#85: How to Protect Your Energy Amid Chaos with Elizabeth Guilbeault
If you’re feeling that life is chaotic at the moment and you’re wondering how to protect your energy, then you’ve come to the right place. Energy is something that often gets dismissed in the everyday busyness of life, but it has a huge impact on our day to day lives. Everything around us is energy - our relationships, work situations, even interactions with strangers. It’s important to protect and manage your energy for your own health, happiness and peace.
Elizabeth Guilbeault, energy reader extraordinaire, is back on the podcast this week to talk about how to protect your energy amid chaos. She shares tips and tools for grounding, being aware of your energetic surroundings, incorporating amusement into challenging situations, and so much more.
Feeling Chaos in My Own Life and Why it’s Important to Protect Your Energy
Today we’re talking about the energetics of what's happening in the world right now, and how things sometimes feel pretty crazy and chaotic. Not only that, but really tangible tips and tricks and tools to stay grounded, stay in alignment, to stay focused on what you want to focus on, instead of letting all of the energy out there get to you and impact you.
As a little backstory I will share personally before we get started today, Elizabeth and I started speaking today, and I was in a place of chaos. I was really churned up, I guess, from a lot of different things. There's we had a storm in France for the last couple of days, and my daughter's been having some challenges with school and life, and our relationship has seemed intense a couple of times. She's getting to her tween years, so that doesn't help. I was feeling very chaotic.
I told Elizabeth that I really don't know what's going on. And of course, right away, she said, “well, you just had a big storm like that throws off the energy.” I explained, we went to the supermarket and it was the busiest I've ever seen it. Even throughout the holidays, I never saw it so busy. It reminded me in the US, actually, when this, when before a storm, everyone goes and cleans out the shelves. But this was after the storm and basically she just reminded me of all of these ways that the energy plays into everything around us. So she helped me get grounded first, and now we're going to have this conversation around what you can do to stay grounded. What you can do to stay in tune with yourself, especially when things feel really chaotic. There are many different things happening in the world, weather wise, politically, like all kinds of things. So there's just a lot out there and a lot going on and this is how we kind of came to this topic.
I'm speaking on this from a very vulnerable place of everything feels crazy, and how do we work through this? I'm really excited to speak with Elizabeth about this. She has been on the podcast multiple times. If you've been around for a while, you already know her. I will put all her information in the show notes too. But Elizabeth is just an incredible, incredible human being, and just so wonderful in terms of working with your energy, being able to see things differently. We talk a lot about how helping our kids with understanding their energy, or working with them on these types of things, and it all really just ties so much together into life. I'm excited to have her on again.
I'm excited for you to hear from her, and for us to share the realities that maybe people don't speak about as much because a lot of people like to paint, you know, sunshine and roses, which is great time and place for that. Also, we need to also share some of the realities of what we go through and knowing that all of that is also valid from everyday life. I'd love to welcome Elizabeth Gilbeault back to the podcast.
What Does it Mean that Energy is All Around Us
Can you explain what you mean when you say there are a lot of things happening with the energy around us?
Energy is always around us. We don't live in on an island. We tend to live with people near people around people. We're always in contact with people. Even if you live alone, you're still interacting with people and experiencing the energy of the world around you all the time. And we're not always paying attention to how that energy is impacting us, because we have an agenda. We have things to do, we have we're focused on our day, our to do list, what we're processing, what we're working through, the thoughts on our mind, the people on our mind. So we're not always paying attention to the energy around us that also may be impacting our day, our feelings, our energy levels.
How Humans Naturally Process Energy
When we're kids, we are very tuned into energy, and kids spend a lot of time sleeping. Sleep is one way to process energy. You'll see kids when they're feeling any feelings or anxious or anxiety or excitement, they move their bodies. They start running around. They're clearing energy. They're constantly clearing energy as it comes in, they're moving and clearing energy. And then after a couple hours, it's nap time, so you can go process it, then they get up, move around a lot, clearing energy, moving through things, seeing things, learning a lot, observing a lot, moving a lot. Sleep.
As we get older, we don't sleep as much and we don't move as much, and yet the energy is still coming at us. So how do we process that energy? If we're still having to handle the same, if not more, energy coming at us, and yet we're not doing some of the things that are naturally, natural ways to process things such as moving our bodies and sleeping. And that's to me, where some tools, like grounding, come in.
Creating a Grounding Cord to Protect Your Energy
We've talked about grounding cords before, very simply, imagining a connection from your body to the center of the Earth, connecting yourself with a cord or a line of energy. Imagine sitting on a tree trunk and the roots all the way down to the center of the earth. Giving yourself that connection to the center of the Earth is a way to bring you into the body and to create a space to let things go release, if we're not building in other techniques such as grounding or giving ourselves more rest or taking walks outside, how do we process the energy that is still coming at us all day long?
That's such a great point, because I hadn't really been thinking about what's coming at us. When we got on to record, I had already had the girls are unexpectedly home from school because of the storms, and they're meant to have a two week break now. So now they're just off for two weeks plus a day. So then I ended up doing errands with them.
