From Stuck to Sovereign: Escaping the Systems of Oppression That Keep Our Energy Stuck, Sick, Sad or Small
"Radical simply means ‘grasping things at the root.’"
Angela Davis
While most of today's personal development frameworks focus on individual mindset and healing tools, it’s crucial to acknowledge the systemic forces that shape our daily lives and well-being. Over many generations, complex social systems have created conditions that keep us depleted, disconnected, distracted.
Ancient Chinese wisdom teaches that harmony (Dao), balance (Yin-Yang), and the free movement of energy (Qi) are essential for a thriving life, however when we take a step back and look, society has MANY examples of the natural flow of human energy being blocked. Oppressive systems create these blockages—keeping people stuck in cycles of scarcity, fear, and disempowerment, just like cluttered or misaligned spaces disrupt ones well-being in feng shui.
Even if our home is our sanctuary, it;s hard to feel empowered in a system that is designed to exhaust and overwhelm us. To truly reclaim our energy, health, and happiness, we must dismantle the grip of these systems on our lives and create alternative pathways to joy and liberation.
"In a society where the good is defined in terms of profit rather than in terms of human need, there must always be some group of people who, through systematized oppression, can be made to feel surplus, to occupy the place of the dehumanized inferior."
Audre Lorde
The Curse of Capitalism
Money is a toxic colonizer because it infiltrates every aspect of human life, reshaping values, relationships, and even self-worth through the lens of profit and accumulation. Much like colonialism, money imposes artificial hierarchies, exploits resources—both human and natural—and disconnects people from their intrinsic, communal ways of living. It forces individuals into systems of extraction and competition, replacing reciprocity and abundance with scarcity and debt.
By dictating access to basic needs like food, shelter, and healthcare, money turns necessities into privileges, perpetuating cycles of oppression and inequality. Its influence is so pervasive that it not only controls economies but also colonizes minds, convincing people that their value is tied to financial success rather than their inherent humanity, creativity, and capacity for connection.
Remember, money is meant to flow which is why it’s called 'Currency'. Hoarding wealth is a moral failing based in fear and other low-vibrations.
How Oppressive Systems Keep Us Stuck
History has shaped how we work, live, eat, parent and rest today. However so many things we consider “normal” are actually rooted in generations of systemic oppression - colonialism, racism, slavery, and misogyny.
When we go back and look at the origins of nearly every institution, belief, behavior and expectation in our society, we see it's actually tied to the discrimination, exploitation, and silencing of a racial or gender minority:
The 40-hour workweek
Hustle and grind culture
For-profit healthcare
Corporal punishment
Food culture shaming
Sleep training
Workforce demographics for education and healthcare
Family naming traditions
Standardized testing
Workplace professionalism
Hospital births
Maternal care
Higher education
Credit & debt system
Voting
Home & student loan systems
Oppression becomes tradition when we accept societal norms without question or scrutiny. True progress requires dismantling these traditions of past and creating new ones rooted in freedom and truth.
Nearly everything we are accustomed to today was built on outdated sexist or racist systems, structures, and standards that were originally built to control, homogenize and assimilate us. Yet because they’ve been ingrained over time, we rarely question them. Instead of blindly accepting these systems and trying to fit within them, we should be asking why they exist in the first place.
The dominant culture (the cis white male) has consistently sought to erase marginalized communities' autonomy, culture, and dignity so that they can remain in power and control. If you are not a while male then the world was frankly not built with you in mind.
And of course, there is no incentive for anyone, or any system, to change, as long as it is benefiting those in power. As long as they profit there is no "problem' for them to solve.
No one is coming to save us. Corrupt politicians and corporations won’t suddenly decide to change and improve. But that doesn't mean we can't save ourselves. We will always have the upper hand as strength in numbers. We just have to consciously decide to do so, and act accordingly. Unit, mobilize, organize and demand real change.
