How to Release Negative Emotional Energy
Take a break., Attract the right crowd., Practice belly breathing., Take a walk., Laugh., Relax., Vent., Dance., Try stretching., Treat yourself to something you enjoy., Play with a pet., Turn to a hobby.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Take a break.
Everyone has days when it seems like nothing goes right.
Maybe you are dealing with a stressful event in your life, relationship, or work, or maybe you just feel drained from the daily grind.
Sometimes it can be very helpful to take a timeout.
Take a few moments to yourself to honor your feelings and let go of sad, painful, frustrating, or negative emotions.
Some situations —if the negative emotional energy is due to an argument, for instance—make it harder to get up and walk away without being rude.
In these situations, always be polite and suggest a time to begin talking again. -
Step 2: Attract the right crowd.
Look around.
See what kind of people influence your thoughts.
Whom do you hang out more often? Choose the right friends and accept the right thoughts from them. , You can practice belly breathing anywhere.
Breathe deeply into your belly and notice how your body responds.
Notice places in your body that are tense and feel them relax.Try closing your eyes and breathing in slowly through your nose.
Continue filling your lungs, fully expanding your chest and lower belly.
Finally, breathe out slowly and naturally—your mouth or nose is fine.Let go of all your worries with that long exhalation.
You can also throw in a small affirmation, such as, “Let go.” On your inhales, say to yourself “let,” and on your exhales, say or think to yourself “go.” Try not to think about or analyze the negative energy you are feeling—simply let it go.
Dragon breathing is another type of deep breathing that you may find helpful.
Use the same deep breathing technique but picture your negative energy as a cloud of grey smoke that you exhale with every breath.
You can also picture yourself inhaling a calming color energy, like a blue mist, with each inhale. , You can walk anywhere—around your home, your workplace, or just a quick jaunt around the block.
Moving your body can help trigger positive emotional feelings and help elevate your mood in general.
Think about your feet consciously hitting the ground as you walk and imagine the negative energy flowing through your feet right into the ground.You can also integrate your belly breathing and visualization work into your walk to enhance releasing negativity. , Laughing is one of the easiest steps you can take to help combat your body’s stress response.Laughter additionally aids in muscle relaxation, and it can help promote mood improvements for those feeling anxious or depressed.Take a few minutes to tell your favorite joke, remember the best prank you’ve ever pulled on a friend, or simply pull up your favorite YouTube video that always makes you laugh. , Take a hot shower or bath.Light candles in your environment and focus on creating a calm space for yourself.
Listen to relaxing music, meditate, or use visualization techniques to completely relax your body.
If you are able, book a massage for yourself.Even if you can’t go immediately get the massage, it will still give you something relaxing to look forward to later, which can help with your negative energy. , Sometimes it can help to just get the negativity off your chest.Ask a friend if he or she has time to talk and listen.
Be respectful and mindful of your friendships, but also remember that helping you deal with negative energy and feelings in your life is part of what friends are for.
Ensure you vent as a release rather than as a way to keep yourself riled up about an issue.
Venting in an overly angry or spiteful way can actually reinforce negative feelings rather than help dissipate them.
Also remember not to see venting as a problem-solving technique, but simply a way to release steam before taking a calmer, more proactive approach to the source of your negativity., Put on some music that makes you feel like moving and dance.
Try to stay out of your head.
Instead, let the beat of the music and the movement of your body shake out tension, negativity, and stress.
If dancing in private makes you feel more comfortable, find places you can dance without feeling self conscious.
Dancing can help your body literally shake off negativity. , You can do simple stretches at your comfort and ability level.
Start with a few belly breaths.
Raise your hands above your heads and just stretch from head to toe.
You can do this stretch sitting, standing, or even laying down.
Imagine the negative energy flowing out through your feet with each breath.
Stretching practices such as yoga have been shown to help with releasing negative energy related to stress, anxiety, depression, and more.When attempting stretching or yoga, always listen to your body and never push yourself into doing something that hurts or feels too tight.
Go with the flow, feel your body, and allow yourself to release.
For more information on getting started with yoga, check out How to Do Yoga for Absolute Beginners. , Explore activities that help to give you a break from focusing on the negative energy that is weighing you down.
Make a conscious choice to honor that you are feeling weighed down by negative energy, and then acknowledge that you will care for your emotional well being by being kind, positive, and caring toward yourself.
Go see a movie that you have been wanting to see, make plans to see a show you’ve been wanting to see, eat at your favorite restaurant, buy yourself a gift, or make plans with a friend who makes you laugh and lifts your spirits. , If you are an animal person, using the warmth and innocence of animals or pets may help relieve feelings of negativity overload.
Puppies and kittens certainly have a way of lifting moods and allowing room for positive emotions.If you don’t have a pet, maybe you have a friend who has a pet you are fond of, or you could visit the local humane society or animal rescue.
If you don’t really like animals that much in real life, you could watch cute internet videos about baby animals. , If you have a favorite hobby that’s available to you in the moment, turn to it.
Take some time for yourself and indulge in your hobby, even if just for five minutes. -
Step 3: Practice belly breathing.
-
Step 4: Take a walk.
