Protecting Your Energy through Times of Stress and Turmoil
As I write this, we’re in the midst of global upheaval as the pandemic has created a different world than the one we’re used to. We’re all still adjusting to the “new norm” and an uncertain future as horrific racial injustice has sparked outrage across the US adding more fuel to the raging fire. The anger, rage, sadness, anxiety and fear are palpable. These situations have brought out the best in us as we’ve pulled together in love and support, and the worst in us as it has further divided us in differing opinions, harsh judgments, intolerance and hate.
This is not meant as a political post but as a way to help protect your energy from the heaviness most of us are feeling. My heart, love and prayers go out to everyone who is suffering through these trying times, and to the planet as a whole. I pray we can collectively stay out of fear and hatred and direct our anger as a catalyst for necessary, but peaceful change. It’s a time of major transition and awakening on a global scale, which can be painful and scary but a much-needed initiation into a higher way of being.
The good news is, the higher we keep our vibration, the less we’re negatively affected by these energies. For those of us on higher consciousness levels it will assist in a spiritual transition if we allow the old lower level stories and beliefs to drop away. It’s important now to make a conscious choice to stay in a state of love, kindness and compassion as much as possible and to process through feelings of fear, judgment and negativity. If you don’t have a daily spiritual practice, now is a good time to start. Here are some ways to ground and shield your energy, especially if you tend to be empathic and deeply feel the energies around you.
1. Deep breathing: Most of us tend to be shallow breathers which activates the sympathetic nervous system, keeping us perpetually in “fight, flight or freeze”. Not only does this keep us stressed and anxious, it overworks our adrenals, prevents other important body functions, such as digestion and nutrient assimilation, and our immune system plummets. There’s a reason they call stress the silent killer. It wreaks havoc on our health.
Deep breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system which signals the body to rest, repair and digest. This is the state we’re supposed to be in unless there’s immediate danger. Fill your lungs fully and slowly through the nose to the count of 4, hold for 4, exhale completely through the mouth to the count of 8, purging your lungs of stale oxygen. Repeat 3 times and continue deep breathing for several minutes. This is especially important now for those of us wearing masks for any length of time. Masks restrict oxygen flow.
2. Mantras: Add a mantra to your breathing. Say to yourself on the inhale, “Breathing in peace… breathing in love… breathing in light.” On the exhale say, “Releasing all stress… worry… anxiety.” Use the words that apply to you. Once I feel more grounded, I switch to “I am love, I am light, I am peace.” There’s something very powerful about using “I am” statements. You embody and become it.
For empathic and highly sensitive people sometimes it’s hard to differentiate our own energy from that around us. Inhale and say, “If it’s mine let it stay,” exhale, “if it’s not let it go.” Repeat at least 3 times or more as needed to shift the energy.
3. Meditation, visualization and prayer: Many people think they can’t meditate because they can’t clear their mind, but that’s not necessarily the goal. There are several ways to meditate. It’s about observing the thoughts and learning to direct it. Start by deep breathing as described above. I use my meditation time as a prayer, calling on God and Divine assistance. Guided meditations and visualizations are helpful if you’re inexperienced or feeling scattered. There are thousands to choose from on YouTube.
4. Divine assistance: There is so much help and guidance from the spiritual realms, but because we have our own free agency, divine beings can’t step in without our asking. You can call on God, the Universe, Angels, Archangels, Spirit Guides, Ascended Masters (Jesus, Buddha, etc.) or even a loved one that has passed on. Whether you’re religious or not doesn’t matter. We’re all spiritual beings and have plenty of help available to us anytime we ask.
5. Shielding: As a very empathic energy healer, it’s easy for me to take on other people’s energy which can cause headaches or feeling anxious and “off.” I use this technique before working with clients. Visualize a bubble of white light surrounding you, shielding and protecting your energy. Call on Archangel Michael for assistance.
When around someone negative or directing bad vibes towards you, visualize a mirror reflecting it back to them or roses that transmutes the negativity. Roses represent love. I use this often and it helps!
