Understanding and Overcoming Negative Energy Blocks
As a COR.E Performance Dynamics Specialist, I am very aware of how our energy and mentality influence our daily experiences, specifically how we perceive joy and manage stress. Four key energy blocks drive our personal and professional development: limiting beliefs, interpretations, assumptions, and the inner critic. Each of these blocks can have a major influence on our emotional and social intelligence, affecting how we handle life’s challenges. Understanding these energy blocks and reflecting on their influence can lead to improved happiness and resilience in the face of anxiety and stress.
Limiting Beliefs
Limiting beliefs are firmly held ideas about ourselves, others, or the world that hold us back. These perspectives are often based on previous experiences and can limit our idea of what is possible. For example, feeling “I’m not good enough” can keep someone from pursuing possibilities out of fear of failure or rejection. Such a notion not only limits potential, but it also reduces joy by instilling emotions of inadequacy and increasing stress reactions in the face of adversity.
Reflective Question: What limiting beliefs do you have about yourself, and how can they be preventing you from enjoying joy or following your dreams?
Interpretations
Interpretations are the meanings we give to events or situations that are very subjective. Two people can have the same event but perceive it completely differently, resulting in different emotional reactions. If you interpret a friend’s canceled plans as an indication that they do not appreciate your friendship, you may feel wounded and undervalued, which can reduce the joy you feel and increase your level of stress.
Reflective Question: Consider a recent situation that upset you. How did you come to perceive it and is there a different to view that could help you settle down or just feel better about it?
Assumptions
Assumptions are predictions or expectations about the future that are based on previous experiences. While they can be helpful at times, they can also lead us astray, especially when they become negative or self-defeating. Assuming you’ll never progress at a skill because you haven’t in the past can discourage you from practicing or seeking help, limiting growth and joy while increasing stress and frustration.
Reflective Question: What recent assumptions have you made that may not be entirely true, and how could challenging these assumptions help you feel more upbeat and less stressed?
The Inner Critic
The inner critic is the voice in your head that constantly criticizes and doubts. It embodies your harshest self-judgments and can be a huge obstacle to joy as well as a considerable source of stress and anxiety. The inner critic can make you feel unworthy of happiness or incapable of accomplishing your goals, decreasing your emotional and social intelligence by hindering you from positively engaging with others and yourself.
Reflective Question: When does your inner critic speak loudest, and what message might be more compassionate and empowered to tell yourself instead?
Individuals can engage on a transformative journey toward greater emotional and social intelligence by being aware of and addressing these four energy blocks. This approach involves challenging and reframing limiting beliefs, interpretations, and assumptions, as well as silencing the inner critic. Reflective questions and self-inquiry can reveal the underlying causes of joy disruptions and stress reactions, opening up the path for a more fulfilling and resilient life. Remember that you have the capacity to change your energy dynamics and, as a result, the flow of your life.
