How Other People's Thoughts Affect Us

We all come into contact with people from time to time who have negative thoughts and opinions of us. These thoughts may remain unspoken, or only implied. But we are still left with that slight sense of disapproval, guilt, or disappointment. We tell ourselves that we’re imagining things, or that this shouldn’t bother us. We tell ourselves that we’re immune to the opinion of others, that they don’t matter. But by brushing off or avoiding these negative reactions to others, we are actually missing out on a valuable opportunity.

One of our most basic creations are thought forms. We create positive and negative thought forms constantly, because we are always thinking. Thought takes form briefly as we invest our energy into a thought, and then dissipates as we move on to new thoughts. If we think the same thoughts over and over again, feeding them with our attention, they take on energetic substance and can eventually take up permanent residence in our energy field. We all have created many, many positive and negative thought forms about ourselves and about the people in our lives. Some are fleeting. Others are very powerful.

We react at an energetic level to the thought forms others create about us. Let’s say, for example, that we have a co-worker who thinks we’re incompetent. They are creating a negative thought form of incompetence about us. When we come into contact with their energy field, we will pick up on the energetic resonance of this thought form. The energetic
resonance of “you’re incompetent” will elicit within us a like vibration, to the extent that this vibration is present in our own energy field. Any part of us that considers ourselves incompetent will become activated by the other person’s thought form. If we’re very unsure of ourselves, being near this person will activate the energy of incompetence to the point that it becomes detrimental to the interaction. We will truly be reduced to an incompetent mess by their thought form, because the vibration of incompetence is so strong within us already. We have, through our own resonance with “incompetence” now fed energy into the other person’s thought form of us. Their thought form of “you’re incompetent” has become strengthened, and will elicit an even stronger reaction within us in our next encounter.

If, on the other hand, we’ve never considered ourselves incompetent and are confident of our abilities, the thought form will elicit a reaction so slight that we barely notice it. It will glide right past us, and all we are left with is a sense of not being able to relate to this co-worker, of not being on the same page. We may feel puzzled at their attitude towards us, but remain largely unaffected.

Other people’s negative thoughts about us can only affect us if that negative vibration already exists within ourselves. If someone considers us irresponsible, this can only affect us to the level that we resonate with the vibration of irresponsibility. If someone thinks we’re a disappointment, this can only affect us if we already resonate with the vibration of disappointment. No-one can “make us feel” anything that isn’t already present within us.

The same is true for positive thought forms as well. A person can think of us as loving and intelligent. But unless we already resonate with those energies, these positive thought forms will pass us by. If, however, we think of ourselves loving and intelligent already, a person who creates such positive thought forms about us can very powerfully elicit those vibrations within us.

Every person that “makes us feel” anything, negative or positive, is an opportunity to learn how we feel about ourselves. Whether they bring out the worst in us, or the best in us, each person serves as a mirror of our relationship with ourselves. One of my teachers once said “When people push our buttons, it is our job to address the buttons.” The first step is to acknowledge that our buttons are our responsibility. Taking ownership of every energetic quality within us, positive or negative, is the first step to building a strong and loving relationship with ourselves.

Over the next few days, notice how you react to the people in your life. When you hang up the phone after speaking with your mother or best friend, how do you feel? When you have a meeting with your boss or co-worker, what is your reaction? Take every encounter as an opportunity to explore the energetic qualities that resonate within you.

How do we resolve or diminish the negative energetic qualities within us? How do we address our “buttons?” Stay tuned - I’ll be posting another article on this later this week!

Blessings,
Andrea