Have you ever gotten off a phone call completely exhausted - or walked away from a conversation feeling depleted - and immediately started questioning yourself? 

Am I being too sensitive? Did they really drain me? Maybe they’re just having a hard time. Maybe I’m tired for another reason.

For many empaths, noticing the energy drain isn’t actually the problem.

The problem is what happens after you notice it.

Instead of responding to what your body is telling you, you start collecting evidence. You analyze the other person. You question your perception. You try to figure out whether your depletion is justified.

And the whole time you’re investigating, the bathtub is still draining.

In this episode of Your Yes Filled Life, Brenda shares a simple four-part process for responding to an energy leak without making the other person wrong—or requiring yourself to prove that your experience is real first.

You’ll learn how to notice your earliest cues of depletion, why curiosity is valuable but shouldn’t always be your first move, practical ways to “plug the leak” during conversations and social situations, and how nervous-system regulation can help you come back to yourself before deciding what something means.

Brenda also gives you one question to ask when you catch yourself building a legal case for why you’re allowed to protect your energy:

What would I do right now if I didn’t need proof that my depletion was justified?

Because protecting your energy doesn’t require deciding someone else is toxic.

Sometimes you simply need enough space to come back to yourself.

Mentioned in this episode:

YES TO ME — September 15, 6–8 PM Pacific
A complimentary live experience combining teaching, coaching, somatic work and breathwork to help you hear yourself underneath everyone else’s needs, opinions and energy.
https://www.brendawinkle.com/yestome 

POWER: Self-Trust for Empaths
The Fall cohort begins September 29. Six weeks of live transformational work followed by a full year of coaching, practice and integration - with three live POWER cohorts throughout the next 12 months.
https://www.brendawinkle.com/power 

Keywords: empath energy drain, energy protection for empaths, energetic boundaries, self trust for empaths, empath exhaustion, energy leaks, how to protect your energy, highly sensitive person, HSP, empath boundaries, nervous system regulation, somatic awareness, people pleasing, emotional exhaustion, emotional boundaries, stop absorbing other people's energy, empath overwhelm, empath self care, protecting your peace, trusting your body, body awareness, self abandonment, emotional regulation, setting boundaries, empath burnout, intuitive empaths, sensitive women, emotional energy, personal empowerment, discernment for empaths, Your Yes Filled Life, Brenda Winkle