basic steps for managing your personal energy for coping each day
These days it has become quite fashionable to say “I am an empath”. Everyone wants to be one, but not everyone is born one.
True empaths often think that being an empath is a curse, because being bombarded on a continual basis with energetic information about one’s environment or surroundings can be overwhelming at the best of times. If one takes into consideration that empaths sometimes have difficulty in distinguishing between their own emotions and those they feel from others, it is easy to understand why so many empaths struggle with anxiety and other conditions. It takes knowledge and education, time and effort to master their personal energetic health.
As I mentioned above, not all sensitives are empaths, but some people are sensitive, or empathic towards others. There is a difference. Not all empaths are the same, and as a result empaths can be divided into different categories. These categories exists so empaths can understand what type of empathic energy they have and how to take care of their energetic needs.
Some, when learning that they are an empath, put themselves in a category above others. They fall into the trap of thinking that they are better than others. The same goes for earth angels, indigos, light warriors, wisdom carriers, witches and healers, elementals, paladins and so on.
This is especially so in the case of someone who only after hearing they may fall into one of these categories, awakens onto a path of spirituality. They might put themselves into a category of ‘specialness’. Do not fall into such a trap.
This sense of superiority could arise because such souls will almost always have the sense that they have a greater purpose when they are still young. They might feel incomplete or without purpose until they find out that they do indeed have purpose, and that they belong to a minority group of souls that have come to earth at this time to help with the ascension process by raising the vibration.
Spirit cannot grow from a perspective of ego. To be a lightworker, empath, or a member of any of the above mentioned groups means a life of service, not only to our Creator but also to our fellow humans.
Empaths are born, but trauma can create even stronger empathic abilities in children. It has long been known in organizations of mind control and human programming (MK Ultra/MK Naomi and such) that trauma is a most effective teacher. Such organizations expose children to inhumane forms of torturous traumatic circumstances to strengthen already existing gifts or abilities in them. Trauma is even used in controlling and programming soldiers to a certain extent. The idea that trauma amplifies abilities already present in humans is no secret.
In that light, we might understand better that empaths – the most sensitive group of people ever born on earth, further develop their gifts in the face of trauma and adversity. For instance, an empathic child who experiences excessive physical punishment on a regular basis, will incorporate all of the senses in an almost supernatural way. They become hyper alert to the most minute mood changes or atmospheric change around them so they can get away from an abusive teacher, parent or care giver. The idea of going through another beating, or another humiliating situation where physical punishment is used on them will drive a highly sensitive child to be most alert. They learn to predict as well as read changes in energy, environment and atmosphere. Such children learn to always be alert to what is going on around them.
To an empath this is a recipe for empathic overload. Anxiety and other conditions will be a way of life for them and that in turn might push them into using medication to manage their condition(s). Any empath caught in the cycle of perpetual overload might result in a break down.
What can empaths (and other sensitives) do to manage their energy?
The very first thing any empath has to do is have a regular practice of managing their energy. The important first step into a direction of better energetic health is centering. Empaths are used to live outside of their personal bubble. This means they are forever drawing into themselves input and impulses from outside of themselves. It is of utmost importance for any empath to stay within their personal space and stop living outside of it. This will greatly affect the amount of stimuli coming in from outside of the self, which in turn will have an effect on how healthy or unhealthy an empath is on the energetic level.
When we focus our attention within ourselves, we are no longer experiencing life from outside of our bubble. When an empath is alert and conscious to their own bodies they can better read energy from outside of them as it is presented, and make better judgements on how to proceed in any given situation. An empath living outside of their personal space is an empath without power. You need to learn to master centering if you want to be a functioning, healthy empath.
Step one – Centering
Sit quietly with eyes closed and spine straight. Become aware of your breathing; focus on rhythmically breathing in and out. Take one slow breath in through the nose, hold that for five seconds and exhale – again, through the nose. Expel all of the air in your lungs with a slow and deliberate out breath.
Repeat this breathing technique five times while staying conscious of your breathing and concentrating on that only. Some people like to do ten nose breathings for this exercise. See what works best for you in each situation, as they present themselves.
Tip: If you feel especially anxious or overburdened, you could hold either a red or a black crystal in each hand while doing your centering. Black or red crystals anchor energy, in other words, they are grounding crystals.
Centering can be done anywhere. You don’t have to be in a meditation room to practice it. You can walk barefoot on the grass for a few seconds, then sit down and do this exercise. Sit next to a tree if you want to. Just make sure that you are safe first, wherever you choose to do your centering.
Step two – Grounding
Multiple ways of grounding is available to us, and each person should decide for themselves which one, or which combination they choose to incorporate into their routine.
Grounding stones
Generally any Root chakra stones can be used to ground. The colors are black, gray and red. Hold one crystal stone in each hand for a few minutes. If you don’t have crystals, use coarse sea salt instead.
There are many Root Chakra stones out there, be sure to check their attributes before you use them. Scroll to the bottom of this article for photos with names of grounding stones.
Grounding Visualization
One of the best ways to develop and strengthen the aura is to be grounded. This exercise should be done in the morning, or whenever you feel out-of-sorts:
- Stand barefoot on the grass, or as close as possible to a garden area. Imagine Roots growing out from the soles of your feet. These roots grow ever deeper into the soil, gently, gently, until it reaches deep with-in Mother Earth.
- Deep inside Mother Earth visualize a large crystal matrix; gently envelop your roots around the crystals. You silently acknowledge Mother Earth, and thank her for all her wonderful gifts and the life she brings. You feel a surge of energy shooting up into your roots, coming from Mother Earth. You gracefully accept this wonderful gift she is bestowing onto you and you follow the energy in your mind’s eye; tracking it while it goes up, up towards your feet. From there the energy fills up your legs and then the root chakra.
- You follow the energy from there into your sacral chakra and all the organs in that area; you follow the energy into your solar plexus and the surrounding organs, into your heart and ever upward – into your throat – filling your entire body with this energy. You now sense the energy entering your head and brow chakra, then your crown chakra. When it reaches the top of your head, it shoots out in a big column of light, ever upward towards the Milky Way.
- As you follow the energy into the Milky Way, you connect with the Source of all. You feel a gulf of love flowing into you from the top of your head. You feel your entire head fill up with love in the form of white light, then your brow and your neck area flooding your chakras with light as it goes down into your heart chakra.
- As the stream of energy from Mother Earth mixes with the stream of love from the cosmos, you are grounded and connected, and ready for your day.
Step three – Shielding
Visualization: Forming a cocoon of light around the body
After the grounding exercise do three nose breathings; inhale through the nose and exhale through the nose as well. Now imagine that every time you inhale your lungs are filled with a pure white light. Use your intention to make a perfectly safe and protective bubble or cocoon around you.
As you exhale imagine the light forming a protective bubble or cocoon around your body. As the light fills your bubble you notice the color changing into a beautiful soft blue, becoming ever denser the more your bubble fills up with light. You see your bubble or cocoon filling up all around you – on top, at the bottom, left of you, right of you, in front of you and also behind you.
When your bubble or cocoon is completely filled with blue light, use your intention to harden the sides of the bubble or cocoon as extra protection. It should last around four hours before you will have to use another method to shield yourself, or repeat this method of shielding.
Tip: If you do the basics of Centering, Grounding and Shielding each day, you will find that it becomes easier for you to understand your energetic limitations and to know immediately when you are experiencing something from outside of yourself – and when it is something from within yourself.