Occupational burn-out is not a new term. Feeling chronically fatigued is also not something we just started talking about as a society. Nor is feeling drained, stuck, or depressed. I love hearing the words people use to describe their experiences. I am known to ask people how they are feeling, and often, I am not even remotely talking about their current emotions or feelings. I am talking about energetically – I want to know how they feel inside their little egg-shaped energy field they are walking around in everyday. I want to know if what they are feeling is their own “stuff”, or someone else’s “stuff” they have unknowingly been carrying around with them.
In my heart of hearts, I truly believe that occupational burn-out is directly related to our ability to protect our energy-fields/auras and create boundaries between ourselves and the person or people we are interacting with. Not doing this correctly or at all is why we sometimes walk away from people we are trying to help feeling pissed off, tired, irritable, drained, hopeless, etc. It’s also why we can’t turn our minds off about a particular person or situation, or get over-involved. Maybe we even dream about them or “take our work home with us”. We can also unintentionally get drained by normal interactions with people. The truth is, unfortunately, some people, for lack of better terms, are considered “psychic vampires” and can drain the shit out of others, real quick. The fix for this is learning to become mindful of how we feel when interacting with people and learn to keep the energy exchange to a minimum if something feels off. For those who are naturally empathic or work in a field where compassion and empathy are encouraged, it’s imperative to learn how to protect your energy field from absorbing every funky thing that gets within six feet of you.
Reiki, burning sage around the body, salt baths, crystals, being bare-footed outside, avoiding environments that make you feel “off” are all great ways to keep your aura clear and light. In the moment, imaging yourself surrounded with brilliant white light in the shape of an egg or cylinder are great ways to keep yourself from allowing someone to take from your energy or you absorb theirs. These techniques take time and practice, so be patient with yourselves and research/explore other techniques that may not be listed above.
Regeneration Wellness 