How to Clear Negative Energy

Co-authored by Alyssa Chang

Last Updated: January 15, 2024 References

Negative energy can have a huge psychological and emotional impact on you. It can ruin your day or week. It can make an otherwise enjoyable experience miserable. Thankfully, there are a wide variety of steps we can take to eliminate negative energy and turn a potentially foul mood or experience into a positive one. All you need to do is to be positive, open-minded, and put some effort into discarding your negativity in favor of positive energy and a positive perspective.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Clearing Negative Energy Through Physical Means

Download Article

1
Exercise vigorously. A good way to eliminate negative energy is to exercise vigorously. Exercise not only helps us to feel healthy, but it also helps us expel any excess or even negative energy that could be dragging us down or making us anxious.^{[1]
X
Expert Source

Alyssa Chang
Wellness Coach & Personal Trainer

Expert Interview. 16 October 2019.} Consider:
- Going for a run until you are tired. The distance of such a run might vary. Depending on your age and health, it could be from 1 to 10 miles. Run until you’re tired, but not until you’re exhausted and about to pass out. Make sure you get a good sweat going.
- Work out in the gym.
- Pick any exercise you prefer. Just make sure your exercise regimen gets your heart pumping and your sweat flowing.
- Consider dancing. You could dance ritually (as part of spiritual or religious worship) or just for fun.^{[2]
  X
  Research source}
2
Clear negativity with hot water. Many people see hot water as a way to dissipate negative energy and refresh and reinvigorate yourself. To do this, pick one of several approaches to cleanse yourself with hot water or steam. Consider:
- Taking a really hot shower. Don’t burn yourself, though.
- Enjoying the relaxing and cleaning experience of a sauna.
- Taking a hot bath. A hot bath will help you relax and will aid in relinquishing negative energy.
- Accompanying your sauna, hot shower, or hot bath with pleasant scents, candles, and relaxing music.^{[3]
  X
  Research source}
Advertisement
3
Breathe deeply. Practicing breathing exercises can help clear negative energy. By doing breathing exercises, you will not only increase the level of oxygen in your system, but you can also improve your mood and increase your energy level. As a result, breathing exercises are a great way to dissipate negative energy.
- Inhale deeply as you count to ten.
- Hold your breath for five to ten seconds.
- Exhale for ten seconds.
- Repeat as needed.^{[4]
  X
  Research source}

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Promoting Positive Thoughts

Download Article

1
Listen to uplifting music. Listening to uplifting music is one sure-fire way to help free yourself of negative energy. Positive and uplifting music can help you get into a good frame of mind and energize you for any task or obstacle that you may need to face. Depending on your preferences, consider:
- Music with positive lyrical messages.
- Music with a positive and upbeat rhythm.
- Music that gets you energized.^{[5]
  X
  Research source}
2
Avoid jealousy or envy. One way to clear negative energy and promote positivity is to avoid jealousy or envy of others. Jealousy and envy are emotions that simply reinforce a negative outlook and lead us to ignore all of the wonderful things we have going on in our lives.
- Be happy for what other people have, even if you don’t have the same.
- Wish others the best in achieving their goals.
- Avoid trying to emulate or compete with your friends and neighbors. Everyone is different and has different means, preferences, and goals.^{[6]
  X
  Research source}
3
Be grateful and/or thankful. Often, people accumulate negative energy by being negative and unhappy about their place or position in life. One way to avoid this is to be grateful and/or thankful for what you do have.
- Focus on the great things you have going on in your life. This could include your family, your friends, your job, or the place where you live.
- Realize that there are a lot of people who are much worse off than you.
- Understand that life is full of ups and downs, and you need to enjoy the ups.
4
Contemplate the source of your negative energy. When trying to free yourself of negative energy, you should think about the source of your negative energy. Identifying the source of your energy may give you better insight into cleansing yourself of it.
- Make a list of things that are bothering you or causing you anxiety.
- Think about bad things you’ve done in the past that might have attracted negative energy to you. Consider rectifying them.
- Examine your list and think about whether any of the listed items are making you unhappy.
- Commit yourself to solving whatever problem is causing you anxiety.
- Do some serious self-reflection to see if negativity or your actions or habits constantly draw negative energy to you. Commit yourself to changing the way you live and see the world.^{[7]
  X
  Research source}

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Taking a Spiritual Approach

Download Article

1
Do a good deed. In many religions and faiths, doing a good deed is one sure way to gain favor and to clear oneself of bad energy. Depending on your faith, good deeds could achieve several ends. Consider:
- That good deeds could gain you karma, if you believe in karma.
- That good deeds could be seen as a requirement to avoid negativity and evil.
- That good deeds could be seen as a way of making amends for evil or bad actions you’ve taken in the past.^{[8]
  X
  Research source}
2
Meditate regularly. Meditation is a great way to clear yourself of negative energy. In addition, meditation will help relax you and focus your mind. As a result, meditation should be on your top list of ways to relieve yourself of negative energy.^{[9]
X
Expert Source

Alyssa Chang
Wellness Coach & Personal Trainer

Expert Interview. 16 October 2019.}
- Situate yourself in a peaceful, quiet, and cool room or space.
- Close your eyes.
- Focus your mind on breathing. Don’t let other thoughts invade your mind.
- Inhale deeply, hold, and then exhale for a prolonged period of time.
- Repeat this process as much as you need to clear your negative energy.
3
Pray to your god. Another way to clear negative energy is to pray or say a prayer to your god. Depending on your faith, this could serve to protect yourself from evil spirits or it could serve to gain favor from a deity or deities.
- Say a short prayer or repeat a short mantra.
- Spend a prolonged time in prayer or repeating mantras.
- Regularly pray or worship your deity.
- Sing a gospel song, if this is part of your faith or denomination.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Cleansing Negative Energy from a Place

Download Article

1
Look to spiritual or religious icons, idols, or other important representations. Many people around the world look to spiritual or religious icons and other items as ways to bless themselves, bestow fortune, or clear negative energy from a place. Depending on your faith, you might want to consider one of these items as a way of cleansing negative energy and bestowing the grace of god or god’s fortune on yourself or to clear negative energy from a place.
- Visit a shrine or holy place.
- Use holy water, if you’re Catholic.
- Set out an idol or picture of a deity that brings you good fortune. For instance, Hindus look toward Lord Ganesh as a deity that removes obstacles.^{[10]
  X
  Research source}
2
Burn certain herbs or scents to dissipate negative energy. The burning of certain herbs and scents has long been associated with cleaning negative energy. The people of different regions, faiths, and cultures favor different herbs or scents to clear negative energy. As a result, consult local practices or faith leaders.
- Consider burning sage.
- Think about burning frankincense resin.
- Try burning copal incense sticks.
- Experiment with smudging. Open your windows and light sage or a combination of sage and other herbs. Gently breathe the sage/herbs in and metaphorically wash your hands in the smoke. Let the herbs burn out.^{[11]
  X
  Research source}^{[12]
  X
  Research source}
3
Rearrange or change the physical environment of a location. If you associate a place with negative energy, stress, or a bad experience, consider rearranging the physical environment there (if you can). By changing the physical environment, you'll be able to alter the energy and the way you perceive a specific location.
- Move furniture around your office to create a new feel.
- Paint your home or rearrange your furniture to help you disassociate it with a bad experience. Consider Feng Shui as a way of arranging your furniture at home. Through balancing your furniture and promoting flow, you'll create better and more positive energy at home.
- Clean your car to make it a more structured and happier place to spend time.^{[13]
  X
  Research source}