Hustle & Grind Culture
Capitalism thrives on overwork, convincing us that our worth is tied to our productivity. This mindset fuels burnout, exhaustion, and chronic stress, leaving little time for joy, rest, or deep connection.
Patriarchy & Gender Oppression
Patriarchal structures dictate how we should look, behave, and express ourselves, often limiting opportunities and placing an emotional burden on those who do not conform. Women, non-binary, and gender-diverse individuals are expected to be caretakers while being denied full autonomy over their lives and bodies.
White Supremacy & Systemic Racism
Structural racism affects access to healthcare, housing, education, and economic opportunities, forcing marginalized communities into cycles of survival mode. The emotional toll of navigating racism daily contributes to anxiety, depression, and intergenerational trauma.
Ableism & The Devaluation of Disabled Bodies
Society often marginalizes those with chronic illnesses and disabilities, prioritizing productivity over well-being. The pressure to "push through" can lead to worsening health conditions and social isolation.
Colonialism & Cultural Erasure
The lingering effects of colonialism strip people of ancestral wisdom, language, and land, severing deep-rooted connections that once sustained holistic well-being and community care.
"We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed."
Martin Luther King Jr.
Strategies for Breaking Free & Protecting Our Well-Being
How can we decondition from the dark forces that oppress us? How can we thrive in this world designed to keep us in survival mode? How can we ensure those in power are not profiting from our pain and suffering?
These questions can feel overwhelming but it IS possible to reclaim your power with mindfulness and intention. There are individual AND collective actions we can take to inspire systemic change:
Dedicate Yourself to Lifelong Learning & Awareness
Equip yourself with knowledge about systemic issues to bring valuable insights into collective discussions and efforts. Education exposes the hidden structures of oppression, empowering individuals to challenge injustice and reclaim agency. By learning history, noticing harmful narratives, and fostering critical thinking, we disrupt cycles of inequality and create pathways to liberation.
Multiply your impact by sharing what you’ve learned with friends, family, and coworkers to inspire conversations and expand the collective understanding.
Honor Your Energy & Set Boundaries
Refuse to buy into the idea that your worth is tied to productivity. Prioritize rest and embrace slower, more intentional living.
Not everyone is willing to challenge oppressive norms. Protect your peace by setting boundaries with people, media, and workplaces that drain your energy or make you feel small.
Imagine a world where men who benefitted from patriarchy had to pay, like we do. What if women and marginalized people started charging a tax for our normally-unpaid mental and emotional labor, our energy?
Engaging in debates with those who refuse to understand
Explaining basic empathy
Giving free advice
Completing tasks and chores
Reminder: Burnout helps no one. Change happens best when we care for ourselves. Make a vow to only contribute within your capacity. This movement requires us to be rested and resilient, not exhausted.
Process Your Emotions
Seek therapy or community support to navigate feelings of eco-anxiety or grief, enabling you to show up with resilience in collective spaces.
Build and Engage in Community
Oppression thrives in isolation. Find or create spaces where you feel seen and supported. Mutual aid, collective organizing, and shared healing practices can provide strength and solidarity.
Use your time, skills, or finances to support movements, whether through volunteering, fundraising, or offering expertise.
"Oppression thrives off isolation. Connection is the only thing that can save you."
Yolo Akili
Challenge Internalized Oppression
Recognize how societal conditioning has influenced your beliefs about yourself. Unlearn the narratives that tell you you're not enough, and replace them with affirmations of your inherent worth.
Center Joy & Pleasure as Acts of Resistance
Oppressive systems want us depleted and disconnected. Finding moments of joy, creativity, and play is a radical act of self-preservation and defiance.
Shift your priorities from consumer culture toward personal and collective well-being: reduce working hours if possible, spend more time in nature, and strengthen bonds with friends and family. These actions model alternative values that challenge the consumer-driven status quo and create space for deeper participation in collective efforts.
Reclaim Ancestral & Holistic Healing Practices
Many of our ancestors had healing wisdom—herbal medicine, movement, storytelling, and communal care—that was erased or stigmatized. Reconnect with these traditions to strengthen your mind, body, and spirit.
