Understanding the Difference Between Energy and Emotions

​I have been opened to the exploration of energy’s impact on a space and on us as humans. What you may be blaming on emotions may in fact be residual energy.
 
I often open up the counseling office in the morning, before anyone else arrives. Many times I find myself singing as I unlock the suite. Why am I singing? There have been times that the peacefulness or good vibes of our suite, just make me feel good. Is it happiness? Eh…ish. More specifically, it’s energy; high frequency, good feeling energy. Like the energy you feel hiking in the mountains or paddling on a lake. Like the energy you feel at a wedding or delivery room after a new little one is born.

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Residual Energy can Sometimes Feel VERY Uncomfortable

​Sometimes energetic residue is not so lovely, and can feel dark or heavy. One morning I arrived at the office early. As I walked towards the back of the suite, I felt an intense heaviness, a pushing through a swamp kind of feeling. It wasn’t sadness or fear or dread…just a heavy heavy low frequency kind of feeling. Turns out a therapist had a session with a client that was extremely dark and heavy the night before. I knew it to be true because I felt it.
 
Energetic residue from intense anger and bitter psychosis can leave a buzzing kind of feeling. To me, this feeling is a kin to anxiety, yet is drastically different. One day I had a few intense sequential sessions. Anger, hostility, verbal lashing out and threats of harm were released into my space. Half way through the day, I felt the energy building. By the end of the night, I knew I needed to clear the space before I left for home. The next morning, it was still there.  The moment I opened my office door, I felt buzzing in my chest. A colleague borrowed my space, commented on this feeling too. Lingering mojo. Not cool.
 
Sometimes I do not know what the energy is, but I can tell it is not beneficial and needs to be cleared. I pick up on these vibrations when I sage the office after hours. Residual energy that needs to be cleared feels like agitation. No emotion, just yuck.

Could Your Mental Health Symptoms Be Residual Energy?

​Why is this important to explore? What if there is residual energy around you? What if someone is putting off an energy that is palpable and you think it’s YOUR emotion instead? Becoming aware of your surroundings and situations can help you hone in on what you are truly feeling.
 
I knew to be aware the morning after my clients’ tough night. I attempted to break up and release the energies, but they were stubborn! What if I didn’t think about his ahead of time? I would have assumed that the buzzing in my chest was anxiety and I would NOT have thought to open up a window or spray essential oils.  What if I didn’t reach out to the other clinicians to find out what happened in the back rooms? I would not have discovered the heaviness that lingered and could have assumed I was tired, burned out or maybe even depressed!
 

​What Does Residual Energy Feel Like in Your Body?

How I experience residual energy may be different from how you may experience it.  Notice what your own body responses feel like. We handle energy differently than we do emotions. Take journaling for example. If you are struggling with anxiety or insomnia, journaling can help organize it and help the paper hold the emotions so that you can exhale and relax a bit. If the feeling is not anxiety at all, but is residual energy from a fight, bad illness etc  still lingering in the space, journaling would not help at all. The energy would still be there. Interesting? Yes!

If Left Alone, Residual Energy Can Build on Itself

​Before I started to spray essential oils or sage the office after hours, I felt burned out. I was tired and felt like the joy I have ALWAYS felt for my job was slipping away. After talking with a few people who understand residual energy, I started to sage. Would you believe, the stacks and stacks on my desk were due to residual energy clustering and becoming chaotic! My space no longer steals my energy and feelings that I once identified as anxiety I now know are not mine, but belong to others. Wow.
 
If you have a room in your house that attracts chaos, or maybe you feel like you can not focus when once you could, you may need to break up residual energy. Any rooms that have experienced significant pain or illness could use a good clearing. Sounds like I need to write a post about this too…how to sage (or smudge) a room house.

 Tips on Clearing Negative Feeling Energy

​Clearing energy could be a blog article all of its own. However, below are some great tips.

1. Open a window to allow fresh energy to penetrate the space
2. Open up the blinds. Sunlight brings in a beautiful energy
3. Many essential oils and flower essences can break up energy and introduce a higher frequency energy that feels better
4. Intentional music can increase the frequency, which could make a room feel lighter
5. Buy live plants. Plants add life. As they absorb from us, they also give to us
6. Routinely sage your home or office to keep energies from building
7. Various gemstones can alter the energy of a space as well as absorb negativity

 
Determining the difference between energy and emotions has the ability to empower you to take care of your health with more confidence.  

​Who is the Author?
Gabrielle Anderson, lmft is the owner of the Family Therapy Center in Ashburn as well as a Marriage and Family therapist. She is a married mother of 2 and lives in Loudoun county. Contact Gabrielle here if you would like to schedule an appointment for couples counseling or individual therapy.