I’m sure you are familiar with the phrase, “the company that you keep”, which is a way of saying that those you most closely associate with impact and effect not only your own behaviors, but from the perspective of those outside of you, it also provides information and a way of forming ideas of who you are, what you value, think, and the types of people you associate with.

Of course generalizing someone based on who they know and those in their life, isn’t always an accurate or complete portrayal of a person. However, when looking at one’s inner circle, it really can tell you a lot. In this same way, the energy you keep in your life tells a lot about you and impacts you, whether you are aware of it or not, and whether others are aware of it or not; the energy that you give off or which is given off through those around you or your environment does translate to the ways in which you are perceived and understood by others. And often times our impressions of others and ourselves are happening very quickly on a subtle, unconscious, and energetic level.

When I say the energy you keep, I mean not only through those you have in your life and the interactions between you, but also, the energy of your environment, the energy of yourself and your thoughts, but also what you consume, whether it is food, drinks, tv, music, social media, the list goes on. Every aspect of your life, even down to the most mundane of things, has an energetic component, and your interaction with these energies outside of you form to create an exchange and experience within your own energy field.

This interaction can bring feelings of peace, joy, love, and gratitude, or it can even bring about feelings of fear, anxiousness, sadness, and guilt. It comes down to many factors, and feeling heavier feelings and emotions such as fear or anxiousness, doesn’t even necessarily mean bad, if anything this is an energy exchange providing you with feedback to pay attention and notice the reason for feeling this, so that you can process and transmute it, or step away from that which is causing it. Because sometimes it really is as simple as being in a toxic environment or relationship whether with others or yourself.

One of the best ways to become clear on the energies outside of you and how they are effecting you, is to become clear within your own energy first. To know thyself. When you know who you are and where you stand, your energy will become clearer and stronger. You will act with more intention and purpose, and you also don’t care to engage in things which you know are not for you; you don’t feel obligated to play a part for others.

Spiritual work, energy work has become more popular and even trendy on social media, and everyone has an opinion and a way to “transcend” into your highest self. Many can become fixated on all the options and answers provided out there; you need to clear your chakras, you need to meditate, go vegan, get rid of material possessions, manifest, the list goes on of the things you need to do to somehow work yourself into that higher state of mind. And honestly, not all of it is bad ideas, but here is where it is very important to truly know yourself;

Not everything is for you, and not everything will help you. Discernment is key.

Solstice Holistic

One of my biggest things is that, yes, I want to provide as much information and personal experiences that I can to help others on their way to healing and discovering their true selves, but I will never suggest that I know better for you, than you. I think it is important to share perspectives, and to communicate the ways in which we are seeing and experiencing the world and our lives, but ultimately when it comes to the life we choose to live, it is just that, a choice, and the only person who can make that choice is you.

Energy work is a dedicated choice. I believe that choosing to be aware of our own energy, learning it, learning that which is outside of it, and actively working to build, reshape, and disallow certain things into our lives, is one of the hardest, but most fulfilling acts of love we can provide to ourselves.

Take a moment and think about an area in your life where you may feel constantly drained and unhappy. What is it and what about it makes you feel this way? Do you feel that it is out of your control and something you have to accept? Or do you feel there is a way to change this? Is it something that can be made to be uplifting rather than draining? Or is it something that you feel you should walk away from? How long have you felt this way, and what have you done to change and address it? This may sound like just an average set of questions to an average problem but guess what, this is energy work.

You showing up for yourself, choosing to better yourself, choosing that which nourishes you, fulfills you, and helps you grow is energy work, and no matter how small you start, watch the ripple effects it will have on your life.

Some of the ways you will know that your energy is changing and that you are becoming more in tune with yourself are;

• Your dietary needs may change or shift; you are more conscious of what you consume.
• Music you may have enjoyed before, now doesn’t sound or feel the same.
• Same for movies, tv, or games, you may not feel the same for these things, and shift away from them, lessen your time with them, or just consciously process them differently now.
• Friendships and relationships might end. This can range for many reasons; sometimes they are toxic, sometimes we realize the relationship ended long ago but we didn’t want to let go, sometimes as you change and better yourself, other will naturally drift out of your life.
• You are breaking behavioral patterns and thought patterns that you may have had for years or all your life.
• You start becoming conscious of multiple areas of your life; realizing you need to exercise more, that you need to create healthier routines in your life, or realizing the areas in your life where you’re unfulfilled and need to change.
• You feel different; which can fluctuate between happiness to even sadness or grieving the parts of you that have changed, and the things you may lose in the process of loving and bettering yourself.
• The ideals of society or those around you probably will start to feel suffocating, annoying, limiting, and false, as you start to align with your own truths.

This list could probably go on for a bit, but I think that these are all key areas where you will start to see and feel shifts as you go into energy work and the healing that comes with that. I feel it is also so important to understand when it comes to wanting to make changes and heal in one’s life that our culture also plays a significant role in our own beliefs towards change and how we go about it;

The western mind has a way of compartmentalizing everything, and this even occurs when we think of ourselves and wellness. This is something that is slowly shifting, but still, we tend to see our overall health disconnected from the idea of mental health, which is then further disconnected from the ways in which we are living our daily lives. All of it is connected, every single part of our lives and ourselves is connected, and it’s why it is so important to consider all aspects holistically when we are looking to heal, change, and live a more authentic life.

Solstice Holistic

What areas of your life are you living inauthentically? Where have you allowed energy that isn’t yours and doesn’t align with you to seep in? And what are the ways that you can start to work and change this? Let’s get real about our own energy and intentions, and build towards a purposeful and conscious life.