The impact of toxic energy in our lives

My health and well-being have definitely not been at their best lately. Insomnia, digestion problems, and fatigue are only some of the symptoms that have been affecting me on a daily basis. Being a person who always seeks to understand the root cause of everything, I have of course, been reflecting on the potential reasons that can explain what is happening with me. What I feel I have uncovered is worth sharing with you, the reader, because while it is an ensemble of circumstances and reasons that are at play here, there is definitely a root- cause and that is the impact of toxic energy in our lives as well as having unfulfilled needs. The two are related, as I will further expand upon below.

Let's imagine that as a human being, your needs, as well as unwanted elements, are represented by glasses. Each glass gets filled according to what is happening in your life. Let's image now that the glasses that get filled quickly are with the unwanted things, while the other glasses representing your needs remain fairly empty. I have often mentioned to my loved ones that I feel at times as if my emotional, mental and physical capacities are greatly diminished after being constantly exposed to a number of stressful factors in my life . Upon reflexion this weekend, I have realized that it is not about capacity per se, rather it is about not being fuelled with fulfilled needs, which then impedes my ability to empty the overfilling glasses of unwanted things.

Now let's clarify what I mean by "unwanted things": toxic energy for me is at the top of the list, as well as being regularly exposed to people who have completely opposite values from me. Don't get me wrong: I always state in both my personal and professional lives that we can only welcome and accept others as they present themselves to us, because that is where they are at in this precise moment of their lives. I will thus seek to truly understand a person's background, as it gives me great insights about the person and about me. However, some people relish in negativity, whether it is done consciously or unconsciously. If I get to be exposed on a regular basis to people who ooze of toxicity, it does tend to fill my glasses of unwanted things pretty quickly. You might be thinking: "well, just step away from these people to get rid of the negativity"; I agree wholeheartedly, yet there are situations where relationships are complex and cutting ties can have larger ramifications.

I will quote my friend Martin Latulippe on the impact toxic energy creates (which he may not remember saying to me years ago): "Imagine you hold a glass of water and your water is translucent and pure. Now imagine that all of a sudden, someone poured a large bag of dirt in it...what does your water look like now? That discoloured and troubled water you now have in your hands is not your doing... and what does dirt tend to do after a moment? It sinks to the bottom of the glass.....you may feel like the water you are looking at, but you can scoop out the dirt or you can decide to pour it and fill it with new water". Martin used that metaphor to illustrate how sometimes, we feel things that do not belong to us to begin with, as it was placed there by someone else. That is how impactful other people's vibrations, words or actions have on us. The good news is we can take action and either empty the glass and or seek to simply remove the dirt from the water. Easy enough in theory, but if it is hard to put in practice, maybe it is because we feel frozen in place or do not feel like we have the energy.

Let's explore now the unfulfilled needs part. I have been reflecting a lot about my needs in the recent 2-3 years (truth be told: I hit a certain existential crisis when I turned 40). When you are a person who tend to think of others before self (and have made it a life-long habit), it can be quite tricky to think of your needs as not meaning being selfish, but rather as a necessary thing. I have worked so hard all my life that it has become almost an identity for me; I share this context with you to cast understanding on the challenge and difficulty it poses for me to talk about my needs and to vocalize them. Thus, this internal battle (on which I am working on) leaves me with having empty glasses and those are the glasses that require filling. I must say that I do have people in both my workplace and personal entourage who seek to help me with this challenge, often voicing what I think, but do not always say. We all have needs as human beings; some of those needs are of course essential to our survival, such as sleeping and eating, while other needs differ from one person to the next. Simply put, identifying, understanding and fullfilling our personal needs is crucial to our existence, because it is not only the foundation of our being, but it is also what fuels our engine and keep us going.

Being exposed to toxic energy and negativity on a regular basis has made a huge dent into my well-being, along with neglecting my personal needs. That has created the result of having empty glasses and too many overflowing ones and not having the energy to simply take action. I am feeling hopeful however that I have realized those things, as I can now put the following words into action: fill, pour, and purify.... Oh, I have also thought of the words shatter, store, and displace. If you think of others, please send them my way :)