"You cannot dismantle what you cannot see. You cannot challenge what you do not understand."
Layla F. Saad
Advocate for Systemic Change
While personal healing is essential, true liberation requires collective action. Support policies and movements that dismantle oppressive structures and advocate for equity in all aspects of life.
Envision a Better World
When so much of American history is rooted in exploitation and dehumanization, it's time to really think hard about what we are taking into our future, and why.
Another common approach is to only give energy to what you want to see more of in the world. This can border on toxic positivity or spiritual bypassing, but it is worth trying when feeling burnt out.
After all, true liberation happens when we collectively envision and create new ways of living— Instead of the toxic Patriarchy, visualize the utopian Matriarchy of your ideal future.
What does it look and feel like to live in a moneyless society where everyone’s basic needs are me?
What if we allowed people to spend their time exploring, learning, loving, creating, and simply existing?
What would it feel like to live community rooted in justice, care, cooperation?
These are all radical departures from our current economic systems, but they're not an impossible dream. It requires a fundamental shift in values, resources, and the way we think about work, contribution, and abundance.
"The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any."
Alice Walker
"Freedom is not given to us by anyone; we have to cultivate it ourselves. It is a daily practice."
Thich Nhat Hanh
Systemic Change is Fractal
Fractals are all uniform spirals that appear all around us in nature - in seashells, in snowflakes, in fiddlehead ferns. They remind us that everything cycles upwards and that every small change expands to set a pattern for the whole.
In a fractal, the pattern is the same regardless of where you look in the spiral, but the levels are different.
Social change follows a fractal pattern—what we practice in our personal lives ripples outward to influence communities and systems.
A fractal approach to power shifts from domination ("power over") to collective empowerment ("power to"), creating justice-driven relationships and institutions. Every action, conversation, and decision we make carries ripple effects, reinforcing or reshaping the systems we live within. By aligning daily choices with our values, we cultivate the world we wish to see, embodying the truth that small, intentional shifts can generate profound systemic change.
"How we are at a small scale is how we are at a large scale. What we practice at the small scale sets the patterns for the whole system. I have to use my life to leverage a shift in the system by how I am, as much as the things I do."
Adrienne Marie Brown
Liberation Is a Lifelong Journey
Breaking free from these systems is not a one-time event—it’s an ongoing practice. Every time you choose rest over hustle, community over isolation, or joy over suffering, you are actively resisting the forces designed to keep you small, sick, sad or stuck.
Frustration, grief, and exhaustion areto be expected when we consider all of this heaviness. As long as we stay committed to awareness, resistance, and change we can get through this.
By applying basic feng shui principles, we can reclaim personal and collective power, supporting liberation, healing, and agency for all. Dismantling toxic systems and releasing internalized oppression is about clearing physical and energetic clutter from our lives so that we can intentionally facilitate the movement of energy, promoting collective well-being and freedom, flow and abundance.
We have every right to imagine—and create—a world where all of us are considered, valued, and given space to exist as we are. The best part? We don’t need to wait for permission or for the system to change to create a more resilient, regenerative future. We can start NOW.
The power has always been with the people. It’s time to reclaim it. It's time to take back our energy, our health, and our happiness—not just for ourselves, but for future generations. Because a world built on collective healing, rather than individual suffering, is a world worth fighting for.
It's going to be okay not because the world will suddenly become just, but because history proves that even in the darkest times, people find ways to love, to create, to fight, and to endure. Empires have risen and crumbled, movements have been crushed and reborn, but the pulse of those who refuse to surrender to despair, to hatred, to silence— has never stopped. If you are here, breathing, bearing witness, holding onto even the smallest ember of hope, then you are part of that unbroken lineage. No single moment, no single leader, no single election is the sum of what we are or what we can be.
Frederick Joseph
Erin is a certified feng shui consultant, energy healer, wellness coach and holistic growth strategist.
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