Open Centers in Human Design: Where You're Taking On Everyone Else's Stuff
Have you ever left a conversation feeling completely drained, even though nothing particularly intense happened?
Or found yourself unable to stop thinking about a problem that isn't even yours to solve?
Or pushed yourself to keep working long past the point of exhaustion, wondering why you can't seem to pace yourself like other people do?
What if I told you that most of what you're experiencing isn't actually coming from you at all?
What You Need to Know About Open Centers
In Human Design, you have 9 energy centers. Some are defined (colored in on your chart). Some are open (white on your chart).
The defined centers are your consistent energy. You have reliable access to that. It's yours.
The open centers are where you take in and amplify the energy of everyone around you.
Think of your open centers like a radio antenna. You're constantly picking up signals from other people. Then you're turning up the volume. Everyone else in the room is experiencing their emotion or mental pressure at a 6. You've cranked it up to a 10.
And most of the time, you have no idea you're doing it.
The Hidden Cost of Not Knowing Your Open Centers
When you don't know which of your centers are open, you make decisions based on energy that isn't yours.
This shows up in specific ways:
You confuse other people's emotions for your own. You think you're angry when really you're picking up on someone else's frustration. You make decisions from that borrowed anger that you wouldn't make otherwise.
You burn out from borrowed work energy. If you have an open Sacral, you push and push until you crash because you're amplifying the work energy of the people around you. You were never designed to sustain that pace.
You overthink yourself into paralysis. With an open Head or Ajna, you borrow mental pressure from others. Suddenly you can't stop analyzing every angle. You think you're being thorough. You're actually taking on someone else's busy mind.
You judge yourself for feelings that aren't even real. You assume something is wrong with you. That you're too sensitive, too anxious, too much. When really, you're just highly attuned to the people around you.
And the biggest cost? You wonder why you feel off all the time. Why things aren't working out the way you want them to. Why you can't seem to trust your own judgment.
It's because you're making choices from borrowed energy.
Why This Matters More Than You Think
Your open centers aren't weaknesses.
They're actually your wisdom centers.
You've done so much work in those areas. You've been aware of them your whole life, even if you didn't have the language for it. You've had to figure out what's yours and what belongs to other people.
That process makes you wise.
When you know the difference between your energy and borrowed energy, your open centers become your superpower. You become incredibly perceptive. You can read a room instantly. You know what people need before they say it.
But first, you have to stop mistaking their energy for yours.
How Open Centers Work
Let me give you an example of how this plays out in real life:
Open Solar Plexus: The Emotional Amplifier
Picture this: You're at a family gathering. The house is full of people. Everyone's smiling, talking, seemingly having a good time.
But you feel uneasy. Tense. There's a knot in your stomach. You keep replaying conversations in your head, wondering if you said something wrong.
Everyone else looks fine. So clearly, something is wrong with you, right?
You're not the problem.
You've tapped into the emotional undercurrent in the room. Maybe there's unresolved tension between two family members. Maybe someone just got difficult news and is putting on a brave face. Maybe the host is stressed about getting dinner on the table.
Your open Solar Plexus picked up on all of that and magnified it in your own body.
"Those are not your emotions that you're feeling. You've actually tapped into the tension and the energy of the other people in the room. And because your center is open, you are actually magnifying that energy."
The Pattern That Keeps You Stuck
With open centers, the pattern is always the same:
You take in energy from others. You amplify it. You feel it intensely. You assume it's yours.
Then you make decisions based on that borrowed energy. You make judgments. You take action.
Later, you wonder why you feel off. Why things didn't work out the way you expected.
It's because you were operating from energy that was never yours to begin with.
Try This: The "Is This Mine?" Practice
This week, I want you to do something simple but powerful.
When you notice a strong emotion or sensation, pause.
Ask yourself: "Is this mine?"
Just ask the question. Don't try to figure it out intellectually. Just notice what happens in your body when you ask.
If the feeling lifts, if it softens or dissipates, it wasn't yours to begin with.
Now you know what it feels like to carry borrowed energy. Now you can start to recognize it in real time.
You don't need to fix other people's energy. You don't need to help them calm down or regulate themselves.
What you need to focus on is recognizing what's actually yours. Clarifying the difference. Stopping the pattern of mistaking borrowed energy for your own.
What to Expect When You Start This Practice
When you begin paying attention to your open centers, several things will happen:
You'll be surprised by how much isn't yours. That anxiety you thought was your personality turns out to be borrowed. That mental pressure you thought was just how your brain works is actually amplified from someone else.
You'll feel lighter. When you stop carrying everyone else's energy, you have more space for your own clarity and wisdom to emerge.
You might feel exposed or vulnerable. When you release borrowed energy, you come face to face with what's actually yours. Sometimes that's uncomfortable. That discomfort is growth.
You'll make better decisions. When you're not operating from borrowed emotions or mental pressure, you can access your own authority. Your own inner knowing.
You'll understand yourself differently. You're not too sensitive. You're not broken. You're just highly attuned. Once you know how to work with that, it becomes your greatest strength.
Honoring Your Open Centers
"When you know the difference between what's yours and what you're borrowing from others, it becomes your superpower, your special skill."
Your open centers are where you've done the most work. Where you've been most conditioned. Where you've struggled the most to understand yourself.
But they're also where you become wise.
When you learn to distinguish your energy from everyone else's, you develop a level of perception that most people never access. You can read situations accurately. You can guide others effectively. You can trust yourself completely.
That's not a weakness. That's wisdom.
Try This: Practice Recognizing What's Yours
This is my invitation to you:
Stop assuming every feeling, every thought, every impulse is yours.
Start asking: "Is this mine?"
It takes practice because you've been carrying other people's energy for so long, you think it's who you are.
But each time you ask the question, you're building your capacity to discern. To know yourself. To operate from your own authority instead of borrowed energy.
You're learning that being highly attuned isn't a burden. It's a gift.
But only when you know how to use it.
What's Next?
If this resonates with you and you're ready to understand exactly which of your centers are open and how they're affecting your decisions, your energy, and your business, here's how I can help:
Run your free chart: Get your Essential Energy Blueprint to learn more about your Human Design and your open centers.
Book a Discovery Call: Let's talk about how your unique Human Design can help you stop operating from borrowed energy and start trusting your own authority.
About the Author:
Matalya Onuoha is a Human Design Strategist and Clarity-to-Prosperity Guide for Women & Teams. She helps women transform confusion into clarity and purpose into prosperity using Human Design, NLP, and somatic techniques. Host of the Worthy of Wealth podcast.