6. Grounding with the Earth and Sun: Getting out in nature is one of the best things you can do. Physical contact with the earth, minerals, trees and natural bodies of water grounds and balances your energy. Bare feet on the earth, sun on your skin, lay on the grass and look up at the sky, hug a tree, breathe in clean oxygen and healing negative ions from the trees, and swim in a lake or ocean.
7. Crystals, essential oils and water: Black tourmaline is a great protective and grounding stone, and rose quartz helps with the heart chakra; both are helpful during stressful times. There are so many others that are beneficial so use your intuition and see how it feels. Carry crystals and minerals with you, use them during meditation and in/around your bath. Read more on crystals in my post here.
As mentioned above, getting in natural bodies of water are ideal. Or take baths using 2 cups of Epsom salt. I add clear and rose quartz to the water and put black tourmaline, selenite and others I’m drawn to on the corners of the tub (some should not be submerged in water). You can also add a few drops of essential oils.
There are so many essential oils that are beneficial. I love lavender, clary sage and frankincense together for calming and meditation. Generally, pine and woodsy EOs are great for root chakra/grounding; peppermint, tea tree and eucalyptus are good for lungs/grief, flowers such as lavender, Roman chamomile and rose are calming/heart chakra; and sweet orange, citrus blends and vanilla elevate mood. You can diffuse them or use topically mixing with a carrier oil first. A little research and intuition can give you more guidance.
8. Food, herbs, music and environment: To stay on higher vibrations it’s important to eat high vibe foods. Avoid alcohol, drugs, sugar, processed and fatty foods, and excessive caffeine. Stay hydrated, increase veggies and fruits and drink herbal teas. I like to harness the power of the sun and make sun teas in the summer and serve over ice. Good options for heart chakra (grief/sadness) are hawthorn, hibiscus and rose; a few calming herbs are lavender, chamomile, lemon balm, peppermint, passionflower and tulsi.
Your environment has a huge impact on mood and your vibrational state. Try calming and uplifting music and feel-good movies, keep clutter cleared from your home and workspace, surround yourself with positive and supportive people and unplug often from news and social media.
9. Gratitude and service to others: There are thousands of bits of information coming at us every second and our brain can’t possibly process it all, so it filters it by what it thinks is most important. Our brain is programmed for survival so it searches for danger by default. Unfortunately, that’s what keeps us stressed and anxious, especially when we’re constantly being bombarded with negativity in the media. We have to make a conscious effort to redirect our focus on gratitude, kindness and compassion rather than getting caught up in hate, blame and vitriol. You can make a stand, support a cause and create positive change from a place of love and compassion, which has exponentially more power than hate and blame which uses force and is not sustainable.
Start a gratitude journal, volunteer your time and give from your heart. Stop the negative thought loops by reframing your thoughts. For example, instead of “Why is this happening?” try “What can I learn from this? How can I help?”
10. Allow feelings and connect with your body: It’s perfectly okay to feel scared, anxiety, grief, shame and anger with what’s going on in the world. Open up and allow the feelings to flow through you. Cry a river of tears. There’s power in being in a state of allowing rather than resistance, which is like holding a lid on a pressure cooker. Be the watcher of your thoughts and feelings but stay present in your body. Feelings are a vibration that cause physical sensations; notice and describe them. We are often so disconnected and dissociated from our body as a defense from past trauma, but we have to connect to it in order to process through feelings so they don’t continue to hurt us. Be gentle with yourself. Read my post here on Dealing with Feelings.
11. Movement: There are many proven benefits of yoga that incorporates breathing, mindfulness, connecting to your body and allowing the flow of energy. Any form of exercise is beneficial in moving stagnant energy and increasing oxygen levels, endorphins and “feel-good” chemicals in the brain.
The recent events have definitely shaken me. I’ve been grateful to have these techniques and I hope they help you as well. If you need help, please reach out for a free consultation.
My mission is to do my part in bringing love and healing to the world to the best of my ability. I pray for a world free of all discrimination, injustice, hate and division. To see a world filled with love and support for all our brothers and sisters, to stand together in unity and peace, and to see the planet healed as a whole. I ask you to join me in holding love and healing light.
