So today I just want to talk about those toxic work environments that we work in, or those negative work environments that we work in, because they really affect our energy, and they can really cause us to be off balance and create all kinds of sicknesses on every level, emotional, mental, and even physical. And I know a lot of people who suffer from so much stress and have such high anxiety, and even literally felt sick just at the thought of going in to work in those environments. And maybe you're one of them. I used to be one of them.
But people got to do what they got to do, because people have to survive, so I'm not judging anyone. For whatever reason, sometimes working in those types of environments is the only viable option that we have in terms of getting a job. Sometimes you just got to stay in that environment until it's time for you to make a jump.
So I totally understand, because even I, for a long time, used to work in an environment that created so much stress and anxiety in my life. I tell you, I was so stressed working in those environments. I used to feel so physically ill at the thought of just going to that place every morning. My self-esteem was just in the garbage. I hated myself because of how inconsistent I used to feel about myself as opposed to what I wanted to be. This clash of: oh my gosh, Caroline, how is it that you're allowing people to treat you this way? Why are you allowing yourself to be treated this way? And I still couldn't leave that job. But I hated it so much, and I really depended on the income.
So it's not sometimes about the income. It's about so many other things, because that place was really, really oppressive. I tell you, those were the worst years of my life. It was just like: oh my gosh, Caroline, what is going on? That work environment was the absolute worst. The co-workers were nice, but the way the management was, and the way the company was run, was just so oppressive. There was just no room for growth or expansion or promotions or whatnot. Those people didn't even care. And I allowed myself to remain in that space for a long, long time. It's one of my biggest regrets in life. But still, I'm always so proud that one day I got the guts to really leave that toxic work environment.
And the interesting thing is that sometimes you're in a toxic environment, but you're not aware that it's the environment itself that is causing the toxicity that is occurring in your life. But toxicity in an environment is a sign. So if you're aware, then you can look at that and see what you need to do. I've come across a lot of people who are experiencing a lot of things happening in their lives, but it's usually triggered by the negative environment that they keep placing themselves in day in and day out, year after year, for the paycheck, which is good, because we need the paycheck. But still, the adverse effect on their own emotions, on their minds, on their physical health, on their relationships, is too big to ignore. And this is the reason why I'm making this video: just to give you a few tips on how to notice whether you really are in a negative work environment.
And this can also apply to your living environment, because toxicity in environments always manifests in the same way, no matter where you're at. But the focus here is mainly on the work environments, because a lot of people are in some toxic work environments, and they try to work with tools or whatnot to try to balance these things out. And as a matter of fact, I'm going to make a video on the different types of crystals that people can use in those types of environments, and they're all different, and I'm going to tell you why in that video. And you'll see why, because it's not always about using black tourmaline; it's not always about using obsidian to keep things away. And I'll go in depth on that topic, which I'm really looking forward to share with you, because a lot of people have asked me, or keep asking in the comment section, about crystals to use in the workplace. So it's just not a blanket thing, or just a set of crystals that work for every specific work issue. There's a lot of things to be considered when working with crystals in the workplace.
Anyway, to get back to this topic of working in toxic work environments, let me just be clear: I know that there are so many other people who work in amazing environments, and everything is all good, and it really is a blessing. But for the sake of those who work in toxic work environments, or who work in a place where the work culture is just so bad, and there's so much prejudice, and there's so much bullying that goes on in that workplace, yes, it happens, people really get bullied at work, or just overall poor treatment at work, these five things I'm going to share with you are going to help you clearly see whether you're working in a toxic environment or not, so you can consider what to do next.
The first thing is that toxic work environments, or negative environments, usually have a quality of destruction. And even though you're making money, which is kind of giving you life, they have a way of crushing you. They have a way of killing your dreams, your creativity, your motivation, your desire to "live" or feel inspired, to go to work every day, to wake up every day. They have a way of diminishing your life force, your ambition. You just kind of feel dead every time you want to go to work. You're just like, oh my gosh. I remember that so well for myself, because I used to be in that situation. I used to feel so dead driving to work every day, just feeling numb and just like, oh my gosh, I can't believe it's morning. What time is evening going to come so I can leave this place? In my mind, I'd just be having these conversations with people at work, with my boss, just having these conversations of how I was going to react if something happened, what I was going to do. It was just a constant barrage of negativity coming from me against other people, and against myself also. It was just such a crazy, crazy experience.
And of course you can say, yeah, why would you not leave? I couldn't leave at that point, because I just didn't think that there was an existence outside of that place. Sometimes you can be so bogged down with the things that are happening in your life that you can't even see the way forward. I could not see the way forward. I could not imagine just leaving that place, or just going to look for another job. I was just too tired, too worn out, just too exhausted. So I was in that environment, and it really affected who I was as a person.
