I was talking with a friend about how often we hear people say, “I don’t like being around people with negative energy. They don’t make me feel good.” And that is truly understandable. But sometimes we can be confused on what “negative” energy really is. What gives you “positive” energy or life energy?
Life is about living. When we are alive and well, we have strong life energy. When this is depleted, we leave our physical body.
Our life energy is a reflection on our daily life. It’s good to have an abundance of it. But, as we all have experienced, life isn’t always stable, consistent or predictable. You just never know what it throws at you. Similarly, your life energy has it’s ups and downs too.
This is just my story of life energy. To be honest, I was contemplating if I should share this. Sometimes too much sharing is not good. But on the other hand, I figured if this could help someone who was in a similar situation, it’s worth sharing. So please understand.
I am always amazed at how my life keeps changing and wandering down different paths. So, now I expect the unexpected. When I moved to the Pacific Northwest, coming from a desert country where everything is sand and beige, I was feeling good to be around tall evergreens, mountains, and fresh air. But, what I wasn’t expecting were the gray skies and rain, rain, and more rain. As my husband kept telling me, “uh, it’s green for a reason…..” Yes, the rain here is not like tropical rain, where the skies dump water. Then it clears, the sun comes out and if we’re lucky we get to enjoy the rainbows. Being from Hawaii and living in Singapore, that’s what I was accustomed to. But the rain here is more like a constant drizzle. Dragging on and on. And it lasts close to nine months. Aiya!
Initially, I was so busy trying to settle in Seattle, I had no time to think about these things. Actually, the rain was just a bother. But as the years crept by, I realized I wasn’t feeling right. I remember calling my sister and telling her, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but something’s not right. I don’t feel like myself.” My life energy was so low.
When you have family, you keep going because you need to. Little did I realize, how I was changing. Outwardly, I was functioning, but inside I felt confused, frustrated, and unhappy, but couldn’t figure out why.
Honestly, I know I am so blessed. I have a loving family, supportive parents, and everything I could ask for. What was wrong with me? Why was I feeling this way. My feelings weren’t justified. That made me feel even worse.
Then one day, I was talking with my sister in Hawaii, and she told me a friend of hers who lived in Seattle, decided to move back to Hawaii because she couldn’t handle the weather. It was making her depressed. Then a light bulb went off. “oh, maybe I’m depressed!” You may laugh, but it’s the truth. You see, depression doesn’t seem to run in my family. We have a lot of other issues, but I don’t know much about depression. I heard a lot about SAD – seasonal affective disorder – which is a seasonal depression caused by a lack of sunlight. I just didn’t think that was my problem. I was so happy that it could be the source of my ‘depression’ and that there was a way to help myself.
So, over the years, since I’ve been aware of SAD, I try to get as much sunlight as possible and I bought a little blue light to help me in the darker months. My spirits improves with this. How does all this relate to life energy? Well, you see I thought I was full of “negative” energy. But I was wrong. It wasn’t negative energy, it was low life energy. In general, I think I’m a fairly positive person and quite optimistic. I’ve come to realize that many suffering from low energy need to first identify and be aware of their symptoms. Then they need to find a way to raise their energy level. So, sometimes when you think people have negative energy, please think again. Don’t confuse negative energy with low energy. There is a big difference. You can help those with low energy. Do spend time with them to help raise their energy. They are not negative and need to be heard and understood. Through my experience here are some ways you can help yourself and others.
- Sunlight or light therapy. The sun is the source of energy. Just by observing plants, we know that we all crave sun. Those who live in places with limited sunlight do need to find other sources – I use a blue light. There are a variety of light therapy boxes available. Find one that suits your needs.
- Diet: Know your body. We are all affected by foods in different ways. Experiment with your own body and record your food intake and how you feel. It’s really trial and error. I am able to eat almost anything, but in moderation. Asians in general are lactose intolerant – so dairy is a no, no. Also, because we consume a lot of soy beans in the form of tofu and miso from birth, many become allergic to it later in life. Also, MSG is a common problem for allergies.
- Drinks: How do you react to coffee? tea? alcohol? How does it affect your energy level. It’s good to be aware.
- Exercise: We all know that exercise does us good. It doesn’t mean you have to go to the gym everyday. Just keep active doing every day chores, or walk your dog, go work in the yard, ride a bike to work. Try to weave work into your daily routine, just like brushing your teeth.
- Meditate: Meditation does not have to be done sitting on the floor in a lotus position. Just close your eyes, anytime of the day. Take deep breaths from your stomach and relax your shoulders to release tension. Relax your jaw. While breathing, imagine pushing all your stress and negative energy into the ground, cleansing your body. You will feel refreshed.
- Rub your body: We all need the sense of touch. Rub your body all over with the palms of your hands. Rub your hands together, then wash your face and rub your arms, legs, torso, back, stomach and all over. It’s invigorating.
- Take vitamin D3: Recently, I started taking vitamin D3 for my skin, because they say that when using sunscreen your skin can’t absorb vitamin D. Many of us lack this vitamin. Apparently, it has to be D3 not any vitamin D. This is also known as the ‘happy’ vitamin and I just found out it helps with hair loss. Don’t have proof yet.
- Get outside: Take walks, be with nature – that’s a form of therapy.
- Socialize: I know it’s really hard to socialize when you aren’t feeling up to it. But sometimes it’s good to be with other people. As they say in feng shui, life brings life. Being with people, pets and plants are always healing and energizing.
Most importantly, ask yourself, “what gives me energy?” Then you will find your personal answer to raising your life energy!
Photo: Pixabay
