Karen Restivo
In Other Words....
The Beach Boys wrote a song about them.
The sixties harnessed it as a catch phrase - Good Vibrations.
Today we’re more likely to hear the renovated phrase Good Energy when expressing a positive feeling emitted by individuals we encounter.
How scientific is the measure of good/bad vibes or energy?
We generate these feelings about people, our environment, as well as our own psyche.
Things are great when we’re surrounded by good vibes/energy: it’s the proverbial bad vibes that can raise the hairs on our necks when walking in a room, a first-time introduction to someone or (a little closer to home) observing our own self-talk.
On the website WebMD, Dr. Dan Brennan, MD, reviews the effects of negative energy on individuals in his article “Signs of Negativity.”
Brennan relates, “Exposure to negativity can leave you exhausted both mentally and physically.
Negative energy perpetuates itself, therefore, breeding more negativity.
Learning to deal with negative energy is important for your health and happiness.”
Anything that has the power to affect our health and happiness is worth investigating the source.
Below are Brennan’s three sources of negativity:
Negative people
Some researchers believe that such energy is real and measurable.
Others believe humans pick up on anger, sadness, and other negative emotions that others project.
We are good at reading those through verbal and non-verbal cues even when they aren’t openly expressed.
Negative environments
You may have experienced feeling very comfortable in some environments and uncomfortable in others.
Sometimes this is because of the experience that you associate with the place.
You’re unlikely to be as comfortable in the dentist’s office as in a friend’s home.
But there also is evidence that the physical details of your surroundings can impact your mood.
Clutter, for example, can create stress and even interfere with your sleep.
Environments that make you uncomfortable may be described as having negative energy.
Negative self-talk
Self-talk is the flow of mostly unspoken thoughts that run through your head. Negative thoughts can harm your health and well-being.
Positive thinkers have less colds and have better cardiovascular health.
They are less likely to be depressed and likely to live longer.
Being a positive thinker doesn’t mean that you ignore problems.
Instead, being one can better your ability to deal with them.
If you’ve been experiencing negativity in your life, Brennan’s points to the following symptoms to look out for:
You’re critical
Being critical of others is a way to blame your discomfort on someone or something else.
Although criticizing others may make you feel better at first, it seldom feels good later, especially if you have been critical in front of an audience.
You complain a lot
Complaining occurs when we express the negative talk in our heads out loud.
Complaining can become such an ingrained habit that you don’t realize when you are doing it.
When you complain, you are putting your negative energy out where it can affect others.
Your health is suffering
Negative emotions can cause stress, which in turn impacts your health.
Stress can destroy your body’s hormone balance, impair the immune system, and drain your positive brain chemicals.
Negative energy in the form of poorly expressed anger can cause dysfunction of the heart and digestive system.
You Can’t Sleep
Repeated negative thoughts are associated with poor sleep quality.
It’s unclear whether the lack of sleep triggers negative thinking or whether the negative thoughts keep you awake.
Maybe the combination of negative thoughts and poor sleep creates a vicious cycle in which each element makes the other worse.
If you find yourself in this negative territory with people, places or
yourself, here are the Brennan’s four steps to reduce it:
Deal with negative people
You’ll be happier if you associate with positive people, which may mean rethinking your social circle.
Create a positive home/work environment
Decluttering your home and workspace can get rid of negative energy.
Work on yourself
Experts have a long list of practices that can get rid of negative energy.
Some of their suggestions include:
Get regular exercise
Eat a healthy diet
Spend time in nature
You might find value in meditation or a mindfulness practice.
In other words, maybe it’s the perfect time to re-evaluate and prioritize your good, good, good, good vibrations.
Karenrestivo57@gmail.com