time – Thkeya's Reflections on Life

Protect Your Energy

Being an empath can be incredibly exhausting. I feel other people’s energy, and if the vibe isn’t right, it throws me completely off. I have been meticulous lately about who I let in my life. I don’t want to be in a situation where my energy is draining, or I feel uncomfortable around someone. I never want to make people feel uncomfortable, even if that’s my current emotion. Fast forward to recently; I started to date again. I know the dreaded dating scene. However, I’m going into it with a fresh perspective. I have a clear mindset of what I’m looking for in a mate. Previously I said I was looking for XYZ, but my potential suitors didn’t fit that match. That was my fault and not theirs.

I have an issue with saying no to people. My biggest fear is making someone feel like I don’t care for them or for them to feel useless. When it comes at the expense of your sanity, it’s hardly worth the effort. Saying no isn’t selfish, but saying yes to everything is. Think about it for a second. If you answer yes, even when you aren’t in the mood or not feeling the environment, who is hurt by this? Anything that directly impacts your mental health is not worth the effort.

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You aren’t meant to be everyone’s cup of tea and vice versa. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this. You can meet someone and instantly develop a connection, and for other people, it doesn’t exist at all. That doesn’t mean that something is wrong. All it means is that the two of you didn’t hit it off. Why force something that’s not working? I have never understood that way of thinking. Protect your energy and peace. If someone doesn’t understand this, then that person shouldn’t be in your life. The worst thing to be is misunderstood, and having someone not trying to understand you is even worst.

It’s a better use of time to spend it with like-minded people or people who have your best interest. Time and energy are very sacred pieces of yourself. Share life’s experiences with people who want to understand and have a place in your heart. Don’t hold onto temporary people as you will end up hurting yourself in the end.

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What are some ways that you practice protecting your energy/peace?

Stop Wasting Your Own Time

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I’m sure by now you saw the pictures of the singer Cassie who is now married and pregnant. She spent the last ten years dating Diddy. Everyone kept saying that Diddy wasted her time, and they’re happy she moved on. I’m delighted for her as well. Judging by the photos, it appears that she’s in the right place. I would be remiss if I didn’t bring up the elephant in the room. Diddy didn’t waste her time unless she permitted him. That statement may be triggering for some but hear me out first. At any time Cassie could’ve walked away. Once she saw Diddy wasn’t going to give her what she wanted, then exit stage left. We can go and go about what people are doing to us but what about what we allow? You tell others how to treat you by what you will enable them to do. It’s easier to curve behavior when it’s not a habit. Once it’s committed to memory, it’s challenging to get someone to change.

I’m sure Cassie spent many days telling Diddy her expectations. I remember Diddy stating in interviews that he didn’t want to get married, nor did it appear that he wanted more children. The ball was in Cassie’s court to decide the next steps to make. She decided to stay, and now ten years later, she wanted out to pursue what she wanted. Nothing wrong with moving on, but she allowed herself to wait that long. Going after what you want is a smarter choice to make, as it will make you much happier. Telling someone that you aren’t buying what they’re selling is a liberating feeling. Remember, you aren’t asking for too much, you’re asking the wrong person to provide it. Maybe Cassie stayed to see if things would turn around. I’m not going to fault her for that as we all did that at some point. There comes a time when you have to accept responsibility for your actions. You don’t have control over anyone else but yourself. If someone isn’t doing something to make you happy, it’s time to move on.

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That’s the reason why a man can date a woman for six months and propose whereas he’ll date another woman for ten years. Men know who they want when they want. Ladies, we need to notice when the writing’s on the wall, it’s up to us to make a decision. The decision isn’t always up to men, and women have a say as well. You can’t stay in a sub-par situation and put all the blame on the other person. You decided to stick around, so you have to own your consequences. I get the feeling that Cassie knows this, and that’s why she’s not bashing Diddy.

I’m writing this for the folks who blame Diddy when Cassie wasted her own time. Person accountability is a step that most people won’t take. However, it’s smarter to own your part instead of playing the blame game. Learn from your mistakes so you can avoid this same mishap in the future.

What are some examples of you wasting your own time, and how did you resolve it?

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Are You Too Empathetic?

Are you the type of person who can pick up the emotions and energy of other people? For example, if someone cries you immediately feel that pain and cry as well. If you see something disturbing on television, does it tend to stay with you for the rest of the day? If you answered yes to these questions, then you are very in tune with your emotions. Some may even argue that you are too emotionally ingrained in your feelings. Having these feelings can be a blessing and a curse at the same time. The blessing is that you are very empathetic to others which can be very helpful in romantic relationships. The downside is this makes you very susceptible to energy vampires. They tend to prey upon your empathetic nature and guilt you into things you may not necessarily be comfortable doing. You become so engulfed with that person that you forget who you are and lose yourself in the process. Here is when you have to be careful with your emotions and who you let in your life. It’s effortless to get caught up with other people as you feel you are helping them. The issue becomes when they are taking, but won’t be there for you when you need it. When this happens, it leaves you high and dry with nothing to show for it. You felt empty and drained of all your resources.

