Everyone is sensitive to energies, yet there is a spectrum where each person’s sensitivity falls on.
What do I mean by being sensitive to energies?
For example, have you been into a room full of people (maybe a meeting), and you can pick up the vibes of the room quickly? Perhaps you can feel everyone is very serious, or the space feels light and everyone is having fun?
Perhaps you have met a friend who doesn’t need to tell you anything but you can tell that he/she feels sad. Instinctively you may want to place a hand on their shoulder or give them a hug before you ask them how they are doing.
Perhaps you have been into a space where you feel immediately relaxed, or quite the opposite, a bit creepy but you don’t know why?
That’s what I mean by being sensitive to energies. We all can pick up energies from the environment we are in, and also from other people.
For empaths and highly sensitive people who are naturally gifted in feeling more deeply than others, it can be overwhelming and even physically painful to take on the energies from outside without realizing.
So how do you know if you have picked up energies from other people?
Here are some common signs that you may be carrying energies of other people after interacting with them:
- You feel tired and drained afterwards
- You feel a physical discomfort or pain somewhere in the body but you know you’re not sick (or it comes on for no reason)
- You feel tingly in your hands like you have touched something dirty and want to wash your hands
- Your mind keeps on thinking about what happened during the interaction or the conversation with the other person even though you don’t want to think about it anymore
I know these because I’ve been there. In the past I wasn’t aware of how sensitive I was to other people’s energies. As I started to learn and practice Reiki many years ago, I unknowingly picked up energies from others and ended up making myself sick. Now I know that I must ground and recenter myself beforehand and to clear the energies afterwards to keep myself protected.
In today’s blog I want to share with you 3 simple ways of how we can clear our energy field, so we don’t need to carry energies that do not belong to us.
Before we delve in, I want to make it clear that it is not our mistake nor other people’s fault that we carry unwanted energies. No one is here to o blame including ourselves, and it doesn’t mean the outside world is a dangerous place.
Sometimes being highly sensitive can make us feel like the world is a scary place and it’s best to stay alone so we don’t need to interact with other people.
But human beings are born to connect with others in a community. I truly believe that meaning is found when we are open to connect on a heart-to-heart level. If we shut down the world to avoid “bad” or “negative” energies, we are also shutting down ourselves to receive the beautiful blessings and abundance that are flowing towards us.
These tips are applicable to everyone, yet those who are highly sensitive may feel the effects more strongly.
Before you begin trying any of the below tips, the most important aspect of clearing your energy field is to start by setting your intention.
Before you take any action, in your heart and mind you can tell yourself silently that you are now clearing your energy field and releasing any energy that does not belong to you or serve you.
Keep this intention in mind as you continue with the following actions.
Smudging means burning sacred herbs and using the smoke of these sacred herbs to help cleanse your energy field.
Popular sacred herbs for smudging include white sage and palo santo, however these plants are now being overharvested and endangered due to the increasing consumer demand all around the world.
It is more sustainable for the planet if you can use any local herbs or dried herbs that are considered sacred in your region and that are not endangered for smudging purposes.
You can tie the herbs into a bundle, and make sure wherever you are burning, the space is well ventilated. Sweep your energy field with the smoke of the herbs, while imagining the smoke clearing any energies that do not belong to you or serve you.
You can also do the same thing with the space that you are in. Sweep each corner of the room with the smoke of the herbs while keeping a door or window open, and imagine the smoke is sending the stagnant energies away to outside.
2. Soak in a warm salt bath
Another great way to clear your energy field is to soak in a salt bath, either with the whole body or just the feet. Salt has such great detoxifying effects both physically and energetically for the body.
It would be great if you can use Epsom salt or Himalayan crystal salt, but any bath salt would work too. Add some essential oil if you like.
Remember your intention is more important than the action itself. The intention serves as a fuel for your act to make the cleansing effect more powerful.
As you soak in the warm salt bath, allow yourself to take a few deep breaths and relax. Let the salt does its magic – and know that the salt will help to melt any stagnant energies away.
When you are finished, thank the water and the salt for cleansing your energy as you release the water.
3. Wash your hands with intention
Sometimes we are on the go and it is not possible to smudge or soak in a salt bath when we’re outside. A very simple yet effective way to clear your energy field is to wash your hands with the intention of washing away energies that do not belong to you.
This is a standard practice for me every time after I finish facilitating a private session, group classes or retreat workshops. I like to wash my hands with soap all the way up to my elbows, with the intention that this act will help me wash away any energies that are not mine, and that I stop sensing and picking up the energies of others for now so I can go back to my own life.
You can imagine the running water as a golden white light that will clear the energies of your hands and visualize this golden white light moving up your arms to cleanse the energy field of your entire body.
You can also imagine transporting the physical feeling of washing your hands to a cleansing sensation to the entire body.
You can also say it out loud to yourself that this water is here to cleanse your energy and trust that the water is doing its magic.
Conclusion
Think about the mess that happens after cooking or an art class, and how important it is to clean up afterwards.
Clearing our energy field is the same as cleaning up. And just like we would shower every day for hygiene purposes, we also need to clear our energy field regularly for energetic hygiene.
Sometimes you may have practiced any of the above, or other methods to clear your energy field, and you still feel like it’s not enough. You may still feel tired and drained afterwards, or worse – feel any pain or get sick.
I believe that sometimes this happens is because there is something to learn. It’s not because we haven’t done a good-enough job. It is all a learning curve. The discomfort that arises will teach us how we can better protect our energy next time.
If I haven’t been sick before from picking up energies from others unknowingly, I wouldn’t have been able to write this blog and share these tips with you.
If you feel like you have “failed” in clearing your energy field, remember to be kind to yourself. Remember that we are all student of life. No one is perfect. Even the most skilled master chefs can mess up sometimes.
Have you tried any of the above tips to help clear your energy field before? Do you feel a difference before and after?
Feel free to share with me here, I’d love to hear from you.
References:
- Online Article: Paige Pichler, “The Unsustainable Truth Behind Burning White Sage and Palo Santo”, Eco-Age, January 28 2020, accessed February 27 2023, https://eco-age.com/resources/burning-white-sage-and-palo-santo-unsustainable/
