be around negative people and force yourself to do things you don’t want to do.
Protecting your energy field from toxic people and situations is more important than you may realize. They can have a profound effect on our overall well-being. Physically, the stress and negativity can lead to various health problems, such as elevated blood pressure, a weakened immune system, and disrupted sleep patterns. Chronic stress can also contribute to the development of more serious health conditions over time.
Emotionally, exposure to toxic people can lead to feelings of anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. Overly demanding people tend to be self-centered, manipulative, abusive, and lacking in empathy. They disrespect emotional and physical boundaries and undermine your self-esteem. Constant exposure to such people can leave you feeling emotionally drained and manipulated, and undermine your confidence and sense of self-worth, affecting your emotional resilience and ability to cope with life’s challenges.