So what I want to say is that your work environment or your personal situation may not be as bad as mine was, but just be aware that one of the qualities of a negative or toxic work environment, or even living environment, is that it has that quality of death or destruction that kind of kills the being, or the person, that you are.
The second point is this: a negative or toxic work environment can cause disease. You feel out of ease, there's a state of unease in your life. It can be physical, emotional, mental, or whatever, but you will notice that something is wrong with your body. You may notice that you're experiencing things like anxiety, or heart palpitations, or panic attacks, or even diarrhea. Your stomach starts acting up when you're at work, or at the thought of going to work, or when an authority figure in the workplace calls you, or you see a meeting going on or something going on, you start thinking you're delusional, or great fear comes upon you. Because you think something's about to go down.
Your throat chakra becomes blocked. You can't express yourself well at work. Your creativity diminishes. You start making a lot of mistakes at work. You're always in trouble; you're always being called in for whatever reason. Things just start going off. And sometimes you also can't sleep at night; you get these migraines; you're sweating profusely; you start trembling. Your hands are always like this. It's a crazy kind of experience. And because of all these things that are going on at work, which maybe you can't address, or there's no way to address at work, your sense of self-esteem really goes down, and you really feel bad about yourself.
And it's also true that these things I'm talking about may not all be caused because of your negative work environment. There could be other things that cause these kinds of symptoms. But what I'm talking about are those things that some people usually experience when they're in an environment that is not good for them. And sometimes these things that go on have nothing to do with someone's personal experience in terms of that job that they're doing. They could be great workers; they could be making good money. But because of the work environment and the culture there, a lot of these things manifest in our bodies, and people are out of ease through no fault of their own. It's the environment, baby. It's the environment.
The other way to tell if you're working in a toxic work environment is to notice in yourself whether you're feeling weaker and weaker energetically as a result of being in that space. Toxic environments weaken your energy; they weaken your confidence; they weaken your willpower; they weaken your resolve; they weaken your personal power. They shut down your solar plexus, and this means that your personal power to do things, or to take charge, or to thrive, diminishes. Your sense of self-worth, or self-esteem, or even how you see yourself, goes down, because of how you feel when you're at work. Because for me, I remember how those feelings really affected me, and thankfully I used that energy to get out of those jobs.
But then it's interesting, because even after I left the first job that really, really put me through a lot, I ended up, after swearing never ever to work in corporate America, I ended up taking up another job, and I still cannot believe, for the life of me, how much bullying I encountered in this new workplace. And at that time, I had already started doing a lot of work on myself. I was really engaged in a lot of spiritual work, doing all kinds of things to really bring myself into balance. And so when I went to the new workplace, I thought that maybe things were going to be good. But I was so shocked at how much bullying was happening in the workplace. I was shocked at the degree of this undercover bullying, man. I felt like garbage in that place. I felt like garbage. And even though I loved that job so much, and it was my dream job, it literally became a nightmare because of that toxic work environment. So just be aware that a toxic work environment weakens your energy.
The other thing is that toxic work environments can create accidents. You may have seen in the news where some toxic things happening in some workplaces ended up causing some physical accidents that hurt a lot of people. There are quite a few stories like that in the news. Anyway, energetically speaking, if we keep on working in some of these toxic environments, we might experience some accidents occurring in our life on some level. And the thing is this: for those of us who are aware, when things that we consider to be accidents happen in our lives, if we have a level of awareness, we can read the writing on the wall, or see that as a message to ourselves, that it is time to move on, or to take some type of action that will bring us back into balance. Everything speaks, and sometimes what happens is unfortunate, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. But on the other hand, some of these things happen and really cause us to try and move beyond something that was keeping us stuck in a very, very bad situation.
So that's why I think it's very important to pay attention to what's going on with us on every level, whether we're working with spiritual tools, or whether we are in a work environment, because everything matters, and everything speaks to us. I remember a time when I had a car accident, and it was just basically me driving off from work, really angry because of how the day had gone. And as usual, at that time when the accident happened to me, I just couldn't believe that it had happened to me. But those were signs that I needed to move on, and thank God I did.
And the final one is: if a work environment, or living environment, makes you feel bad, if it's a negative environment and it makes you feel terrible, then it is toxic. Simple, right? So do you work in a toxic work environment? And how do you know that it is toxic? Let me know in the comment section. I love you guys. Stay clear of toxic work environments. Until next time.