The grocery store was packed like there's a lot of things that were not expected in my day that then came at me in my day, and I'm still trying to have my day the way I wanted to have it, which is not really happening. I hadn't thought about all of those other things kind of coming at me. I had more, but just been thinking about my own little world of what's going on for me in my life. The girls are home. I'm trying to do some work. I need to do this. I need to do that, and then I love your perspective of this other energy is also out there, swirling around, and it's also coming at me, in a way, and if I actually look at it and consider from a human design perspective too, I have two defined centers and seven open centers. The open centers, open or undefined, are where you amplify energy from others. One of my daughters is the same. The fact that she's kind of been struggling a lot these last couple days, and it hit a breaking point today, it makes so much sense that there's these other kind of things out there that we may not always think about that are also impacting us.
Weather as an Example for Chaos and Protecting Your Energy
Yes, and sometimes we pay attention to weather. Is a really great example, because when it's raining outside, we have to wear a raincoat or carry an umbrella. I guess we don't have to. However, most people, if it's pouring rain, wear one. You usually adjust a little bit if it's raining. “Oh, I'm going to wear a raincoat. I'm going to carry an umbrella, because we don't want to get soaked when it's really hot outside, we adjust.” We're not wearing a winter coat. We're dressing for the weather.
I'm going to use the weather as this example of a way that we already adjust to the energy around us that is more of a conscious example of how we adjust to the energy around us. It's the unconscious ways that are sometimes the ones that can trip us up. For example, as you mentioned, the storm and going to the grocery store. It's chaos. There are so many people there.
I’ve practiced, and I use the word practice very consciously, because this is something that I practice every day. And if anybody's worked with me or talked with me, every day, is my theme. This is an everyday practice. It's not that you tune in one day, and then you're good for the rest of time, because energy is always changing.
So every day, it's a practice of tuning in and saying, Okay, I'm going to the grocery store. It's really chaotic. Okay, what do I need to do to get through the grocery store as easily as possible for me? So no judgment. No problem that a lot of people are there. Everybody's working through their own thing. No problem with that.
I'm going to focus on me, and how do I navigate this situation so that I can maintain my energy? And like I mentioned already, that grounding cord is a great way to walk into the grocery store. Oh, it's really chaotic. I need a grounding cord. I'm just going to ground myself really quickly, 10 seconds. And also, if you worked with me, I'm also not about time as much as quality, quick grounding cord is can absolutely make a huge difference. It doesn't mean you have to go back out of the store, get to your cars, sit close your eyes for 10 minutes to get grounded. You can walk into the grocery store, give yourself a quick grounding cord.
Having an Awareness of the Energy Around You in Order to Protect Your Own Energy
The other thing is really allowing yourself to have that awareness, which may sound so silly, and yet, when you tune in and just decide, I'm aware of what's happening around me, that's also part of grounding. You're in the body, you're present, I'm going to be aware of this so I can navigate the store potentially differently, because I have this awareness that there's a lot of energy here,
That's what clicked for me when we first started talking. The awareness you brought to it. There's a lot going on with the energy, and I hadn't even thought about it. I'm reflecting now, but when we first started talking, I could feel in my body. I was all over the place with my nervous system awakened because it had been a really challenging morning. Then, by the time we were recording, after we talked for a little bit, my whole body went back down, because I had this new awareness. Then, I quickly felt into the grounding chord part, and our whole conversation.
You also have this peaceful grounding effect on people that it all helped me. I feel even now my voice is different than it was, less than an hour ago, because I have a different place and a different awareness for what's happening that I just that I just didn't have before.
Even though I talk about this stuff a lot, right on the podcast or with the work that I do in different ways (human design, coaching and consulting), it's it's all part of this effort to improve lives and bring more awareness to ways that you can live more in alignment. Even with all that work that I do and all of the books and all the studying and all of the practices that I do, it's still there's always a time and a place in a way that it can get shifted. And I love that you mentioned having the awareness and part of what I love with your principle of work is that it's every day and it's always changing, and so you may have to adapt in a different way. And that's exactly what was happening just now for me.
It’s really important as you're adapting to honor that this is not how I wanted it to go. It's okay to have that awareness and acknowledgement and say, this is this is not how I wanted it. This isn't the picture I wanted for the day. And it's okay to have feelings about that. It's okay to feel a little sad or upset frustrated, and also in identifying that it can help so that it doesn't build into this bigger frustration or anger or resentment.
It's okay to say to your kids, obviously different ages and stages, maybe word it differently to say “this day was unexpected for me. I'm working on pivoting and being flexible, and I'm having some feelings about it too, because there are some things that I needed to get done today, or there are some things that I was working to accomplish, and things have shifted, so I need a minute, is that okay?”
Acknowledging that to your kids can be really helpful again, depending on ages and stages where they are, to help them identify, this is not just me feeling this stirred up stuff. Mom or Dad are feeling that too. Or my guardian, my parent are feeling that too. An adult figure is feeling this too, because I think kids often are working through things and don't have the words or don't know that it's okay, that this doesn't feel good. They're in the grocery store. No one's talking about how chaotic it is in here. Maybe I'm not supposed to even notice that. Maybe I'm not supposed to feel anything about that. Versus if, if you speak up and say, energy is kind of crazy in here, we just need these few things. How can we do this as a team, as quickly and efficiently and maintain our space? And what a different experience that allows them to have as well?
