Protect Your Energy, Not Your Heart

I wish I had learned this practice when I was little.

Growing up in a volatile home, I could feel words like weapons. Comments were often sharp, meant to wound, and sometimes directed straight at me. As a highly sensitive child, I didn't know how to protect myself. Every criticism, every raised voice, every angry exchange seemed to travel straight through me and settle deep in my heart.

Over time, I did what many of us do. I built armor.

Not because I wanted to, but because it felt safer. I slowly hardened parts of myself in an attempt to keep from getting hurt again. Some of them looked less like protection and more like a lock-and-key when I stayed silent to keep the peace. 

Looking back, I really needed better boundaries around my energy.

One of the most beautiful practices I learned during my Beauty Way and shamanic training many years ago was something incredibly simple: creating an energetic bubble of protection called a Wiracocha Spirit Bubble. My 7-year-old needed that! 

Before you dismiss this as too "woo woo," stay with me for a minute. Whether you think of it as visualization, intention, prayer, or simply focusing your awareness, the practice is remarkably powerful.

Before walking into a difficult meeting... before having a challenging conversation... before visiting a family member who tends to drain your energy... even when rushing through a crowded airport to catch a flight, pause for just a minute.

Close your eyes, take a slow, deep breath.

As you exhale, imagine a beautiful sphere of shimmering light surrounding your entire body.

Perhaps yours is crystal clear, or maybe it's golden or violet. There is no right or wrong- it's your color. Sometimes I even lift my arms over my head and bring the protection bubble around me; often I can feel it enveloping me. 

This isn't about shutting people out; it's about remembering what belongs to you, and it feels like a subtle hug from you to you. 

In Energy Leadership sessions, I often talk about how we absorb the emotions of those around us without realizing it. Someone else's fear becomes our anxiety. Their frustration becomes our tension. Their anger becomes the energy we carry home to our families. It's visceral. 

But we can remain compassionate without carrying what isn't ours. We can stay openhearted without absorbing every emotion in the room.

That is conscious leadership.

It's creating healthy energetic boundaries so we can remain grounded, present, and loving, even when others are struggling. It's simple and powerful. 

With heart,