Ah, finally I am learning what Duck Energy is. For the empath, duck energy is essential–the key to sanity. Duck energy represents detaching from others’ stuff; observing without carrying. I feel as if I’ve been in a fish bowl experiment lately  with my newly-teen daughter home from school for two weeks. Girls at this age are reactive at best. I told my husband, it is like she has PMS 24/7, which can’t be the easiest thing to have. My immediate response to anger is anger, so using duck energy has been my tool. Perhaps she is simply bringing up my control issues.
When I watch her do absolutely nothing a few days straight, I want to step in and offer suggestions, help, anything. But I finally learned this act did nothing but aggravate her more. Let it go, I kept hearing. But as a parent, isn’t it our jobs to make sure our girls grow up to be happy, well-adjusted adults? Let it go. Where’s her passion? Her joy? Her excitement? Let it go. Just swim along in the sea and don’t get lost in others’ floods. They are swimming along too, the best they can. You can’t go to school for someone else, can you? Let it go.