Along with your own awareness, you’ll notice kids really are tuned into energy. Yes, so much more than adults. Usually they are. They're in it. They're in the thick of it. And when we can notice their response to something, or what are they there's been a change here. I'm seeing something different. What's going on? What did they just pick up on? What did they just see or notice? And not to make everything a mountain, and also, that that awareness is so key to validate I see this energy is impacting you. How can I help? What can we do? Does it make sense for us to be in the grocery store right now? Maybe it does. Maybe it doesn't. Maybe there are some times where you have to push through, and there are some times where stepping back is a better choice if it's an option?
Incorporating Amusement as a Way to Protect Your Energy
A third tip is to lighten it up with some amusement. So I'm going to use your grocery store example. Since we're on that. You walk in. It's really crowded. I'm going to say Okay, everybody, let's ground. Let's take a deep breath. Let's pause. Let's get our awareness. Let's all pay attention. There's a lot going on here. We need XYZ. We have a goal. We want to make this for dinner tonight. So we need to get these. How can we do this in the most fun way possible?
Maybe we make it into a little bit of a game where, who can get down that aisle and grab that one thing that we need and navigate through the carts. Oh, you're really good at seeing where that item is. You know exactly where it is. We're going to send you down this aisle. We're going to watch you and time you.
Can you make it fun or add any amusement to the situation? Lightness does help clear energy when things are lighter, and it doesn't mean everything's funny. Amusement does not mean everything is roll on the floor, laugh out loud, hysterical. Amusement means lightness not taking everything so seriously. So can you ground have an awareness, pause for that breath, notice what's going on, and add a little bit of amusement into the situation.
That's definitely one that I can work a lot more on, is how to bring in the lightness. Because I usually when some type of overwhelm or stress comes up or something that's like, Okay, we have a goal. We have to go do XYZ. It makes me more serious.
So Exactly, yeah, yes. And that that's why I added that third tip. It's three relatively easy things to do. They don't take a lot of time. Give yourself that grounding cord, tune in, pay attention, situational awareness, and then, all right, how can we lighten this up a little
3 Ways to Protect Your Energy – Bringing It All Together
Three ways to protect your energy include:
Get grounded. Create a grounding cord to connect into your own energy.
Have an awareness around energy. Pay attention to what’s happening to you and around you (with loved ones, at work, when you’re out and about, etc)
Lighten the mood with amusement. Incorporating amusement can allow some of the chaotic feelings to dissipate as you manage your own energy.
The more awareness you have, the more practice you bring to it, the more natural it becomes, and then it becomes a part of our life. And this moment for me, and this experience and talking to you is something that feels like it's it was time and a new way to take in the information that now I can use this and evolve my own practices to have it be more part of my, part of my everyday.
Elizabeth has great meditations on her website, including meditaitons for kids, which I'm starting to use with my girls and I. These are just really helpful ways for people if, if anyone is listening that hasn't necessarily tried these things before. It does not have to be harder complicated, like you said, Elizabeth, and it's more just about, how can you invite some of this into your life?
Personally, I really recommend Elizabeth's meditations, and I'll put links in the show notes, and there will be links to past episodes with Elizabeth and all the things. But it's, it's really where you are right now. What is the next thing you want to tweak or incorporate or test out in some way to help support you with where you want to go and how you want to be showing up. That feels more like you.
I'm really glad we did this today, and all things have their reason and their place and their purpose and everything. Thank you, Elizabeth for sharing all of this. It's these three tips are things that everyone can really take and use in any situation and bring a little more just overall awareness and peace to what they're working through and what they're moving through.
Conclusion
If you’d like to connect further about protecting your energy or something else related to your personal development journey, please feel free to reach out. I'm on LinkedIn and Instagram. I'm also on Voxer at @MaryClavieres.
If you want support with where you are right now, I'd be honored to work with you. You’re invited to check out my Human Design readings so that you can learn more about your own energy and how you operate. This tool is a powerful building block for understanding the Self in a different way. From there, you can also learn about Voxer coaching, which is great for people that are on the go and want real time, customized support and guidance. It’s about meeting you where you are right now and what you're going through. You can message me on Voxer (@ maryclavieres) if you’d like to chat or if you have any questions.
Thank you so much for being here. I so appreciate your time and your presence, spending it here with me, and I'll speak to you next week.
You can connect with Elizabeth on her website or via LinkedIn.
Past Episodes with Elizabeth:
Episode 81: How to Stop Hiding from Yourself and Reclaim Your Power with Elizabeth Guilbeault
Episode 73: Growing Your Spiritual Gifts with Elizabeth Guilbeault
Episode 61: Intentions, Energy, and Showing Up When Life Feels Hard with Elizabeth Guilbeault
Episode 47: Energetic Alignment, Managing Anxiety and Parenting with Elizabeth Guilbeault
Episode 22: Easy Meditation Practices for Every Day Life with Elizabeth Guilbeault
