How to Protect Your Energy From Others

We each have a finite amount of energy to give every day. Whether it’s dealing with the pressures of work, managing personal tasks, or interacting with others, our energy can easily be depleted. The people we interact with, their moods, and their energy, can influence our own energy field in ways we don’t always recognize. Over time, this can lead to burnout, fatigue, and a lack of motivation. But learning how to protect your energy is one of the most important practices you can adopt to safeguard your mental, emotional, and physical well-being.

In today’s post, I’m sharing a guide on how to protect your energy from others, especially when it feels like you’re constantly surrounded by negativity, demands, or people who drain you. You’ll discover how to build emotional resilience, set boundaries, and regain control over your energy field. Let’s dive into how we can start protecting our precious energy.

For additional support protecting your energy, check out The Freq App. We have Calibrations in our library to help you with just that!

How to Protect Your Energy From Others

You’ve probably experienced days when, after spending time with certain people, you feel emotionally drained. Sometimes it can feel like you've given so much of yourself that there's nothing left. Protecting your energy is about recognizing how different interactions affect you and taking active steps to avoid letting your energy be depleted.

In this section, I’ll talk about what it means to protect your energy and why it's so important. This awareness will help you identify when your energy is being depleted and give you the tools to protect yourself in the future.

What Does It Mean To Protect Your Energy From Others?

Protecting your energy from others is about creating boundaries—energetic and emotional—that preserve your vitality and focus. It means you’re not allowing other people’s negative emotions, overwhelming demands, or energy to pull you into a space where you feel drained or depleted.

One way to visualize this is through Gabrielle Bernstein’s metaphor of “zipping up your energy field.” She explains that your energy field is like an invisible aura around you, and when you’re open to others’ negativity, their energy can penetrate your space. Zipping up your field is like creating a shield—a conscious decision to protect your energy by not letting other people’s emotional baggage seep into yours. Think of it as creating a metaphorical zipper around your body, mentally and emotionally protecting yourself from the outside world.

There are many things that can lead to negative energy: toxic people, stressful situations, or overstimulation. Certain individuals—whether family members, co-workers, or even social media influencers—can easily impact your emotional state, sometimes without you even realizing it. When you’re not conscious of this, it can be like constantly giving pieces of yourself away to others, without ever taking the time to replenish.

For me, I’ve had my own experiences where I’ve had to learn to be intentional about protecting my energy. There was a time in my life when I felt like I was constantly giving more than I had to others. Family, friends, and clients were all asking for my time and attention, and I didn’t know how to say “no.” It led to burnout, and I realized that I wasn’t giving myself space to refuel. In hindsight, I had unknowingly allowed my energy to be drained by people who weren’t respecting my boundaries.

Why Is It Important to Protect Your Energy from Others?

There are many reasons why protecting your energy is important. I’ve compiled some of the key reasons why you should make it a priority:

1. Prevents Burnout

If you’re constantly giving away your energy without replenishing it, you’re bound to burn out. You’ll feel tired, unmotivated, and overwhelmed. Practicing energy protection helps you avoid burnout and stay balanced. As I’ve shared in a previous post, learning how to rest and take care of your energy is vital for maintaining mental health and productivity. Here’s how to avoid burnout.

2. Allows You to Show Up as Your Best Self

When you’re energized, you can show up as your best self for your family, your friends, your clients, and most importantly, yourself. If your energy is constantly being drained by others, you won’t be able to fully serve those around you or yourself. Protecting your energy is necessary to keep the best version of you intact.

3. Increases Emotional Resilience

When you create boundaries and protect your energy, you become more emotionally resilient. You’re able to handle challenges and difficult people with ease. You’re not as easily swayed by external factors, and your inner peace becomes much stronger. The Stoic philosophers teach us that we do not have control over others - only our response to them. By protecting your energy, you stop external influences from controlling your emotions.

4. Enhances Your Ability to Attract What You Want

Energy protection doesn’t just mean shielding yourself from negativity—it also helps create space for what you actually want to come into your life. Whether that’s a healthier relationship, better work opportunities, or simply more peace, protecting your energy clears the path for you to receive those things.

How to Protect Your Energy Field from Others

Now that we know the importance of protecting our energy, let’s talk about how to actually do it. Below are some actionable steps that will help you protect your energy field:

1. Set Boundaries

One of the most powerful ways to protect your energy is by setting boundaries. This is essential with both people and situations. Boundaries can be physical, emotional, or even digital. This can be saying “no” to a conversation that doesn’t serve you, not answering work emails after a certain hour, or deciding to unfollow social media accounts that leave you feeling drained. The key is to communicate your boundaries clearly and lovingly.

An easy boundary I set is putting my phone on the charger in my kitchen around 7 PM. I try not to check it again until the following morning after I’ve had a quiet and meditative time.

2. Practice Mindfulness and Deep Breaths

Mindfulness practices like deep breathing can be incredibly effective in protecting your energy. When you find yourself in an energy-draining situation, pause, take a deep breath, and ground yourself. By focusing on your breath, you’re tuning into your own energy rather than getting swept away by external forces. This simple practice can create an immediate energetic shift.

This practice also gives you a moment to separate your energy from someone or something else’s…

3. Detach from Others’ Energy

One of the most powerful ways to protect your energy is by learning how to detach from other people’s emotional states. People can only affect you if you allow them to. When you detach, you allow others to experience their emotions without absorbing them into your own energy field. This practice is incredibly freeing. The Stoics believed that we can’t control what happens to us, but we can control how we react. Detaching from others’ energy means choosing to remain grounded and centered no matter what’s happening around you.

There is tremendous power in this. I am an empath and have spent much of my life being swept up into other people’s stories and emergencies. While I am ALL for compassion and empathy, I used to allow this to derail me for days, weeks, even months at a time. Now, I simply hold space in that moment and consciously let go after by shifting my focus/thoughts. This simple practice has changed my life.

4. Visualize a Protective Shield

As mentioned earlier, you can visualize yourself zipping up your energy field. Picture yourself in a bubble of light or surrounded by a golden shield. This visualization technique helps create an energetic barrier, allowing only positive energy to come through and blocking any negativity.

You can also create affirmations to repeat to yourself, or even better, aloud. Things like: I only allow high frequency energy into my life. Or, I invite high frequency energy and I naturally repel low frequency energy.

Affirmations are incredible. You can also write them down and keep them in your wallet or hang them in places you will see regularly.

5. Spend Time in Nature

Nature has an incredible way of restoring our energy. Whether it’s walking through a park, hiking in the mountains, or simply sitting by a body of water, nature is a natural energy cleanser. Spend time outside to recharge and recalibrate your energy field.

In Conclusion

Protecting your energy is not just a luxury—it’s essential to living a fulfilling and balanced life. When you take the time to recognize the impact of others’ energy on your own and actively protect it, you’ll begin to notice profound shifts in your well-being. You’ll have more energy for yourself, your work, and the people you care about.

Remember: you have the power to create boundaries, practice detachment, and cultivate a positive, vibrant energy field. By doing so, you’ll thrive in a world that sometimes feels chaotic and draining.

Live on Purpose, Live on Frequency,

Jaclyn Steele Thurmond