The idea of consulting a spiritual medium for wellness advice might seem a little out there to you. But Erika Gabriel, guide to high-profile individuals like Minka Kelly and Tory Burch, is really good at applying esoteric spiritual advice to practical, everyday situations, like the often frenzied experience of navigating a busy department store.
“I don’t just walk into Target, I completely gear up before I go,” Gabriel says. “I call my team, which in the spirit world, are my spirit guides. I ask if they’re with me and I hear them say ‘yes.’ I ground down into my body, I surround myself with my team, I put a white light bubble around myself, I breathe, and I make sure I’m in a good energetic state… and then I go in.”
Yes, she wants you to take your spirit guides with you to Target, to help you steer clear of other people’s negative energy (and shopping carts?). Think about it: How often have you walked out of a store feeling exhausted, or anxious, or even angry, when you walked in feeling perfectly content?
According to Gabriel, it’s not just run-of-the-mill stress; the uncomfortable feelings could be due to “stuck,” or residual, energy.
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If your inner skeptic is going wild, you’re not alone. There’s no scientific evidence to be referenced when it comes to matters of the spirit (and you know we love our science at Nutritious Life!), so you’ll have to decide if her philosophies on stuck energy (and how to un-stick it) speak to you, personally.
What is “Stuck” Energy?
All kinds of spiritual guides and healers believe that energy exists in everything around us, and sometimes, it can linger—in a given place or on our bodies.
“The idea of stuck energy on a person is when you take something in, and you’re holding onto it,” she says. It’ll likely present itself in subtle ways. In other words, you’re probably going to feel, well, off.
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“If you’re having that stuck feeling––nothing in the physical world is really wrong or negative, but you’re feeling really uncomfortable, you’re stuck, there’s no flow, what you want to do is notice you’re feeling that way,” Gabriel says. The way that you do that is by using your intuition. “Your intuition will tell you ‘this feels weird, I’m feeling drained, I’m feeling tired, I’m feeling negative with this certain person,’” she says. “And even though it’s coming through in your feelings, it’s tied to your energy.”
How to Get Rid of Stuck Energy
If you just left a big family function feeling drained from the drama, or simply have that “off” feeling Gabriel described, these are the strategies she says will get rid of residual energy that is bringing you down. And no matter what your strategy, “Intention when working with energy is everything,” she says. AKA, you’ll only see results if you go into the experience with a determination to clear your energy.
Try Saging
You know that whole pre-Target ritual? There’s a post-shopping version, too, which you can use in any situation where you feel stuck. It involves saging, a popular energy clearing tradition used in many contexts.
To try this method, she recommends buying white bundled sage (not the kind you put in your holiday dishes!) and a white light candle. “Light [the] white light candle, take some deep breaths, and ask your angels or your guides to assist you in clearing yourself of negative or stuck energy,” she says. Once you do this, light the sage and wave the smoke from your feet upwards. “I wave it along the crown of my head and down my back body as well,” Gabriel says. “I imagine the smoke adhering to any stuck, negative, or unhealthy energy and I ask that the smoke clears me and cleanses me of any emotions that don’t belong to me, and I ask them to dissipate into the smoke and be absorbed into the white light.”
Try Some Self-Care
If that sounds like too much for you, you can give your spirit a little attention by simply using your intuition to tune into what makes it feel good. Self-care practices like a long run, a soothing yoga class, or even a relaxing trip to the spa can totally get rid of negative or stuck energy. It’s all about knowing what your own spirit needs.
“We have a mind, we have a body, and we have a spirit, and I think we work to sharpen our minds, we work on our bodies, but what about the spirit energy––your soul?” Gabriel says. “It’s a triangle. It’s all connected, and if you ignore your spirit, that’s how you end up feeling drained.”
Express Gratitude
Every morning before you reach for your phone, take three deep breaths, paying conscious attention to the inhale and exhale. Then, either in your mind or on a piece of paper, acknowledge ten things you’re grateful for. “That will instantly start your day from a place of being in the present moment and being in gratitude,” Gabriel says. “And that instantly raises your vibration and removes any stuck energy.”
Hey, here’s a place where the world of spirit and science intersect: Cultivating gratitude is linked to more happiness in study after study.
(Featured Photo: Shutterstock, Second Photo: Erika Gabriel)