I have this issue myself, so I have a tough time not offering to help. I guess I feel like I have to or I should since the person is confiding in me. However, just because someone is venting to you doesn’t mean you have to take that on. Especially if that person is never pouring back into you, you must protect your mental peace and learn to say no to people. You can have empathy, but that doesn’t mean owning what that person is dealing with currently. There’s nothing wrong with saying this is too much for me to handle, so I need to back away. I am giving that other person time and space to work through their issues. I know people say that if you back away you are selfish and never cared about that person. I disagree with that statement. If your problems are escalating to a point where it is impossible to have a healthy happy relationship, it’s time to leave. Relationships involve two people growing together and moving towards becoming one with each other. If one person isn’t in a position to do this then how is the relationship supposed to last? You can only take so much and if that person isn’t trying to fix it then what other choice do you have? The same can be said for friendships and family members as well.

You can love people from afar, but that doesn’t mean let that drama enter your life and impact your wellbeing. For those of you who don’t have this issue, I am jealous of you. You can separate yourself from people and the problems that are surrounding them. However, to those who tend to take on the emotions and difficulties of others, we must be careful. We must be very picky about who we let into our personal and mental space. People can pick up on how we are and then it can be used to their advantage. Look out for the signs that this person isn’t as generous and using you to feel better about themselves. Listen to your gut and remove yourself from any situation that is detrimental to your health. We aren’t going any more days, months, nor years with toxic behavior. We will no longer allow this to dampen our spirits. We are moving forward in life with our peace and anything that disturbs that is way too expensive.

Do you feel that you are too empathetic? If so, what have you done to correct this? If not, what do you think makes people more empathetic than others?

Living Your Best Life

Unfortunately, death has a way of putting things into perspective. It is essential to living life in the now as you never know when your time is up. Stop waiting for the right time as one doesn’t exist. The right time is when you feel you are ready for it to occur. Whatever that dream job is to pursue it. Whatever that trip you wanted to take go for it. You are in love and planning to wed forget the big wedding and go after what you want. The old saying goes man plans, and God laughs. Meaning we have all these elaborate plans, and like always life happens. Don’t waste more time as time is of the essence. Go after your goals while you have the will to achieve them. You don’t ever want to look back on your life and regret anything. So stop pushing off for tomorrow what you can do today. Achieve your goals now! Time waits for no one, and the longer you wait, the less likely your goals happen. Be a goal digger now and stop waiting for things to happen. Go out and create your destiny. Live your best life right now

Until next time,

Prescription for Self-Care

When you hear the word self-care what comes to mind? For me, it’s something that I don’t do enough. I’m always running around but never take the time to focus on myself entirely. We all need time to ourselves to unwind from the stresses of the day. You can’t be fully present for others if you have yet to be there for yourself. I’m learning that I can’t give my all and saying no is okay. I still feel guilty when I do however not being there for myself is even worse. How can you say you love yourself if you don’t give yourself the same care as everything else? Internally you deserve the same amount of attention as your job, bills, etc. No more excuses! From this day forward self-care will no longer be a slogan but a complete lifestyle change.

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I concluded that I lacked self-care while being on this leadership council for a non-profit organization. I tried to make myself available to all the meetings and any activities that came up. Due to my work commitments being on this council was proving to be quite challenging. It didn’t matter however because I was determined to give back even if meant hurting myself in the process. Since this council is new, it requires a lot of time and effort. I could provide support but only in a limited capacity. I started to see that my availability and the council needs weren’t in alignment. I kept forcing myself to fit into a puzzle piece that doesn’t fit. I realize that honestly, I could give my all but at what cost? Sure I would be giving back, but I won’t be fully present as I would be exhausted. I have to take better care of myself if I’m going to be an asset. Until I cater to my needs, I can’t possibly be there for others.

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Putting others before yourself is selfish because as a human you have needs as well. Not catering to your own needs creates resentment. Taking time to recharge your batteries gives you the space you need so you can get in touch with yourself. Also, it’s okay if you can’t be involved in everything. It’s better to dedicate yourself to a few events as opposed to every occasion and not enjoying it. Be honest about what your schedule permits. People may expect more but don’t let guilt deter you. Don’t let others have free reign over your time as you don’t get that back. You should be happy and excited anytime you are spending time on something. If your energy is continuously depleting that means you are neglecting your needs and you need to look into that. I’m practicing self-care currently, and unfortunately, it’s taking some adjustments on my part. I’m hoping you do the same if you haven’t started already. What are some of your self-care methods that you tried? Please share your comments below. Don’t forget to fill your daily dose of self-care or seek your treatment as needed.

