Quips and Tips for Spiritual Seekers

“How do I reverse negative energy in my life?” asked a reader on my article about producing positive energy. If we attract positive energy and have the power to create negative situations, then can’t we reverse the negativity we’ve created?

You better believe it! Check this out:

“You can use your life in a very useful and intelligent way,” said Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist monk, teacher, and author. “You can very well transform negative energy into a positive energy that empowers you and makes life meaningful.”

To learn more about reversing negativity, read Positive Energy Practices. And, here are several ways to bring more positive energy into your life…

How to Reverse Negative Energy in Your Life

I recently spent an afternoon with a very negative person – someone I’ve been friends with for ten years. After every visit, I have to consciously and deliberately shake off her negative energy. Ever since the reader asked about reversing negative energy, I’ve been thinking about the ways I get rid of the negativity and fatigue I feel after I spend time with my friend…and I thought I’d share them with you!

Take responsibility for the situation. It’s easier for me to reverse negative energy when I accept the role I play. For instance, why am I still friends with this miserable person? Because we live in different parts of the world, and I only see her once every couple of years. We go way back…and I don’t want to eliminate her from my life. I’m inviting this bit of negativity into my life because the reward is bigger than the cost. Just knowing this makes it easier for me to bounce back to my positive self. I choose to be her friend, and I can choose to shake off the negativity later.

Figure out what the draw is. Thich Nhat Hanh said, “People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar.” Maybe that’s why I’m still friends with my friend…she’s familiar, and that’s comforting. What negative situation or person are you struggling with? Why are you allowing this negative energy to stay in your life? You have a reason — you’re getting something out of it. To wash negativity away and increase positive energy in your life, figure out why you may not want to let go of the circumstance or person.

Get off “autopilot.” “Most of us attract [energy] by default,” said Bob Doyle in The Secret. “We just think that we don’t have any control over it. Our thoughts and feelings are on autopilot, and so everything is brought to us by default.” To reverse negative energy, you need to take control of your own mood, energy, and perspective. Choose not to reflect the negative mood of the room or the people you’re with; instead, consciously choose to produce positive energy and thoughts.

Focus on what’s going well. My “Quips and Tips for Spiritual Seekers” blog partner, Gini Grey, wrote a wonderful article about how to stay positive during difficult situations. “People tend to focus on what’s wrong when they could try to see positive things,” she wrote. “Life is full of ups and downs and it’s your choice what you focus on. If you spend most of your time talking about your physical aches and pains, the chaos in the world, the bills you have to pay, your noisy neighbor and any number of possible problems, you will naturally feel down and depleted. But if you choose to notice what’s going well in your life, what parts of your body feel comfortable, the good that’s taking place in the world, the services like electricity, internet, and phone access you are fortunate to have, and the kind, helpful people in your neighborhood or community, you will feel uplifted and energized.”

Let go of the need to change situations or people. To reverse a negative situation, avoid thinking about who and what needs to change. Instead, concentrate on the positive qualities of the circumstance. “People deal too much with the negative, with what is wrong,” said Thich Nhat Hanh. “Why not try and see positive things, to just touch those things and make them bloom?” To put this into practice: I don’t want to change my friend who drips with negative energy and misery. That’s who she is. Maybe that’s why I like her. To reverse the negative energy she leaves behind, I remember how smart she is, how interesting our conversations can be, and how helpful and generous she often is.

I’m not saying we need to accept everything and everyone in our lives, no matter how negative. On the contrary! I think choosing to let go of certain people and situations is healthy and productive. But, to reverse negative energy, we need to accept people and situations the way they are. This empowers us to focus on our own choices, attitude, and mood — and create situations that bubble over with joy, freedom, and positive energy.

What do you think of these tips for reversing negative and attracting positive energy in your life? I welcome your thoughts below…

For more tips, read Emotional Vampires – 10 Ways to Protect Yourself From Negativity.