Energy Leaks: Where Your Power Goes (And How to Take It Back)

Do you ever get to the end of the day feeling like a soggy dishrag?

Not just tired… but depleted. Drained. Fried. And wondered how, exactly, that happened when all you did was “normal life stuff”?

You didn’t run a marathon. You didn’t climb a mountain. No major life events. You even “relaxed” a little while scrolling social media. So why are you running on fumes?

Spoiler alert: there’s a leak. And it’s probably not just one.

Let’s talk about energy leaks. The sneaky, everyday things that drain your mental, emotional, and even physical energy like a slow puncture in a tire. In this week’s episode of the podcast, I go through some of the places you’re letting your energy seep out… and how to start patching the leaks so you can reclaim your power, and feel more like yourself again.

So… What the heck is an energy leak?

You might equate “energy” with physical effort - but that’s only part of the story. Author Mira Kirshenbaum (📚 The Emotional Energy Factor) says a whopping 70% of our total energy is emotional.

And most of us are leaking it all day long without realizing it.

Sure, we notice the big drains - arguments, deadlines, or health issues. But the smaller stuff? That background buzz of stress, over-stimulation, and boundary violations? That’s the stuff that quietly builds up and burns us out.

Here’s a peek at the culprits I explore in the episode:

☠️ Doom-scrolling and Social Media Noise

Think you’re “relaxing” on your phone? Probably not. Your brain might be getting more cortisol hits than dopamine boosts during your evening doom-scroll. And those curated highlight reels and outrage algorithms? They doing the exact opposite of relaxing you – they’re sending your nervous system into overload.

🚧 Violated Boundaries

Every time you say “yes” when your gut says “no,” your brain logs a withdrawal from your emotional energy bank. Guilt, over-explaining, people-pleasing, and sitting through conversations that make you uncomfortable (like the office gossip-pool)? Pull out your credit card, because they can send you into overdraft.

👪 Family Drama

Love them or not, family can be draining. Whether it’s constant needs, backhanded or passive-aggressive comments, or comparison games, your emotional bandwidth takes a hit. Learning to set boundaries - even loving ones - is key to protecting your energy.

🧛‍♂️ Emotional Vampires

You know the ones. They trauma-dumpers, gossipers, or chronic complainers. Interactions feel like therapy sessions where you never get paid - and somehow you feel worse after.

💬 Negative Self-Talk

You’d never say the things you say to yourself to someone you love. Start noticing. Start re-framing. And start telling that inner critic to sit down and zip it.

⚖️ Unrealistic Expectations

Living a life that pleases everyone but yourself? Constantly striving for perfection? That’s not just exhausting - it’s unsustainable.

🧠 Chronic Multitasking

Science backs this up: multitasking is a lie. It reduces focus, increases stress, and drains your cognitive function like an open faucet. (Yes, I said it. Your open tabs are judging you. And BTW – guilty as charged again.)

How to Plug the Leaks

You don’t need to overhaul your whole life at once, you can start small:

• Set a timer for your social media use
• Practice saying “No” without a 3-paragraph explanation
• Step away from one draining conversation this week
• Build a “bubble” around your energy in high-stress settings (visualizing it really works!)
• Breathe. Like, deep, vagus-nerve-calming breathing 🧘‍♀️

And most importantly? Start paying attention. Notice who and what leaves you feeling depleted. Then ask yourself: what’s one small shift I can make to protect my energy today?

Energy leaks don’t usually happen all at once. They build up in the moments where we silence ourselves, overextend, and ignore what our body or intuition is whispering.

But here’s the good news: every time you listen to that whisper…
Every time you say “I don’t have capacity for that right now”…
Every time you choose rest over resentment…

You reclaim a bit of your energy.

And that? That’s healing. 💛

🎧 Want to hear more (and giggle while you heal)?
👉 Listen to Episode 12 of the Transformative Journeys podcast:
“Energy Leaks – Where Your Power Goes (And How to Take It Back)”
Now streaming on Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts.

🌱 Grab my free Bounce Back Blueprint for even more tools to protect your energy without ghosting everyone or turning into a rage monster: transformativejourneys.ca