How to release energy as an empath


February 4, 2019

Alisha Galbraith

What kind of empath are you? And how can you release energy as an empath?

I think most people have empathy, but I think that everyone has the ability to be an empath too to a certain extent–it might just take practice and you may only be able to notice energy in people you are close to, but I think it’s something everyone should practice!

In my last blog post, I talked about oils for empaths--someone who picks up and is affected by the energy around them.

There are several types of empaths;

  • Emotional (me!) who pick up on the emotions of others
  • Physical (picks up on the energy of body)
  • Geomantic (environmental–picks up on the energy of an area)
  • Plant empath (knowing what plants need)
  • Animal empath (knowing what animals need)
  • Intuitive empath that picks up on things by being around people (also me)
  • Old Soul empath; sees the good in everyone no matter what and always looking to fix people
  • Unaware empath (you don’t actually know you are one yet)

Plus more…but that’s all for now. If you’re not sure you’re an empath you can read this post that goes over certain traits and characteristics of empaths or this one or take this quiz.

For a long time I didn’t consider myself to be an empath 1. because I’d never heard of them 2. Because my family doesn’t believe in them, and 3. because I feel like a lot of empaths fall victim to what they’re feeling–because we do feel so much. But guess what? “You don’t ever have to be a victim to mass consciousness, or to any one person’s negative energy” -Lynn Grabhorn.

People come to you when they are tired, sad, overwhelmed, angry, etc. because you understand–and you become a vessel for what they’re feeling. But you don’t have to hold on to that energy--you can release it. (Here is how you can tell if you’re in a relationship with an energy vampire vs someone who is really just coming to you for help)

Honestly, sometimes people think I’m really cold-hearted because there are times when I easily release energy or there are other times when I just won’t allow a person to constantly use me as their release vessel. They tell me I’m being selfish, that I can’t shut them out, or that I’m a bitter, mean person (these are your energy vampires ♥). I’m totally a believer that people need to learn to process their emotions, and while YES, we need and want comfort and understanding from people, we NEED to learn to process without drowning other people or constantly taking their energy.

How to release negative energy:

Releasing energy isn’t always easy and it takes practice, but here are some things you can start doing:

Going into nature is one super simple way to do this. I love the feel of river water running over my feet or the way the ground feels barefoot right after it rains. Plus, negative ions produce positive vibes:

Spend time alone (not too much and without someone screaming for “mommy”). Sometimes you just need to recharge. Never feel guilty for needing time completely alone or doing it often. I need alone time for at least 30 minutes every day. This is not only something everyone deserves to do, but as an empath, it’s something you absolutely NEED, especially if you are an extroverted empath (most empaths are introverts, but there are a few of us who are ambivert empaths). This time is sacred. Use it to refuel your energy by taking care of yourself; take a nap, take a loooong shower or bath, read, relax with some chicory root hot chocolate, meditate, or listen to music. Sometimes I just lay there and breathe for ten minutes. I’ve even been waking up earlier than my kids lately (which is HARD) to get that alone time.

Get yourself some selenite.

This helps to release negative energy!

Set boundaries and reduce the time you spend with energy vampires–let’s be honest, some of our energy vampires are people in our family or people we see on a regular basis. But guess what? You don’t have to answer the phone every time they call. You don’t have to go to every event they want you to go to. You don’t have to do everything they ask. And if it comes to it, you’re allowed to remove them completely.

Practice saying “no.” “Thanks so much for thinking of me, but no, not this time.” That’s it.

Smudge everything. I love palo santo for clearing energy from spaces, but you can diffuse essential oils or use sage.

Release the energy through movement. Go exercise. Do a yoga. Dance. Dance fight.

Write it out. This is where a lot of my poetry comes from actually! (#awilddarlingwrites)

Change the feeling around what is happening. Obviously, honor your anger/frustration, etc and express that instead of repressing it, but after a certain point you need to decide, “Enough” and start changing the feeling. Instead of “omg, I can’t believe this is happening to me AGAIN,” try “wow, I am so grateful that this experience teaches me ________”. Raise your vibration by speaking in gratitude vs regret. Gratitude journaling is a great way to do this too!