Akashic Energy, Compassion Fatigue, and How to Live in an Overwhelming World

Looking at how we don't have to be superheroes, unplug from the system, or sacrifice who we are in order to make a difference. Caring for ourselves and living our best lives is a courageous act in the face of chaos and taking care of ourselves first means we are able to help those around us all the way through and out the other side of chaotic times.

Transcript

Akashic Energy, Compassion Fatigue, and How to Live in an Overwhelming World

Things which are normally flexible will lose their flexibility when put under extreme pressure. Like a credit card or other plastic card in your wallet, if you try to bend it in half it will either break or the middle of the bend will turn whitish and never unflex. It will be a bent winged thing from then on. The same with tree branches. Flexible by nature they become more and more rigid as they gain width and length, which puts weight pressure on them, or if we bend them too much, they will snap at the pressure point.

We can also see this with tires. Normally they have enough flex to be able to grip the road and flow over small objects. Put too much air in them and they become solid, rigid, and can possibly pop at a stress point, relieving the pressure while heightening our stress level. Balloons are meant to be bright floating entertainment, but put too much pressure on them either from filling them too full or pushing in against the gas inside and they pop explosively.

Pressure doesn't necessarily come from only one impact or source either. It can accumulate over time. This is something we look for with bridges and overpasses as well as human bones. Little bits of pressure applied repeatedly and regularly over a longish period of time can cause strong but flexible structures to stiffen, become brittle, and eventually fracture. There is a limit to what any one object or person can take.

Humans, communities, neighborhoods, groups, and countries are no different. Put them under enough specific targeted pressure and they will either snap or deform into a bent and broken shape they won't come back from. Too much built up pressure or pressure applied to an already pressurized system will cause an explosive release of that pressure. And long-term, low-grade stresses will eventually bring on catastrophic failures.

As I write this, we are currently experiencing large amounts of all of these types of stress all around the world. The news likes to make overly simplified stories which point at one thing which has caused one reaction and "isn't that awful and we should fix the situation by doing this one thing...oh look, this one thing has caused this one reaction...." And they aren't wrong...to a point. For example: Housing in far too many places around the world is so expensive people who wouldn't otherwise be housing insecure are living in tents and in their cars through no fault of their own. Food costs more than it ever has before. Supplies of things people absolutely need for quality of life just aren't available or are hard to come by at best. Domestic violence continues to rise in all its various forms, wars are ongoing which we had hoped would be done by now, refugees are moving in any direction they can go to get out of harms way except there are few safe places to go to, and new wars are starting with even more violent results.

All of this in a relatively short period of time causes people to react, or break, due to it being too much pressure for them to cope. They can become extreme politically, inflexible in their opinions about things which seem inconsequential, or simply unable to emotionally take in anything other than the mildest kitten videos. The pressure of all these external forces, added to internal personal feelings or issues, along with relationship issues or work stress, can cause people to explode. They can become rage monsters, cruel abusers, mind fog-ingly depressed and unable to rally, or just emotionally and even physically collapse.

Add to this the accumulation of multiple unresolved past stresses.  In the past 5 years humans have experienced a pandemic, the shock of having all social interactions either shut off almost completely or become terrifying due to communicable illness, revolution of employment conditions, career opportunities either transform into something more or disappear completely, government upheavals in more than a few countries and not necessarily for the better, a turn towards small "c" conservatism and an uprise in fascism in Western countries, and over the past two years wars breaking out in countries which are impossible for Western countries and their populations to ignore.

There has been little to no respite from these stresses which, among other things, create an energetic pressure which has become so oppressive it pulses like when you've cut off the blood flow to a finger or limb for too long.  

While we can't change the world we're in, at least not in an instant, therefore we can't prevent these pulses from being part of our experience, we can keep them from negatively affecting us.  I have already discussed ways to do this on my podcast, specifically the episode Personal Protection for an Intrusive World so I won't go into the details here. But there are practical and relatively inexpensive physical ways to shield ourselves from all this, so we don't have to suffer unnecessarily or process energy which isn't ours to begin with.  As always, I recommend you take the advice of the airline attendant and "in the event of a sudden decrease in cabin pressure (or waves of energy from a stressful and disrupted world hit you) a mask will drop in front of you. Put your mask on first before attempting to help anyone flying with you..."

