3 (Un-Hippie Ways) to Protect Yourself from Negative Energy
Knowing how to protect yourself from negative energy is more important than ever.
Negative energy is a part of life. You’ll encounter it in people, situations and even places.
It might come across as ‘new-agey’ to talk about energy in this way, but a lot of what we know about negative energy is actually grounded in science.
From a physics perspective, energy is the ability to do work, and work is the act of displacing something by applying force. At least, that’s how Hank Green at SciShow explains it.
We’ve all experienced a change in atmosphere when someone new walks into a room. There’s a distinct shift in energy that you can’t quite explain but definitely feel.
How to Protect Yourself From Negative Energy
Protection from negative energy often involves smudging, crystals, salt baths and Feng Shui, to mention a few. They all have merit, but they can be a little too woo-woo for a lot of people.
I know my younger self would definitely have sneered at the thought of taking a match to a tightly wound bunch of dried herbs and wafting the resulting smoke around the house.
How times have changed.
Sporty and I are always open to trying new things, however ‘out there’ they may seem to us. Within reason, of course. You won’t find us sticking needles in homemade dolls or sacrificing anything.
Ew.
But, when you want to protect yourself from negative energy it helps to have a more practical approach. After all, you can’t exactly tape crystals to your whiney coworker and your boss will probably have something to say if you keep setting off the smoke alarm with your smudging stick.
If you’re skeptical about crunchy hippie stuff (or work in an uptight office), why not try these approaches for protecting yourself from negative energy.
You may get a bit of push back from your friends, family and even your colleagues, but it’s a small price to pay for placing yourself in a more positive frame of mind.
1. Go On a News Fast
Going on a regular news fast is one of the best ways to protect yourself from negative energy. There’s a lot going on right now. Bingeing on bad news won’t change that.
Saturating yourself in the news will have a negative impact on your mental and emotional wellbeing. One study found that watching a disaster replay over and over can be worse than witnessing the event in person.
Constantly exposing yourself to bad news can also make you unreasonably angry at the world. Your frustration at what’s going on will manifest in a variety of ways, such as unnecessary agruments with the people around you, breaking things you’d rather not break, road rage, etc.
Doing something you’ll regret when you’re behind the wheel can very easily end up in a call to your your local personal injury attorneys. Far better to avoid that scenario entirely by putting a cap on your news intake.
Make a point of seeking out positive stories instead. This will protect you from negative energy, remind you that there is still lots of good in the world and, of course, save you a ton in legal fees.
Deciding how to go about a news fast is up to you. Sporty and I have been on a permanent news fast for more than a decade and have no intention of changing that anytime soon.
You could start by instituting blocks of news-free time, so that you’re not in a constant loop of doomscrolling. One way is to start your day with a no phone morning routine. Another is to remove the TV (and all other devices) from the bedroom.
Inching the news out in favour of more positive activites will have a profoundly positive impact on your overall health, wellbeing and happiness. The results from consuming less news are almost instantaneous.
And don’t fret about not being in the loop. If it’s important you’ll hear about it, trust me. Sporty and I have yet to be caught offguard by something when it really matters.
You also need to take into account that you don’t need to know about every single event taking place in the world. Watching the same distressing footage replay over and over won’t change the situation.
If you hear of a disaster and there’s a way for you to help (donate money, etc.) do that. Then, turn off the TV or close the app and offer your thoughts and prayers instead.
Going on regular news fasts is by far one of the easiest ways to protect yourself from negative energy. It’ll feel counterintuitve if you’re inclined to consume a lot of news, but give it a try anyway and see for yourself.
Need a little more persuading? Take a look at this TED talk by Rolf Dobelli, in which he offers four reasons you should stop watching the news. (I mean, if there’s a TED talk on the subject…)
2. Volunteer (Make Yourself Useful)
Dan Buettner—author of The Blue Zones of Happiness —is a big fan of community service. According to his research, people who volunteer are healthier and happier.
Being of service reminds you how much you have to be grateful for. But more than that, it leaves you with a sense of accomplishment.
It doesn’t matter how small, you know you’ve made a difference. You didn’t sit on the couch and bemoan the state of the world, you went out and did something to make it a better place.
3. Ruthlessly Edit Your Social Circle
According to Nicholas Christakis, a physician and sociologist at Harvard University, happiness is contagious. He reckons it can spread from person to person like the flu, only with a more favorable outcome.
The opposite is also true. Things like obesity and smoking are just as socially infectious. Hanging around with people who bring you down doesn’t serve you. All you’re doing is exposing yourself to their negative energy.
How you edit your social circle will differ from person to person.
You can break up with a friend or find ways to cope with rudeness in the workplace, but how do you deal with a family member or spouse? You can’t avoid them, nor do you want to.
Try explaining to them that their negativity is affecting you and see if there is a way to help them be more positive. They could be dealing with a problem you don’t know about it. Talking about it might shift their perspective and, as a result, their energy, too.
However you do it, try and find a way to spend time with positive people who uplift you, and make sure you do the same for them. If you feel yourself sending out negative energy, remember that mood follows action.
Don’t wait to feel better, look for ways to be happier now. Make sleep a priority, do some volunteer work and spend time in nature. Sitting by yourself in a field of dandelions can be wonderfully restorative.
Photo by Daria Rem and RODNAE Productions from Pexels
