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We’ve all been there. We can be going about our day, minding our own business, aligned in our own flow of positive energy, when we are confronted with someone whose negative energy is so strong and pervasive—you can literally feel it like it’s a tangible layer of heaviness or ickiness on you.
Maybe it’s your co-worker who comes to the office with an aura of exhaustion and apathy, or maybe it’s an old college acquaintance you run into on the train who still seems to be simmering on something that happened between you years ago. Maybe it’s your partner, at home, unwilling to share what’s on their mind and instead trying to draw you into their negativity through passive-aggression.
What do you do when someone else’s negative energy seems to invade your space or shift the vibe in the room? The next time you’re having a good day, and you find yourself face to face with someone who is radiating negative energy, remember these simple steps to stay unaffected and maintain your own vibration:
1. Create the distinction.
First, and most importantly, distinguish that the energy belongs to that other person and NOT you. So often, when we are caught off guard or when we are not grounded in our own energy, we may mistake or take on someone else’s energy as our own. When you intuitively sense someone else’s energy, and it is not kind, neutral, or inviting—or it’s just flat-out negative—take a moment to ground into your own energy. Take a breath and stand firm and strong in your own aura, and acknowledge that that person’s energy is not yours to carry.
2. Visualize your own aura.
Once you’ve recognized the distinction between your energy and that of someone else’s negative energy, make sure to visualize a protective robe of light or shield of protection around you. Envision that you have an impenetrable bubble of white protective light that surrounds you and your energy. Energy surrounds us in physical and nonphysical forms, so it’s important to always be mindful that you can be affected by the different energetic exchanges you have as you navigate throughout your day. When you have a protective shield of your own energy surrounding you, you are less likely to be affected by someone else.
3. Get clarity on where the negative energy is coming from.
Sometimes a person’s negative energy may not even be their own! It’s possible that you can come across someone who feels like they are giving off negative energy, and yet they may have taken on that negative energy from another person. This can really happen to any of us. If you have ever heard the phrase “they rubbed off on you,” that is essentially what can happen with negativity. We are energetic beings, and we connect and affect and pass along our energies to each other on a regular basis, with many of us doing it unknowingly. Being aware of this can help you stay in your own flow, your own lane, when you come across someone else’s negative energy.
And it’ll also remind you to extend compassion to that person because they may need these tips to get someone else’s negative energy off of them!
4. Acknowledge the ego in the room.
What if you are in a situation with a person who is just negative and seems to be indulging in a frequency of negative energy? You still ground into your own vibration. You still mentally and quickly check in to make sure your protective shield is surrounding your aura. Then, identify that a person who indulges in sustaining negative energy about themselves may lack the self-awareness that their thoughts and energy are likely coming from a place of ego.
That is not to say that they are arrogant and egomaniacal but rather that their thoughts, feelings, and actions are based on the unconscious disconnect between themselves and the rest of creation. This definition of ego, as Freud and Carl Jung and the history of psychoanalysis have taught us, is “the part of the mind that mediates between the conscious and the unconscious and is responsible for reality testing and a sense of personal identity.”
5. Throw some gratitude their way.
Yes! A person with negative energy coming from a place of ego is someone who would benefit from practicing gratitude. When you can see that someone else’s negative energy can benefit from compassion and guidance toward gratitude, it helps to reframe your mind, your perspective, and you will realize how simple it is to stay in your own lane, unaffected. Show them kindness and steer them toward a grateful thought or action that may help shift their energy.
6. Make use of mirrors.
And if all else fails and this person seems to be determined to spread energy around them that is not love and light? Close your eyes and visualize that person surrounded by mirrors, mirrors that will reflect their energy back to themselves, leaving others unaffected by it. It’s a simple act of self-care, and sometimes that reflective energy is what a person needs to realize that they may need to make a shift.