It's worth noting, before we go further, that beyond protecting ourselves from unwanted and unwarranted energy pulses, responding to all this by withdrawing from social situations, social media, media in general, news of any sort, or difficult conversations/situations can absolutely be beneficial for you and those around you. It may even be the best course of action. Each of us, as a piece of divinity, is responsible for doing what is best for us in any given situation. (See flight attendant advice above.)  This both supports us in being here, being healthy, and keeping on the path towards our purpose(s) for this life, but also is an example for others as well. It gives them permission to do the same.  

As if all this weren't enough, accumulated stresses of this nature can add an additional wrinkle to life in the form of compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue (CF) is stress resulting from prolonged exposure to traumatized individuals and has been described as the points where others' stress (secondary traumatic stress or STS) and cumulative burnout, a state of physical and mental exhaustion caused by a depleted ability to cope with one's everyday environment, converge. 

Professionals regularly exposed to the traumatic experiences of the people they service, such as healthcare, emergency and community service workers, are particularly susceptible to developing this and have been since the invention of healers. However, this also extends to people in general these days and can create a general desensitization of public concern for social problems. Compassion fatigue acts as a "survival strategy" to overcome being exposed to the suffering of others or persistent traumatic information and events over a significant period of time.

So, if you're feeling drained and exhausted by basically everything, your jar of...care...is empty most if not all the time, you struggle with brain fog, the inability to pull up words or phrases when you want them, and a desire to watch nothing but puppy/kitten videos, it's more than likely you have compassion fatigue.  The remedy for this is not to push through, but to rest.  Think of this like a hamstring pull.  The last thing you want to do is work it harder, ignore the pain, or will yourself to keep going. Instead, take the pressure off, give yourself the rest and care you need, and do the best you can to hobble through doing the minimum when it comes to walking or using those muscles. They'll heal eventually, although usually more slowly than you want.

Beyond this, how can we use Akasha and energy work to help?

If, instead of feeling the need to withdraw, you feel fired up to do something, but don't know what or how, you can add your energy to the collective which is working to support and heal things.

I liken this type of energy work to playing with a symphony or joining a choir. You aren't and shouldn't try to be one individual shouting into the void. Instead, the idea is to connect with all the other voices who are sending energy out to help heal, change, and transform things. Adding your voice in harmony with others reduces contradictions, friction and turbulence within the positive-healing energy grid, while also reducing fears, anxieties, and negativity in general.

In the case of conflict situations where people are being harmed or killed, there are millions of people around the world who are sending love, support and positive energy not only to the people involved, but to the regions themselves. This is amazingly helpful because war is like a stab wound. It is an injury which is continuing to damage and needs to be healed from the inside out. With our personal positive energy each of us can become part of the healing process, one of the cells which is repairing this precious geographic, cultural being such as Ukraine, and supporting it in coming back to its whole and healthy self.

For those who already have skills and abilities with energy work, joining this chorus can be done by reaching out to hear/feel/see the energy of this healing symphony and adding yours to it. The more there is, the more exponential good which flows to the affected people and the region. 

For those who don't or don't yet do energy work, you can join as well. Using an image in your mind, a printed map of the area, or even a symbol for the people, allow yourself to feel the healing, support, love and care you have for them and this situation. Allow these feelings to flow from you to them through the image or symbol. If you feel heart-full, warm, and positive, then you know this is working. Using a physical item as a target for this work has the added benefit of becoming imbued with the energy you have created and so it continues to radiate out your portion of the energy song even after you've stopped singing for the moment or the day. 

Continue to do this practice as often as you feel you need/want to and as it feels positive to you. You can keep it at a steady pace, like a heartbeat, from day to day or you can choose to allow it to build and crescendo daily (just not before bed or you won't be able to sleep) so there is a natural rhythm which adds another level of healing to the process.

There is no need to reach into the pain, sorrow or fear of the situation. These energies are being released and disbursed naturally by those involved and those on the ground. Connecting directly to them from a distance can be injurious to you as an individual or create a disharmony which prevents you from joining the chorus.

Each of us has the ability to expand our suchness, our life force and Akasha out into the world to help things repair, heal, grow and become in ways which are positive for not only us but All That Is. We don't have to be superheroes, unplug from the system, or sacrifice who we are in order to make a difference. We are each a piece of divinity and our beingness is powerful just as it is. Connect and let your heart be heard.