I consider myself to be a sticky person.
I don't mean jelly-all-over-my-hands sort of sticky (though, I've been known to have that going on, too).
When I say "sticky," I mean energetically.
Interactions with people (or sometimes even certain movies and shows), and the energy they carry, have a huge impact on me. Sometimes I liken this to static cling—I pick it all up, the good and tough and everywhere in between, and sometimes I end up feeling like I figuratively have a bunch of unpaired socks and lint all over me by the end of an exchange.
This has its perks, to be sure. It allows me to be with people in a unique way, and it helps me feel more aligned with clients.
And also, if I don't manage it, I can get overwhelmed. FAST.
Today, it was a series of pretty insignificant (but stressful, to me) exchanges. By the time I got home, I felt incredibly unrooted and heavy from feeling so many varying energies stuck to me all at once.
I knew that I needed to move that energy through.
I have my go-to options: walking outside to music, stretching, petting my cat, lighting candles, drinking a warm drink, and if I'm too charged up to access any of those, I'll pop a THC/CBD mint to get my nervous system a touch calmer first.
Today, though, I either didn't feel like I could access those or didn't feel like there was enough time (and considering I had work later in the day, taking the mint seemed problematic).
And then, like a lightbulb sent from the Ghost of Music Past, I realized what I needed: I needed to literally shake it off to...."Shake It Off" by Taylor Swift.
As someone who has held a pretty neutral stance on T-Swift, she isn't usually my go-to. But let me tell you...plugging in my headphones, cranking up that tune, and dancing my heart away in the kitchen while I whipped up my smoothie was everything I needed.
Like, play-it-5-times-in-a-row needed.
Afterward, I felt a little less sticky, had more access to my own boundaries and energy, and I was able to feel grounded enough to light some candles and pull some tarot cards, and also release some cleansing tears.
I share this with you because I, along with so many (and possibly including you!), am in constant practice of figuring out what I need, and sometimes it's the old standards, whereas other times my body asks me to think outside of my own box a little.
This work isn't always easy, and it's lifelong. And I can sometimes get frustrated when I can't easily access what my body is asking of me.
The next time you feel sticky, remember that it's ok to not always know exactly what your body is seeking. The exercise, I find, is often simply in the listening. The trying. And the trying again.
Remembering that there is never just one way. There isn't "right" or "wrong."
This relationship you have with your body and their energy is just that—a relationship. It's a sacred, intimate bond that's built over a lifetime.
And sometimes it's serious, deep, intense work...and other times, it's enjoying a delightful, light-hearted, cathartic dance in the kitchen.
Whatever your body's energy needs today, as much as you can, warmly invite it in with curiosity and kindness.
And if you're not sure what you need, may I suggest playing "Shake It Off" as loud as you can as you literally shake off all that you're carrying that you no longer need.
Are you sticky?