You Bring the Energy: Owning Your Vibe at the Table
The holidays are here.
And with them often come full tables, familiar faces… and familiar triggers.
Old stories. Unspoken tension. Side-eye glances. The same debates that come up every year.
But here’s the good news:
You don’t have to lose your peace… even when the room gets noisy.
You have more power than you think.
At The Journey to Nobody, we choose to live by this core principle:
You are 100% responsible for your life experience.
And that includes how you experience the holidays.
Why Your Energy Is the Most Important Thing You Bring
Forget the perfect side dish.
Forget the polished small talk.
Forget trying to manage everyone else.
The most important thing you bring to any table, especially with family, is your energy.
Are you bringing calm or chaotic energy?
Are you present or distracted?
Are you open-hearted or defensive?
You don’t control the whole room. But you do influence it.
Your energy is contagious… whether you’re aware of it or not.
What Happens When We Walk In On Autopilot
If we walk into the gathering in reaction mode, here’s what can easily happen:
We brace for conflict (and often find it).
We shrink around old roles (and feel unseen).
We expect stress (and unconsciously create it).
But when we pause, breathe, and choose who we want to be in that moment, everything shifts.
This isn’t about pretending.
It’s about showing up on purpose.
The JTN Perspective: You Create the Experience
At JTN, we teach that our life is not something happening to us… it’s something being created through us.
Our energy is the invitation.
Our presence is the message.
Our responsibility is our power.
This doesn’t mean people will change.
It means we stop handing them the remote control to our peace.
Reframe the Holiday Energy
Instead of asking things like:
“Will they make a comment about my life again?”
“What if they don’t appreciate all I’ve done?”
“How do I survive this dinner?”
Try asking:
“What kind of energy do I want to bring?”
“What does my peace look like in this room?”
“Who do I choose to be regardless of the past?”
Try This: The Energy Ownership Reset (5 Minutes)
Before your next gathering or tough conversation, take five minutes for this simple reset:
1. Breathe intentionally.
Inhale for a count of 4, hold for 4, exhale for 6. Repeat 3x.
2. Choose 3 words.
Pick the energy you want to embody (e.g., “calm, grounded, peace, joy”).
3. Set the intention.
Say to yourself: “No matter what happens around me, I choose to bring [your words] into the room.”
Reminder: Peace Is an Inside Job
You might not get the apology.
They may not ask the right questions.
The past might not be acknowledged.
But your peace?
Your power?
That’s not up to them. That’s up to you.
You bring the energy. You set the tone for you. You choose your experience.
Final Thought
The holidays can be beautiful… and they can also be challenging. But they don’t have to hijack your power.
It’s not about what they do. It’s about who we decide to be… no matter what.
