Have you ever paused in the midst of exhaustion and realized—with sudden, undeniable clarity—that the weight pressing down on you was never yours to carry?

They say we’re the sum of the five people we spend the most time with. But I’ve come to see it differently:

We’re the sum of the five people we absorb the most from.

Because energy isn’t just something we feel—it’s something we hold.

Some of it is physical—the responsibilities, the endless to-do lists, the demands that take up space in our lives.

Some of it is emotional—the expectations, the unspoken burdens, the moods we unknowingly inherit.

And if we’re not careful, we end up carrying far more than we ever agreed to hold.

The Weight We Carry in Love

Let me share something personal.

My son is the center of my universe—my heart walking around outside my body. But let’s be honest: parenting is heavy.

And when you add medical complexities? That weight multiplies.

Diabetes doesn’t just exist in our home; it takes up space. It demands calculations, dosing schedules, carb counting, and constant vigilance. That’s the physical weight—the daily tasks required to keep him healthy.

But then there’s the emotional weight—the one that settles deep in my bones.

The sleepless nights, waking up three times to give him juice.

The unpredictable blood sugar swings that don’t just affect his energy, but his emotions.

The patience that wears thin—not from a lack of love, but because exhaustion doesn’t care how much love you have.

I chose this weight. I hold it willingly, fiercely.

But it has also taught me something else:

I’ve spent much of my life carrying things that were never mine to hold.

The Silent Absorption

Pause for a moment.

How much of what you’re carrying right now actually belongs to you?

How much of your stress, your tension, your exhaustion—didn’t even start with you?

We absorb energy everywhere.

In conversations, relationships, workplaces, even through a simple scroll on social media. We take on responsibilities we were never meant to manage. We internalize expectations we never agreed to.

And most of the time, we don’t even question it.

But here’s the truth:

You don’t have to carry what isn’t yours.

The Art of Sacred Release

This week, I invite you to pause. To check in.

Make a quick mental note—or even write it down:

✧ When do you feel fully in your own energy?

✧ When are you unknowingly absorbing from others?

✧ What weight doesn’t have your name on it—but you’ve been carrying anyway?

And the most important question:

What’s one thing you can hand back today?

Because you weren’t meant to be an atlas, holding up everyone else’s world.

And you certainly weren’t meant to walk this path alone.

An Invitation to Lightness

If this resonates with you, I invite you to join my newsletter.

Each week, I share reflections like this—real, grounded reminders for those of us learning to distinguish between the weights that serve us and the ones that simply drain us.

Because healing isn’t just about what we add to our lives.

It’s about what we have the courage to release.

Join our community here. 

Because sometimes, the most powerful thing we can do is simply open our hands—and let go.