3 Signs You're Absorbing Energy That Isn’t Yours
We’re all energetic beings, constantly giving off and picking up on emotional, mental, and spiritual vibrations from others. But sometimes, we unconsciously absorb too much of someone else’s energy without realizing it. This can leave us feeling drained, confused, or unlike ourselves.
But What Does It Mean to "Absorb Energy"?
Absorbing energy means your nervous system, emotions, and even thoughts begin to reflect the energy of the people or environment around you, even if those emotions or thoughts aren’t your own. This occurs naturally in social animals, such as humans, through mechanisms like mirror neurons and energetic resonance. Sometimes this is helpful, like catching someone’s joy or feeling uplifted by a peaceful space. But it can also make us feel overwhelmed, moody, or disconnected from ourselves when we take in too much of what isn’t ours.
3 Signs You're Absorbing Energy That Isn’t Yours:
1. You Feel Emotionally Drained After Certain Interactions
You walk away from a conversation or gathering and suddenly feel exhausted, even if it was brief. You didn’t do much physically, but your body and mind feel heavy. That’s a sign your system picked up on someone else’s stress, tension, or unspoken emotions. After any interaction, check in with yourself and ask, “Did I feel energized or depleted?” If drained, ask, “Was that mine or someone else’s?”
2. Your Emotions Shift When You Leave a Space
You were anxious, sad, or irritable in a certain place, but the moment you leave, it’s as if your emotions reset. That’s a sign that what you were feeling may have been tied to the energetic field of that space. Our bodies are constantly scanning for safety. If you’re in a place with unresolved tension (a home, workplace, store), your body might mirror that energy even if you don’t consciously notice it. Notice how you feel before entering a space and then after leaving. This contrast reveals what energy was yours and what wasn't.
3. You Second-Guess Your Intuition Around Certain People
You normally trust your gut. But around someone in particular, you start doubting your instincts. Your inner clarity gets foggy, and you feel mentally scrambled or emotionally uncertain. This often means that your energy is getting overshadowed by someone else’s field, especially if that person is emotionally dominant, manipulative, or ungrounded. If you consistently feel “off” around someone and it clears up when they’re not around, take note. Your body is communicating something energetically, even if words haven’t been spoken.
Why This Happens:
Everyone has an energetic field (also called an aura or biofield). When we interact with others, our fields naturally overlap, just like how two musical notes can blend or clash. Some people may have spongy energetic boundaries, making them more susceptible to absorbing other people’s emotional “frequencies.” In psychology, I've come to learn how this is partly due to mirror neurons, cells that reflect others' emotions and expressions. It’s part of how we build empathy and connection. But when we’re constantly scanning others’ moods, we can lose touch with our own.
How to Protect and Reclaim Your Energy:
Protecting your energy is for when you're in defense mode, a situation of harm or over-stressed. Reclamation is that push of your willpower, magnifying and expanding your energetic field and becoming more emotionally dominant or symbiotic in the interaction. When you want to reclaim your own energetic power back, even in moments of feeling overwhelmed: go deeper. name what you're feeling and identify or create an immediate energetic separation. Ground yourself, by going back to the present moment, planting your feet on the floor, and taking deep breathes while reminding yourself of your roots, your core. After stressful or overwhelming interactions, always try to come back to yourself. After being around others, take a few moments, even if for a second, to decompress before jumping to the next task.