-
Step 5: Laugh.
-
Step 6: Relax.
-
Step 7: Dance.
-
Step 8: Try stretching.
-
Step 9: Treat yourself to something you enjoy.
-
Step 10: Play with a pet.
-
Step 11: Turn to a hobby.
Detailed Guide
Everyone has days when it seems like nothing goes right.
Maybe you are dealing with a stressful event in your life, relationship, or work, or maybe you just feel drained from the daily grind.
Sometimes it can be very helpful to take a timeout.
Take a few moments to yourself to honor your feelings and let go of sad, painful, frustrating, or negative emotions.
Some situations —if the negative emotional energy is due to an argument, for instance—make it harder to get up and walk away without being rude.
In these situations, always be polite and suggest a time to begin talking again.
Look around.
See what kind of people influence your thoughts.
Whom do you hang out more often? Choose the right friends and accept the right thoughts from them. , You can practice belly breathing anywhere.
Breathe deeply into your belly and notice how your body responds.
Notice places in your body that are tense and feel them relax.Try closing your eyes and breathing in slowly through your nose.
Continue filling your lungs, fully expanding your chest and lower belly.
Finally, breathe out slowly and naturally—your mouth or nose is fine.Let go of all your worries with that long exhalation.
You can also throw in a small affirmation, such as, “Let go.” On your inhales, say to yourself “let,” and on your exhales, say or think to yourself “go.” Try not to think about or analyze the negative energy you are feeling—simply let it go.
Dragon breathing is another type of deep breathing that you may find helpful.
Use the same deep breathing technique but picture your negative energy as a cloud of grey smoke that you exhale with every breath.
You can also picture yourself inhaling a calming color energy, like a blue mist, with each inhale. , You can walk anywhere—around your home, your workplace, or just a quick jaunt around the block.
Moving your body can help trigger positive emotional feelings and help elevate your mood in general.
Think about your feet consciously hitting the ground as you walk and imagine the negative energy flowing through your feet right into the ground.You can also integrate your belly breathing and visualization work into your walk to enhance releasing negativity. , Laughing is one of the easiest steps you can take to help combat your body’s stress response.Laughter additionally aids in muscle relaxation, and it can help promote mood improvements for those feeling anxious or depressed.Take a few minutes to tell your favorite joke, remember the best prank you’ve ever pulled on a friend, or simply pull up your favorite YouTube video that always makes you laugh. , Take a hot shower or bath.Light candles in your environment and focus on creating a calm space for yourself.
Listen to relaxing music, meditate, or use visualization techniques to completely relax your body.
If you are able, book a massage for yourself.Even if you can’t go immediately get the massage, it will still give you something relaxing to look forward to later, which can help with your negative energy. , Sometimes it can help to just get the negativity off your chest.Ask a friend if he or she has time to talk and listen.
Be respectful and mindful of your friendships, but also remember that helping you deal with negative energy and feelings in your life is part of what friends are for.
Ensure you vent as a release rather than as a way to keep yourself riled up about an issue.
Venting in an overly angry or spiteful way can actually reinforce negative feelings rather than help dissipate them.
Also remember not to see venting as a problem-solving technique, but simply a way to release steam before taking a calmer, more proactive approach to the source of your negativity., Put on some music that makes you feel like moving and dance.
Try to stay out of your head.
Instead, let the beat of the music and the movement of your body shake out tension, negativity, and stress.
If dancing in private makes you feel more comfortable, find places you can dance without feeling self conscious.
Dancing can help your body literally shake off negativity. , You can do simple stretches at your comfort and ability level.
Start with a few belly breaths.
Raise your hands above your heads and just stretch from head to toe.
You can do this stretch sitting, standing, or even laying down.
Imagine the negative energy flowing out through your feet with each breath.
Stretching practices such as yoga have been shown to help with releasing negative energy related to stress, anxiety, depression, and more.When attempting stretching or yoga, always listen to your body and never push yourself into doing something that hurts or feels too tight.
Go with the flow, feel your body, and allow yourself to release.
For more information on getting started with yoga, check out How to Do Yoga for Absolute Beginners. , Explore activities that help to give you a break from focusing on the negative energy that is weighing you down.
Make a conscious choice to honor that you are feeling weighed down by negative energy, and then acknowledge that you will care for your emotional well being by being kind, positive, and caring toward yourself.
Go see a movie that you have been wanting to see, make plans to see a show you’ve been wanting to see, eat at your favorite restaurant, buy yourself a gift, or make plans with a friend who makes you laugh and lifts your spirits. , If you are an animal person, using the warmth and innocence of animals or pets may help relieve feelings of negativity overload.
Puppies and kittens certainly have a way of lifting moods and allowing room for positive emotions.If you don’t have a pet, maybe you have a friend who has a pet you are fond of, or you could visit the local humane society or animal rescue.
If you don’t really like animals that much in real life, you could watch cute internet videos about baby animals. , If you have a favorite hobby that’s available to you in the moment, turn to it.
Take some time for yourself and indulge in your hobby, even if just for five minutes.
About the Author
Thomas Gray
A passionate writer with expertise in creative arts topics. Loves sharing practical knowledge.
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