If you’re an empath or a highly sensitive person, you know the challenges of staying grounded and avoiding overwhelm when you’re around large groups of people, or in situations that you find challenging.
It is important to know that there’s a balance between protecting our energy while staying energetically engaged with the world. And that balance may look different in different situations. Sometimes, you might need just a little help filtering out other people’s stuff. Other times, you might need to really put up shields and keep everyone at a distance.
Here are a few visualization exercises to help you feel more comfortable in challenging places and situations. Once you are familiar with them, they only take a few seconds of your attention to engage.
Filtering Energy
Most of the time, a simple grounding and filter will be sufficient to get you through day-to-day challenges.
Ground First
Grounding should be your first go-to when tending to your energy. In some situations, you may find that it is all you need – especially if you’re being affected by a location, as opposed to other people.
Grounding is as simple as connecting with Earth energy. Visualize roots extending from the base of your tailbone and the soles of your feet. Exhale and extend your roots down into the Earth. On your next inhale, draw Earth energy up into your whole energetic being. Repeat for 3 – 5 breath cycles, or until you feel more stabilized.
Other grounding techniques include walking outside (barefoot, preferably), touching a tree or plant, petting an animal, and eating food grown in the Earth.
Then Filter
Plants act as natural filters for everything from water to soil to the air we breathe. Asking for their help in filtering out energetic ‘impurities’ is a natural extension of their physical-world nature.
Once you’re connected with Earth energy and grounded, visualize plants (in any way that is pleasing to you – vines, wildflowers, tree branches, etc.) extending up from the Earth to surround your energetic field fully. Hold the intention for this energy to help you filter out all heavy, negative, and/or unwanted energy, while allowing for light and love to shine through.
Shielding Your Energy
Unfortunately, there are times when filtering your energy isn’t enough, and you need to fully shield yourself for a period of time. Dealing with toxic people is an excellent example of a situation where shielding may be called for. Or being exposed to hostile energy from other people.
It is essential to ground yourself before shielding, as the intention here is to keep all other energy out. And it is important to release your shields once you no longer need them. Being energetically cut off for long periods of time has negative consequences.
Once you are grounded, visualize white or golden light extending down from the heavens to surround your energy field fully. Hold the intention that this energy will protect you from all outside energy, even that which is directed at you. Know that this light is a healthy, healing light and will keep you safe.
You can use further visualization to establish or maintain your shielding – see energy bouncing off your shield, or think of it as being slippery like a bubble.
Energy Maintenance
Maintaining a Filter or Shield
You may need to reinforce your filter or shield if you plan to keep it in place for longer than an hour or so. Many factors will determine how often you reestablish your protection. When you’re getting started, the best advice is to monitor how you feel physically and energetically, and reinforce as needed. You’ll learn your own energetic needs as you get comfortable with the process.
Reconnecting
We don’t want to stay disconnected from energy for long periods, so remember to reconnect by lowering your filter or shield once you are in a safe space. Ground yourself again after lowering your protection, and thank the Earth, universe, and/or any guides that you asked to aid your work.
If you have concerns that you may have accidentally picked up outside energy at any point, you can use Earth energy to clear your energetic field as you re-ground. Visualize the energy rising through your roots, permeating your entire energetic body, and clearing out any heavy or unwanted energy.
Looking Closer at the Energy We Put Out
One caution when talking about energy protection is that it can be used as a crutch – that we can start to rely on this, instead of looking at ourselves and the energy we are putting out into the world. Yes, there will be times when energy protection is necessary. And I believe there are ways to reduce the need for what we think of as ‘protection’.
One of the most fundamental ways to consider when and how you need protection is to examine how you approach the energetic and physical worlds. Because how you approach them determines the energy you put out, and thusly what you get back.
If you walk around believing that there is danger around every corner, you are putting out energy that is based in fear. Even if you’re walking around confidently shielded, you’re still acting out of fear. So that is part of the energy around you. And fear energy attracts lower vibration energy that likes to prey on fear.
However, when we shift out of fear-based thinking, the world opens up a little more. So, don’t go out with the mindset that you need protection to stay safe. Go out with the mindset that you kick ass, nobody can harm you, and occasionally, you need a little extra help to keep difficult energy at arm’s length.
The difference in your mindset is crucial. One puts out victim energy, the other, power energy. We want to access our power – that’s what really keeps us ‘safe’ in the long term.
Easy to do? Definitely not. Worth making an effort for? You bet. Grounding, filtering, and shielding are tools always available to us to support our power and safety. Let them be an aid, but not a crutch to your energetic empowerment.
Header image by Aditya Saxena on Unsplash
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