Reducing the Noise: When the World Feels Too Heavy

One of the things I’ve come to understand is that my soul chose to be here during this time for a reason. And there’s a part of me that can look back and say, “Girl, this is a cakewalk compared to where things have been in history.” But even so, as hard as it is some days to look around at the world and its chaos, I trust that. There’s something in me that knows I’m meant to be awake for all of it.

Without going too deep into the notion of past lives or where I’ve been before, I know I’m in this experience now, and it’s wild how a quiet kind of craziness can build when you’re sensitive to the world around you. It doesn’t arrive all at once. It sneaks in, a headline, a tragedy, a scroll through social media that leaves you feeling heavy without knowing why.

As an empath, I’ve come to realize my system is like an antenna. Tuned in. Always sensing. Always receiving. But the thing is, I don’t always know I’m absorbing something until I’m already off. My mood shifts. My energy dips. I feel anxious or disconnected. And I have to pause and ask myself, “Wait… is this even mine?”

I moved recently, but I used to keep a 3x5 card taped to the back of my front door. It had one word on it: Shield. That was my reminder to take a moment before stepping out into the world. To ground. To protect my energy. To move with intention instead of walking around wide open.

The deeper I’ve gone into my spiritual work, the more sensitive I’ve become. I feel more. I see more. And if I’m not paying attention, I absorb more. That doesn’t make me fragile. But it does mean I need to be more mindful. Especially now, when the world feels louder, faster, and heavier than ever.

Lately, that weight feels almost constant. Wars. Violence. Environmental collapse. Human rights being rolled back. There’s so much happening, it’s easy to feel like you have to carry it all—or else you don’t care. That’s where I got stuck. Not just as a sensitive person, but as a human being who does care deeply. I was checking the news, scrolling for hours, trying to keep up with everything. At first, it felt like being responsible. Eventually, it felt like drowning.

And here’s something I didn’t expect to admit: I never used to follow politics. Or the news. I lived in my own little bubble, focused on my life, my family, my work. And to be honest, there was a great amount of peace in that. I was present. But in the past few years, that changed. As a mother, as a woman, as someone who channels messages of healing and truth, I couldn’t unsee what I was seeing. I couldn’t un-feel the urgency. I started speaking out more. And it felt necessary. But it also started consuming me. I lost myself a little in the process. I forgot how to anchor in my own light.

The tipping point for me was when my fear became constant. It lived in my body. I was spinning in anxiety, waking up already exhausted. I wasn’t just aware of what was happening in the world, I was entangled in it. And I needed to find my way back. So I slowed down. I turned off the noise. I sat in meditation. I journaled. I channeled. I let myself cry. I talked to my energy coach, my guides, all reminding me of what I already knew:

You can care deeply without carrying everything. You can stay informed without being consumed. Observe, don’t absorb. You can hold space for the world’s pain without losing your own peace. That has become my practice now: noise reduction. Not tuning out, but tuning in.

I ask myself now:

Does this need my energy today?
Am I reacting, or responding?
Is this helping me feel more grounded, or less?

If the answer pulls me away from my center, I make a shift as best I can. Sometimes that’s as simple as stepping outside into nature. Setting an intention. Saying a prayer for what I can’t change, and taking action where I can. Sometimes it’s turning off my phone and coming back to my breath.

If you’re sensitive, you know how easy it is to get overwhelmed by the suffering in the world. But you are not here to suffer. You’re here to transform. You’re here to turn what’s heavy into something healing. To feel, yes, but also to bring light through the fog.

So if you’re feeling disconnected from your peace, come back to your tools. Shield your energy. Return to your center, meaning, come back to yourself. Step away from the chaos, the noise, the opinions, and emotions of the outside world, and return to the stillness of your own inner knowing. It’s about cutting the cords and calling your energy back to you.

There’s a sacred shift that happens when we remember: we are not here to carry it all. We are not here to soak up every sorrow or pain as if it’s ours to heal alone. We are here to bear witness. To hold space. And when called, to act, but not at the cost of our well-being.

This is where the practice comes in. Sitting in the seat of the observer, not the absorber. The observer breathes. Grounds. Witnesses the energy without taking it on. The absorber contracts. Carries. Tries to fix or make sense of things that were never meant to live in their body. It’s not easy. Especially for those of us who came into this world wide open, hearts exposed, channels clear. But just because we feel deeply doesn’t mean we are meant to suffer deeply.

We can honor our sensitivity without drowning in what’s not ours. The world doesn’t need more people carrying invisible burdens. It needs more of us anchored in our light… clear, aware, and deeply present.

So today, if you’re feeling heavy, I invite you to come back home to yourself. Take a deep breath. Soften your shoulders. And gently say, “I release what’s not mine.”

You are not here to hold it all. You are here to remember your strength, your wisdom, and the power of your presence. And from that place, you can help shift the energy of the world, without losing yourself in it.

Copyright 2025 Angelique Declercq. All rights reserved.