Those pesky energy leaks …

The leaky tap that keeps dripping. That piles of clothes you were going to donate. The conversation that went sideways with your mother. That appointment you were going to make but just never get to it. The promise you made to yourself, but you’ve been breaking over and over.

These are energy leaks — some bigger, some smaller — but these are places where our life force is consumed by things we are not dealing with consciously. If we know about them, we avoid them for various reasons; usually the thing behind the avoidance is fear — fear of judgement and rejection, or fear there isn’t enough of something — time, money, energy, love and support. Fear of letting go.

These energy leaks usually involve me playing small in some way. When my life force is not being used consciously, I feel exhausted and diminished, frustrated, irritated, agitated, angry, confused, overwhelmed, unfocused, burnt out — you get the idea. Then I start beating myself up, and the downward spiral begins to take over.

One way we can gain self-confidence is to hunt some of these leaks down and repair them, little by little. The danger is in thinking you have to solve them all — you don’t. Sometimes tackling one key leak solves others or gives us the capacity to deal with the next one. For example, a decision to begin dealing with a health issue like quitting smoking, or starting to exercise, or facing a sleep issue, frees up energy to deal with other things we simply couldn’t face before, like cleaning out the basement.

The first step here is — as always — awareness. Gentle awareness. Not judgy, mean, finger-pointing awareness … self-judgement is a huge energy leak — perhaps the most painful gusher of them all. If you find yourself going there — STOP.

Breathe.

Dealing with energy leaks is part of being human … so do the following reflection kindly. It can take a bit of time to undo the tangled knot when some of our leaks are interconnected.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself to see where they are lurking — I personally can put a check beside many in the list below — that’s why I am qualified to share my wisdom on the topic.

What are you tolerating in your home environment? eg/ clutter, leaking faucets, broken stuff? Overflowing closets and drawers?
What are you tolerating in your relationships? eg/unfinished business? not feeling seen and heard? an irritation or acknowledgement that needs to be expressed? Unmet needs that need to be examined and expressed? Where am I playing small? Where am I doing too much or not enough? Who are you needing to reach out to?
What are you tolerating in your work life? eg/ not feeling valued or seen and heard?
Not asking for what you want in terms of responsibilities or acknowledgement? Not doing fulfilling work? Overwhelm of some kind?
What are you worrying about? Is it something you can control?
What are you tolerating in your health?
Is there a decision you are wrestling with?
What are you tolerating in your finances?
What thought patterns are you noticing that stop you before you even get started?
What commitments are you not honoring — to yourself, to others?
Is there a habit or behaviour that is draining your energy?

Energy leaks are all over the place in every life. I am feeling a bit overwhelmed as I write. Now is the time to take a breath. And another one. Slow down. Come back to your breath. Your body. Forgive yourself.

Underneath this burden you are carrying is a beautiful human being. Someone worth taking care of, worthy of respect and kindness. The fact that you have these leaks does not make you bad or wrong. It makes you part of the human family.

Below is a short practice to support you in connecting to yourself, your strength, your capacity, your worth, your perfection — knowing that this world needs YOU and your energy flowing towards the things you were born to do, feeling the joy that is your birthright.

As you do, step by step, the joy and self-worth will start flowing again, the freed up energy will begin to move towards the things you really want to do with your life — and remember, there is limitless support from the Universe whenever we take a tiny step towards expressing more of who we really are.