How Your Energy Affects Others: Understanding Energy Arrows
We don’t always recognize how our energy affects others, but our moods and emotional states carry power. Whether we’re joyful, anxious, angry, or calm, we emit what I call energy arrows—invisible emotional signals that influence the people around us. Becoming aware of them is the first step toward protecting others from our energy and protecting ourselves from theirs.
What Are Energy Arrows?
Imagine being in a good mood and encountering a friend who is extremely angry. As they rant and rave, what happens in your body? Even if their anger isn’t directed at you, you may feel tense, uncomfortable, or emotionally drained. That’s their energy arrows penetrating your emotional space.
I believe our energy arrows are shaped by our emotions and that they affect others—positively or negatively—whether we’re conscious of it or not. These arrows can also be understood as vibrations, frequencies, or magnetic fields. We emit them all day long.
How Your Energy Affects Others—Even Without Words
Think back to a time when you felt genuinely happy. Maybe you smiled at strangers, offered to help someone, or felt more socially open. Your happiness wasn’t just an internal experience—it was shared. Your smile and energy were sending out positive energy arrows that others could feel.
Have you noticed people smiling back? Trying to talk to you? Energy is magnetic. When you’re aligned, you attract. When you’re off, you may unconsciously repel.
This is the real power of emotional energy: it determines what you draw in and what you push away.
️ How to Protect Yourself From Negative Energy Arrows
When you don’t have healthy boundaries, other people’s arrows can affect your emotions quickly. You might start the day feeling grounded, only to be thrown off by someone else’s negativity.
While it’s natural—especially for empaths—to care deeply, you don’t have to carry what isn’t yours.
✅ Visualizations to Protect Your Energy:
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The Bubble: Visualize a protective forcefield around your body. Imagine negative energy bouncing off instead of entering your space.
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The Basket: See yourself holding a basket where others’ energy lands. You can then visualize dumping it out after the interaction.
️ Communication Techniques to Deflect Emotional Arrows
Sometimes people just need to feel seen and heard. Practicing compassionate communication can help defuse the emotional arrows being fired at you:
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Mirror and validate:
“What I’m hearing you say is… Did I get that right?”
“From your perspective, I can see why you feel that way.” -
Offer empathy:
“I understand—and I’ve experienced something similar.”
Even if you don’t agree, validating their feelings can protect your own energy by creating emotional distance without emotional disconnection.
Are You Using Your Energy Arrows to Attract or Repel?
We all emit energy, and we all affect the emotional landscape of those around us. The more conscious we become of how our energy affects others, the more we can use it to create stronger relationships, attract aligned people, and stay rooted in our truth.
Start noticing the energy arrows you send and receive. Ask yourself:
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Am I helping others feel safe, seen, and inspired?
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Am I allowing others to affect me in ways I don’t want?
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What boundaries or visualizations help me stay centered?
You have the power to choose the arrows you send—and the ones you allow in.
➕ Want More on Protecting Your Energy?
If you’ve taken on too much of other people’s energy and it’s weighing you down, read this related article:
Are You a Bubble or a Sponge?
Or check out the Root-to-Rise book and online course to learn how to create emotional balance in all areas of your life.
Special Thanks
With gratitude to Kristen Dessange of Sacred Life Circle for inspiring many of the energy practices shared here.
