We've all noticed how the energy of an entire room can change whenever certain people enter it. Phil lifts up your mood with his upbeat attitude and makes you feel good all day! Carol, on the other hand, makes you feel like running for the emergency exit!
Each and every one of us brings energy to our co-workers, loved ones, and even the stranger in line behind us at the grocery store. It would serve us all well to realize that the energy we radiate affects others' lives, and we need to be responsible for it.
The following are ways to recognize what we're "putting out there," how to deal with people who don't, and why it's so important:
1) Vibrate Responsibly
Ask yourself this question: "Are you taking responsibility for the energy you're bringing to others?" If you've had a tough day, does everybody hear about it from you? Does everyone know how rotten and unfair you think your life is? Do you have "pity parties" for yourself on a regular basis? (You know who you are.) When you come home from work, school, or wherever, does your family immediately sense whether you've had a good day or a bad one? (Believe me, they do... They can feel your energy.)
We live on a vibrational planet, and everything on the planet vibrates, including people. We either put out a high vibration or a low vibration. A high vibration results from feelings of happiness, love, respect, and so forth. A low vibration comes from the emotions of anger, depression, stress, and so on. When you come home to your family or go to work each day, recognize how your vibration affects and influences the degree of joy or sadness in other people's lives. Step back and check yourself: What type of energy are you carrying from place to place, person to person? Is it going to enhance another's well-being or deteriorate it?
If you radiate a positive, high vibration, and someone comes into contact with you who is radiating a rather negative, low vibration, you have a choice. The choice is either to 1) maintain your alignment with that positive vibration by politely excusing yourself from them or staying and deciding not to attach to their petty dramas, or 2) lower yourself to the other person's negative vibration, letting their drama change your mood for the worse. For those times when you encounter particular individuals who, without fail, "push your buttons," no matter how hard you try to remain centered, remember that when you start getting all worked up, those people are your "Peace Teachers." They are teaching you how to find peace. They are testing you! You can "pass the test" by learning to be peaceful as an alternative to anger or frustration -- accepting that they are who they are, and it is what it is -- to keep you on the right track.
2) Join the Club!
Have you ever noticed how certain people gravitate toward each other? In school, we called them "cliques." For instance, if you look closely enough, you'll tend to see that people who are always complaining about something seem to be friends with other complainers. Those who are rather judgmental usually hang out with people who also hold critical views. And consequently, folks who like to laugh and just have fun normally get together with others who have similar interests and share their sense of humor. To put it another way, animal rights organizations don't attract members that enjoy hunting, and hunting clubs don't attract vegetarians. However, angry people do attract other angry people, and happy people do attract other happy people. Individuals who are on the same vibrational level are magnets to one another.
Therefore, be the type of person you would like to attract to yourself. Be the kind of person you'd like to have as a friend. Take a moment and look around you... What "clubs" have you joined?
3) The Ripple Effect
Let's look at "the big picture." When we contribute to a shift in another person's energy, either positively or negatively, it actually affects humanity on a much larger scale. It's like throwing a rock into a lake and watching the ripples of water multiply and get bigger, traveling further and further out until they spread so far and wide that the ripples eventually become one with the body of water as a whole. When you "throw out" that one smile or helping hand to someone who needs it, you spark a "ripple effect." Creating change in a person's energy toward the positive raises their vibration. In turn, they will then affect whomever they come into contact with, and on and on and on...
Conversely, that one rude comment or little "meltdown" can spark the ripple effect in a very negative way... Who knows just how many people could end up shifting into a lower vibration because of something you said or did without even thinking about the consequences?
Everything we say and do does matter. We have a lot more power than most of us realize.
So let's choose to be more self-aware and really stop and think about our words, our actions, and our attitudes before we combine our energies with the energies of others. Are we communicating things that are really meaningful and necessary? Do our words and behaviors build people up or tear them down? Let's be thoughtful and considerate of the lives of those around us and bring the positive energy to each other that we all truly deserve.
For more by Donna Labermeier, click here.
For more on emotional wellness, click here.