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Until next time,

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Dating Red Flags

Dating red flags to avoid in order to meet your King or Queen

Stating that dating is challenging is an understatement. I’m trying to stay positive in a world that seems bleak takes an intense amount of courage. One of the most significant issues I have with dating is the amount of lying that occurs. It’s incredibly sad how much people have to pretend or put up a facade in the dating world. It comes across very selfish and manipulative as this person is only interested in getting their needs met. Some people lie because if the truth came out, it wouldn’t produce the desired outcome. Honestly, find people who aren’t looking for anything serious if that’s your wish. Don’t make decisions for others. I swear that is my biggest pet peeve. Let me decide what I want for myself. I decided to compile a list of red flags that you may encounter while dating. Of course, this doesn’t include all of them, however, if you come across these run quickly in the other direction. The person you are dealing with is trouble with a capital T.

You call the person, but they respond back to you with a text

When this occurs, you are either dealing with a person who is married or has a live-in boyfriend/girlfriend. This behavior is very shady as you can’t reach the person on the phone, but they will text you to death. I know texting is how people communicate nowadays, but you should be able to engage in phone conversations. If you are unable to have a phone conversation, then you need to inquire why that is the case. If the situation doesn’t improve after multiple discussions, then it’s time to move on.

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It’s challenging to plan meetups

Once you are interested in someone, the natural thing is to schedule an outing. That is a telling sign if it’s becoming a chore to meet up with your potential mate. There may be work or other family obligations that are possibly happening. However, be wary of how long it takes to meet up finally. You need to find someone who has time to devote to a relationship and not someone who treats it like an afterthought.

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Contacting you last minute for a date

I understand that everyone is busy but please have respect for people’s time. Don’t think it’s okay to ask for a date on the very same day. The other person may or may not be available. If you are taking the other person seriously, you will make yourself available to them. However, when on a constant basis you are being asked on a date last minute it’s time to move on. Most likely this person is seeing someone, and when things aren’t going well, they will turn to you for comfort. Be with someone who makes you a priority instead of an option.

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Afraid to discuss the future

When you are dating someone, and things are going well at some point, the conversation about becoming long term should come up. When you are hearing, let’s see how things go, and I’m not looking for anything serious please move on. A person who is serious about a relationship doesn’t have an issue with discussing the future. In fact, that person may bring it up before you do. If a relationship is your goal don’t waste time with someone who doesn’t feel the same.

Ghosting You

During the dating phase, you start to spend a lot of time together as the connection for each other starts to grow. Then all of a sudden the unthinkable happens, and you stop hearing from the other person. Things in life come up so, in the beginning, you brush it off as no big deal. After a few days and then weeks it becomes clear that the other person has disappeared on you. The behavior is known as ghosting, and it happens more often than you realize. I believe this is the coward’s way out when the other person’s feelings change, and they would rather not discuss it. There is a possibility that the other person could’ve experienced a family emergency. However, this is the reason to send out a text to alert someone of what’s happening. The best way to get over this is to continue to live your life. If that person does hit you up without an explanation, please ignore them as they don’t deserve your presence.

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Moving too fast to become physical

Of course, you want to date someone that you find attractive. That is not only common sense, but that determines compatibility as well. Why would you want to spend forever with someone if a connection is lacking? With keeping that in mind there is a time and place for everything. When you are sincerely trying to date the last thing on your agenda is jumping into the bed with someone. If this is what you want, please make that known. Things shouldn’t be moving in the physical department while you are still getting to know each other. Sometimes people get excited and move in that direction. If once you explain this and nothing changes, then you have your answer. Anyone who is rushing this has something to give, and it’s something you don’t want. A person of high quality will not force this as they understand that once they develop a deep connection, then the physical aspect will occur. There’s no need to move fast as it tends to cloud your judgment. Wait to see what type of person you’re dealing with as time reveals all things.

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After reading these red flags keep them in your mind as you date. I had my share of these signs, and it helped to get me away from some dangerous situations. Of course, these don’t all occur at the same time, so it’s important to keep these handy as a reference. I’m sure there are a lot more signs, but these are the ones that I experienced the most. What are some red flags that you encountered? How did you avoid dating red flags in the past? Please share your comments and your experiences below.

Until next time,

Thkeya Life (1)