This past Sunday I woke up in a good mood. And to be honest, I was sort of startled by it.

I do my best to maintain personal balance when it comes to the news. While I want to be engaged in current events, it’s easy to become addicted to a constant stream of information all day.

At the same time, I don’t think it’s healthy to ignore difficult news just because it may be sad or upsetting. And so I’ve been ingesting more news than I usually do.

As an empath, the past few weeks have been more challenging than normal for me. The shocking war in Ukraine has really triggered my heart.

The hardest part for me is the feeling of helplessness. I’ve built my career around the desire to help others improve their lives, so it’s difficult to watch people suffer and not know how to help.

I rise above my emotions by finding practical action steps, things I can do to try and help. Those have included donating money to charity, as well as giving blankets and clothing to a local church that will send relief to Ukrainian refugees in Poland.

It felt good to do something, but in my heart I’ve also given myself permission to feel the full range of emotions. It certainly would make sense given what is going on in the world that we’d all be affected on some level.

But on Sunday I woke up and felt…peppy?

As I was making the bed I asked myself where this extra energy was coming from, and I remembered why – I had caught up with friends the day before. And on this day I was also working with my good friend Medium Lauren Rainbow.

I am very blessed to have a special community of friends and colleagues.

And this made me realize something about the nature of empathy. 

Although I teach this all the time, sometimes I forget when it is manifesting in my own life.

Between work and the news, I haven’t been communicating with my friends as much as normal. I think I’ve been going inward and stuck in a loop of well what can I do?

That morning, the boost in my mood was a reminder that I need, and we all need to connect with each other. 

And so for anyone who needs to hear this, I want you to know that you’re not alone. There are big feelings on the planet, and it’s not just you that has been experiencing this energy.

But, also please know that hibernation isn’t the answer. Reach out to friends. Tell your loved ones how you feel about them. Try to come up with practical action steps to rise above your feelings and feel a sense of control.

And most importantly, take a deep breath.

Sending you so much love today,

P.S. Are you a spiritual entrepreneur? We are currently taking applications for another round of The Healer’s Circle! If you’re looking for loving accountability and the support of other lightworkers, click here for more info.