My left shoulder/upper chest has this one spot that will give me sharp pain consistently throughout the day. This has been going on for months. I didn’t physically hurt it at all, so I know it’s due to stuck emotional energy.
Today I decided to do some reiki on my shoulder, especially around the area of sharp pain.
While I was holding my hand over the area, I breathed into it and asked why it was there.
It said, “Don’t give.”
Well, that doesn’t make sense, I thought.
Giving is part of the flow of life; you give and receive to create harmony and flow in the world.
I couldn’t think about it too much, though, because I was still concentrated on healing and releasing the tension. But focusing on this was working.
After I had released enough and felt into the relaxation, I felt into what my shoulder was saying some more.
My pain was saying that I give way too much of myself to other people, even when they don’t ask for it.
I recognize someone’s pain and try to console them by fitting in as perfectly as I can into their world.
I try to be everything they need so their own world feels complete, at the expense of who I am and how I want to live my life.
My mind will go so far as to give up my dreams, hobbies, time, energy, emotions… literally my whole being just to try to make someone else feel ok.
Yea, it’s pretty extreme. And toxic. I mean, they don’t even ask for it anyway! And even if they did, I’m devaluing and undermining my own self, my own being, my soul, and personality by giving it all away to someone else like that.
Luckily, I haven’t given into that inclination too much recently since I’ve been getting to know myself and valuing who I am a lot more. But I still go far enough to feel the heavy weight and pain of it.
Pain in the body translates very literally. If you feel weight or pain in your shoulders and/or upper back, it’s because you’re carrying something that’s not yours to carry.
I’ve been carrying others’ emotions on my shoulders and back for a very long time. The pain has travelled around my body as I’ve healed this, from areas in my upper back to my left shoulder and upper chest.
If I want the pain to totally disappear, I have to completely let go of this unreasonable responsibility for other people’s emotions.
When will I do this? I’ll keep you updated.
But for now, just know that you are not responsible for others. At all. Emotionally, physically, monetarily, etc. (Unless you’re a mother or father of a kid, obviously. Haha.)
Like, really.
Let that sink in. I’ll try to too.
Like, seriously. It’s called minding your own business.
Forreal.
Lift the weight off your shoulders and back.
Or in Erykah Badu\’s words, \”Pack Light.\”
<3