If you are a healer, energy worker, coach or spiritual teacher of any kind—and you also happen to be an introvert—you are more susceptible to burnout than most.
Fret not. This is because you are supremely awesome at what you do.
You go inside yourself, you feel deeply, and you return with healing energy to give back to your clients. But that can also mean your fuse gets burned as quickly as that fizzling Acme bomb Wile E. Coyote always finds himself holding. (And you know what happens next.) Here are a few simple suggestions that are easy to incorporate into your life and will help to avoid energy drain and burnout.
Ritualize It
It’s good to have some sort of protection meditation or ritual before you see every client. Maybe some of you do some of these already. If so, that’s great. You may envision a protective shield around yourself that allows your healing energy to move through, but other people’s unwanted energy not to enter. What’s wonderful about this ritual is that you can develop this powerful protection method yourself, based on whatever spiritual traditions you follow. Or you can create your own in the moment to keep it fresh and evolving.
Let it Go
Another helpful tactic—particularly for us introverts who love to think about things—is not to revisit a session after it is over. This was a biggie for me in my practice. As introverts we like to think a lot. We like to imagine different scenarios where things might’ve gone differently. Or treatments that we might do in the future.
I must have done this for the first year of my practice! After a session is over, we must release that moment’s energy by not thinking about it anymore. You may wish to mark this with a closing ritual. This also makes a satisfying full circle if you started your session with an opening protection and/or cleansing ritual. A spiritual advisor of mine washes with lavender salt, while sending releasing energy to himself and his client.
If you do find yourself revisiting a session in your mind, be forgiving. Stop. Give love to the self that wants to be a good healer, send love to the client. And then release the thought.
Create Self Space
A third energy protector is to create space for yourself. Make sure that where you live has a corner at the very least that belongs to only you. There must be space where you can go that is only yours. If you have a solitude practice like the one I teach in my book, Celebrating Solitude, this is where you would likely perform that practice. If you work in an office, try to set up some space that is purely just for you. Somewhere you can set up to raise your energy and reconnect with your highest self for a few moments before you see a client.
Stay on Your Vibrant Path
Overall, what we need to do as introvert healers is strip our lives down to that which is essential, drop the unneeded. Live your life, no one else’s. Work from there. Then your path will be clear. The more balanced you are, the more balance you bring to your clients.
Remember that introvert healers may be the most powerful of all. Because going inside, doing the inner work, is a must in order to help outwardly.
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Editor: Catherine Monkman
Photo: Eddi van W./Flickr
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