You are on a roll – in a good flow and suddenly you are thrown off your feet. Your leader, colleague, spouse or maybe even friend sends their negativity your way, and even if what they are sharing has nothing to do with you, you are affected. What to do?
Many of us have an urge to fix what is not working, and if other people with negative energy enter our sphere we will often try to make it go away – to help or pull them out of their misery, partly because it is unbearable to us. Often, we reach out in some way believing that maybe we can rescue the person from their negative day or outlook.
Not only is negativity sometimes needed in a process and thus should not necessarily be fixed, but when you reach out you will very often be pulled down into the negative energy rather than pulling them up into your good energy. The downwards pull is often as strong as water emptying out of the drain in a bathtub. And now you are both suffering from negativity.
If you really want to help, the best thing you can do is preserve your own good energy by staying a witness without reacting or trying to fix anything, though sometimes this will be hard. If this is too difficult you will actually be a greater help if you turn your attention to people or things that enhance or preserve your good energy.
In this way, you can be the lighthouse leading them out of their negative state because it will display such an attractive alternative that they might find their own way out of their misery.
Of course, we have to help our colleagues, friends and family members that are in need, but most of us sacrifice too much of our own energy on this without actually helping anyone. In fact, we are actually able to offer far more help if we preserve our own energy rather than moving into the negative energy with them.
How to preserve your good energy
- Identify people or current situations that are bringing negative energy into your life and decide where it is possible for you to stay as a witness while preserving your energy, and where you need to remove yourself.
- Don’t be too demanding on your own ability to stay as a witness and forgive yourself if you fail.
- Identify people and activities that will enhance your good energy, and plan around it: How and when do would be a good time to bring them into your life and routine?
Good luck with being the lighthouse showing the way out
