Negative energy can wreak havoc on your mind and body, so being able to change your energy is critical to your health and wellness.

When we think about negative energy and our desire to stop it, we need to consider the source or possible reasons for the negativity. We project our preconceived opinions on the experiences we have, so it’s actually our perceptions that influence whether or not we consider what’s happening as negative or positive. When we perceive that our needs aren’t being met or that they are threatened, we interpret the experience as negative.

This awareness can help us when we’re struggling with negative energy. We can pause and try to determine why we are interpreting the situation as negative and at times, we can change the way we’re thinking about the situation to alleviate the negativity.

Now that you better understand what contributes to your negative energy, let’s consider eight ways to change the energy.

Exercise

Being physically active has been proven to have numerous positive effects on the mind and body. Lowered blood pressure, better sleep, and help with weight management are among the many benefits of exercise. Improved memory, stress relief, and better mood are a few of the mental benefits of exercise.

Ways to exercise include taking a walk, doing stretching exercises, lifting weights, or riding a bike. Check with your physician before starting any workout program.

Experience Nature

Psychology researchers have discovered that you can improve your mood by spending five minutes in nature. That’s incredible when you think about it! In only five minutes you can change your mood from negative to positive. Time in nature can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. In turn, this helps reduce your heart rate and blood pressure while having a positive effect on your immune system.

Ways to experience nature include bird watching, visiting parks, taking a walk, or volunteering in your community.

Have a Good Laugh

Experiencing laughter can have positive effects on your health in both the short and long-term. In the short-term, laughter can help decrease your heart rate and blood pressure—both of which help you feel more relaxed. Long-term, laughter can help you deal with difficult situations, improve your mood, and help with depression or anxiety. Laughter can also help you fight stress.

Ways to experience laughter include spending time with family and friends, watching comedies on television, or visiting new places.

Express Gratitude

Practicing gratitude can change negative energy and increase your ability to train your brain to focus on the positive instead of the negative. Physical benefits of expressing gratitude include lower blood pressure and a strengthened immune system. Practicing gratitude reduces inflammation and improves mood and sleep-wake cycles.

Ways to express gratitude include saying “thank you” more, sending messages of appreciation, or keeping a journal of what you are thankful for. When you find yourself becoming stressed, take a few moments to list five people and situations that you are grateful for.

Breathing Exercises

By doing breathing exercises, you slow your heart rate and lower your blood pressure. This type of breathing also improves your circulation, giving you more energy. Breathing exercises can reduce stress and improve cognitive function. Within just a few minutes of practicing breathing exercises you can change negative energy to positive and improve your mood and energy levels.

Here’s one way to practice breathing exercises:

1. Sit with your back straight, rest your hands on your legs, and close your eyes.
2. Inhale deeply through your nose and exhale through your mouth. As you breathe, focus on the area just inside your nose. Repeat breathing in and out eight times.
3. Then, continue sitting with your eyes closed but breathe normally for a couple of minutes, then open your eyes.
4. This breathing exercise helps you center your attention on your breath, on being present now. We often become stressed because we are influenced by the past or we’re thinking about the future. Being present in the now, helps us relax and clear negative energy.

Declutter

Clutter tells us that we have more to do and when we’re already tired or have plenty to do, seeing clutter can be stressful and bring about negative energy. By taking the time to declutter periodically, we are investing in our physical and mental health and well-being. De-cluttering can provide a sense of accomplishment and help reduce stress and anxiety. De-cluttering can also help improve your sleep, concentration, creativity, and productivity.

Ways to declutter include deciding when you will begin the process of decluttering. For example, you may pick a weekend and set aside the time to work on a particular room or area of your home. Within that space, decide what needs kept and how you will organize your items within the space moving forward. Then begin the process of gathering up and moving out the items you will donate or discard. Start small, with perhaps a shelf or closet and declutter one area at a time.

Listen to Music

Music is a quick way to change negative energy. Researchers at Stanford University discovered that listening to music can change the way the brain functions to the same extent as medication—how powerful! As we know, productivity increases when stress is reduced and music is a great way to reduce stress. Music is an easy and affordable stress reduction tool. Music can grab our attention and help shift our moods quickly. Listening to calming music before bed can help you relax and fall asleep. More upbeat music can help increase your energy and productivity levels while instrumental or classical music has been found to help with concentration. Listening to music can quickly change negative energy to positive energy.

Sleep

Improving your sleep can improve your energy levels. According to the SleepFoundation.org, not only is the actual sleep get you important but how you feel about the sleep you get also matters. Your sleep satisfaction is influenced by various factors including the light, temperature, and noise in the room where you sleep. When your sleep satisfaction improves, your energy levels improve as well. Sleep itself, affects your hormone levels, immune system, appetite, and temperature regulation. Sleep restores your energy.

Ways to improve your sleep include limiting your caffeine intake after noon, creating a room that’s conducive to sleep (light, temperature, sound), and silencing electronic devices well in advance of the time in which you want to fall asleep. Numerous resources exist on sleep and how to improve your sleep, a simple internet search can help you locate more in-depth resources. Sleeping all night or even taking a nap, can immediately shift your energy from negative to positive.

With these recommendations, you can change negative energy quickly and get back to enjoying how you spend your time.