How to Cleanse Your Energy: 8 Ways to Remove Negative Vibes

Sonia Vadlamani explores a mix of ancient and science-backed ways to remove negative energy from yourself and your environment. From smudging to salt cleansing, here are eight energy cleansing techniques that bolster your overall well-being.

Sometimes we walk into a room, and something just feels off – not necessarily in a dramatic, haunted-house kind of way – but as if the air is stale, tense, or heavy. It could be your home, your workspace, or a place where past conflicts once erupted, and the discomfort still lingers. In short, you feel ill at ease there.

Call it bad juju, an off vibe or simply feeling stuck, it’s true that our surroundings affect us in multiple ways. In fact, researchers agree that negative energy perpetuates more negativity. Energy cleansing is therefore essential for safeguarding both our mental and physical health, as well as our overall happiness levels. 

Signs You Need to Clear Negative Energy

We may lack the technology to measure negative energy, but we can often notice the need for energy cleansing by simply listening to our body and our environment. Some of the physical symptoms include:

• Feeling exhausted even after adequate sleep.
• Persistent headaches as soon as you enter a place.
• Prolonged physical or mental strain without evident reason.
• Irritability, defensiveness, excess complaining, or a negative shift in your mood in certain spaces.
• Trouble falling asleep or a disturbed sleep cycle.
• Experiencing health issues such as digestive problems and hormonal imbalances.
• Struggling to find motivation or channel creativity.

Similarly, some indicators that you need to clear the negative energy in your physical surroundings can be:

• Cluttered spaces that feel constrained despite adequate room.
• Lasting staleness in the air despite ventilation.
• Spaces where arguments and disagreements tend to occur frequently.
• Rooms that make you feel unsettled and nervous for no evident reason.
• Struggling to relax in places designed for rest.
   

How to Get Rid of Negative Energy

Toxic energy can build up in any environment and affect you adversely, and hence it’s important to know how to cleanse your energy. Here are some simple, practical ways for it:

1. Try Smudging and Cleansing With Smoke

Smudging or burning dried sage or other herbs like cedar, frankincense, or palo alto is an ancient practice prevalent in several cultures across the world. A 2007 study published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology found that the medicinal smoke from Havan or a Hindu ceremonial fire lowered the airborne bacteria in a confined space for up to 24 hours. 

So, burning aromatic herbs and incense can be an effective answer to how to get rid of negative energy – the act of smudging itself and the pleasant scent can be a calming activity that can instantly lift your spirits and perk you up.

Remove negative energy through smudging 

2. Inspect and Improve Light and Air Circulation

A UK study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders that analyzed data from over 400,000 men and women found that spending more time outdoors or in ample natural light could mean improved mood, better sleep quality, lower chances of long-term depression, and higher overall happiness levels. 

“Learning how to cleanse your energy also means setting healthy boundaries to shield yourself from negative influence.” 

So, take a keen look at the places where you spend the most time, like your workspace, home, or relaxation areas. Drawing the shades to allow natural light in and opening your windows to let fresh air circulate may be the easiest way to remove negative energy and create movement in a place that otherwise feels “stuck.” 

3. Incorporate essential oils and aromatherapy

 “Our sense of smell is deeply tied to our cognitive centers, our emotional centers, and our memory centers,” says Sandeep Robert Datta, a professor of neurobiology at Harvard Medical School. “We’re dependent on [scent] for a sense of well-being and centeredness in the world.” 

RELATED: Essential Oils For Grief: 8 Aromatherapy Ideas

Aromatherapy using essential oils such as lavender and chamomile has been linked to  improved sense of wellbeing and lower risk of depression and anxiety. Add essential oils of your choice to a diffuser or make a simple room mist by adding few drops with distilled water in a spray bottle for easy energy cleansing.

Aromatherapy oils act as an energy cleanser

4. Practice Visualization 

Visualization exercises are a great energy cleansing practice, given that you can practice them almost anywhere, even when you’re waiting at the train station or bus stop! Combine them with a visualization meditation practice to make it more effective.

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Begin by setting an intention for your practice, something that protects you from others’ negative vibes, like: “I repel all the negative energy from others,” or “I release all energy that doesn’t serve me.” Now, close your eyes and focus on your intention as you take slow, deep breaths.
 

Imagine a white light of goodness expanding from your heart, moving through your body, encompassing you and your loved ones, protecting your energy. Practicing daily can help you feel calmer, less reactive, and more emotionally resilient.

5. Choose the right crystal or stone for you

While there’s no conclusive scientific evidence for crystal healing, using crystals as a medium for manifestation or meditation can amplify your focus, help balance your chi, and can also be an aesthetic addition to your surroundings. Every crystal is believed to carry unique cleansing and healing properties, so find the right one using your instinct and objective.
 

6. Remove negative energy with salt cleansing

Salt cleansing has been a preferred purification method for centuries. Taking salt baths 1-2 hours before bedtime have been found to lower cortisol and relax the nervous system. Also, indulging in some quiet, intentional self-care by taking a salt bath makes it easier for you to release any negativity you’ve accumulated through the day.

“Drawing the shades to allow natural light in and opening your windows to let fresh air circulate may be the easiest way to remove negative energy.” 

You can also use salt within the home. Pour it into the four corners of a negative-feeling room and leave it for 48 hours. Some cultures believe that salt absorbs the negative energy present in your surroundings. After 48 hours, throw the salt away.

7. Try Sound Cleansing

Sound – whether from bells, Buddhist singing bowls, gongs, or even hands clapping – has long been used for energy cleansing across several cultures. In a 2023 study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, researchers found that the sounds from singing bowl can help one’s brain waves enter the theta state, helping the brain relax and soothing the nervous system.

Thus, installing wind chimes or bells near relaxation areas, indulging in sound baths, or playing soft music can break up the stagnant air and help you feel centered.

Wind chimes are used to keep negative energy at bay

8. Cut ties with unhelpful people and patterns

Learning how to cleanse your energy also means setting healthy boundaries to shield yourself from negative influence. Some ground rules you can reinforce to make this possible are:

• Limiting time with energy vampires who consistently drain you.
• Breaking free from unproductive patterns that do not serve your growth.
• Saying no to commitments that leave you depleted.
• Creating tech-free, interruption-free routines to spend quality time with loved ones.
• Setting a fixed time for cleaning and decluttering your home and workspace.
• Making time for regular exercise and hobbies that nourish you.
   

Takeaway: Energy Cleansing

Learning how to get rid of negative energy may seem simple, but it requires you to consciously identify the negative forces in your surroundings and intentionally keep them at bay. 

There’s no one-time fix that works for all, so start with the approach that resonates the most, notice how it affects your mood and spaces, and build from there. Remember, the goal here isn’t perfection, but to create practices and environments conducive to your well-being, rather than depleting it. ●