The day I took on everyone’s stress—until I realized I didn’t have to

It was a Friday evening around 6:30 p.m. when I received a work text—again. A coworker messaged our group chat (with our boss included) asking something about Monday’s meeting in a way that felt like a subtle attempt to make me look unprepared.

As I stood up from the dinner table, I felt it: my neck tensed, and it hit me like a punch in the gut. My stomach tightened. My thoughts started racing while my daughter quietly kept eating, alone at the table. Another dinner, interrupted.

I was right there physically… but emotionally and mentally, I had left the room.

That text pulled me out of my evening, away from my family, and back into the same cycle of feeling like I had to respond immediately—to prove myself, to be responsible, to not drop the ball. The guilt was familiar. But this time, something shifted.

I looked at my daughter. Her eyes said it all. Disappointment. Again.

And I realized in that moment: my desire to be seen as competent at work was coming at the cost of being present at home. My body was trying to tell me something—and I finally listened.

So instead of reacting, I paused. I reached for an energy tool one of my teachers had once taught me. A grounding technique. Nothing fancy or dramatic—just a simple way to help me return to my body, to the present moment, and let go of the pressure and fear I was carrying.

It helped me release the tension, the guilt, the old conditioning that told me I had to respond to every ping right away or the world would collapse. I could see more clearly: this wasn’t urgent. It could wait. And my daughter’s well-being—and our connection—mattered more.

I poured a glass of water. I breathed. I stayed with her at the table and let the urgency pass like a wave I didn’t have to ride.

On Monday morning at 8 a.m., I replied to the message—kind, calm, and without over-explaining or an apology. Just clear, present, and grounded.

That night taught me that energy work isn’t just for big life decisions or spiritual awakenings. It’s for the ordinary moments too—the ones where we choose whether to abandon ourselves… or come home to what really matters. 

In upcoming posts, I’ll be sharing more real-life ways that energy tools can help you stay grounded, clear, and centered—no matter what life brings.