Energy on a circuit-
Energy on a circuit-
First Law of Thermodynamics: Energy can be changed from one form to another, but it cannot be created or destroyed.
Picture yourself facing another person, you’re about to engage in conversation. Imagine the energy beginning to flow in a circuit, a loop from the other person to you and back to complete the circuit.
If the channel is open, the intent is clear and both participants are patient and open minded. The conversation and energy flows smoothly. Insights, ideas and ah ha moments seem to fall into your head, it feels easy, a meeting of the minds.
Can you think of a time when this has happened to you? Feel the energy of it now.
Sometimes the opposite occurs. One or both of you may enter into the dynamic with fear, resentment, expectations, assumptions, judgements or biases. You may be aware of these, or they could still be subconscious.
These disrupt the energy from the start, adding a twitch to the signal that the other party feels but can’t quite put their finger on. Reactively they add their own glitch to the line, layering the disconnect with misunderstandings. Each person feeling further apart as it goes around the circle between you, looping and looping.
Have you ever been in a conversation loop that feels painful and you can’t figure out how to recover some purpose?
A basic light switch is a neutral wire, a ground wire and a load (bringing the energy in)
To cut the flow of energy you flip the switch. In a person loop “flipping the switch” might be setting boundaries, being vulnerable or stating what you need. Something that pauses, redirects the flow.
Ex: “I’m going to need to pause. I appreciate you and I don’t want either of us to say something that damages our friendship. Let’s take a few minutes and come back. I know we can find a way forward that helps both of us feel heard and valued.”
If there’s a problem in the circuit, damage or stress, it can’t complete its flow. It looks for a ground. The same can be true for people, we look for safety, predictability, assurance, positive feedback & security. Especially when it concerns money, love, housing and how we’re perceived.
But If our sense of security and self are tied to approval from others, we might struggle to set boundaries, leaving us ungrounded. What happens then? Energy flys off in unpredictable directions, throwing sparks, angry words, or judgements. But we can choose to ground ourselves so our security and worth are insourced, so we radiate consistently…so that we’re in charge of the pause.
Practice flipping the switch. Practice the pause. Ground yourself.
