Truth? I’ve been struggling with what to write this month. I think it’s because it’s been hard to find motivation these days. Speaking with my friends and clients, I think the lack of choice and restrictions have left us all at a lower vibration. But I think I’ve wrapped my head around it — so buckle up, it’s a long one. But I promise it leads to how to raise your vibration.
As we go through our lives, though all different, we have been brought together by a circumstance that is very much out of our control. We are trying to figure out our new realities and destinies in a new world where the reality we once lived doesn’t exist anymore. (At least not for the immediate future.) Our options for action might be limited right now, but we can still try to control how we think and feel. It’s also important to ride our energy levels day-to-day as we find new ways to recharge and renew our energy. If you’ve felt stuck, remember that — at the risk of sounding cliche — you have the option to change your thoughts. You always have the opportunity to start a new day with a fresh mindset.
A little bit about me…
To give you a bit of a background on me, I had a pretty chaotic childhood. I was raised on the Sunshine Coast by a mom who struggles with Bipolar Disorder. This was a lot to deal with as the eldest of three children in a single-parent home. I have realized in adulthood that the bonus of having an unpredictable childhood is that the unpredictability helped me become very good with change and transformation. It has also helped me become a very empathic adult.
Most of my childhood was spent catering to my Mother’s daily swings in mood — I never knew where the day was going to go. As a child, I didn’t really have a choice because my Mom was in charge so I just got on board and tried to make the best of it for myself and my siblings. This has been the best lesson my mom has taught me so far: how to make lemonade from lemons. I will eternally try to find the silver lining in life, but I have to admit that’s been a difficult task this past year.
The importance of checking in with ourselves.
This pandemic shook all of us out of our comfort zones. We are grieving and struggling to grasp a reality that might not exist anymore. Our lives have changed so much in the last year, and it’s okay to feel low and sad about it. It is also okay to feel happy and optimistic if that’s where your mindset is right now. My emotions have been a rollercoaster, but something that helped me was to check-in and make sure I was shifting back to my positive state of being when feeling low. It’s never healthy to stay at a low vibration for too long, but it can also be paralyzing to be at that low vibration not know what to do about it.
The reality you experience is largely determined by your default vibe, not by your momentary fluctuations. In my experience, it’s so important to know where you’re sitting vibrationally so that you can start to create the life you want to experience. We do have a choice of how we show up in the world, and that alone can be liberating.
This brings me to the point of this blog post: how to raise that vibration.
What I do to shift my vibration.
While personal trainer me thinks and knows a workout can do wonders for changing your energy, regular Jenna me knows that some days you won’t have that in you. But other things can serve the same purpose: going for a walk, watching a good romantic comedy, a bath with candles… Self-care, friends. It comes in many different forms.
You might be feeling a bit out of your element right now with the state of the world and it might feel all a bit overwhelming and limiting. This is a pretty easy state to be in right now. If you’ve noticed you are in low vibration lately and don’t know how to shift out of it, these are some things that have me and my clients over the years.
Become conscious of your thoughts.
Everything you think, say, or feel becomes your reality. Every single thought that comes into your head has an impact on you. When you change your thoughts for the positive, your reality is more likely to become positive too. Easier said than done in the face of adversity though, right? How about this? The next time a negative thought shows up in your head:
- Take the time to acknowledge it.
- Thank it for showing up.
- Then try to dismiss it and turn it around for the positive.
Example: “Right now, I feel angry at that person for cutting me off at the light. I acknowledge and thank this feeling, but it does not serve me. I hope that person drives safely and I choose to feel positive about the rest of my day.”
Make a joy list.
Grab your journal or a notebook and take some time to yourself to write a list of 5-10 things that give you joy — or that have brought joy in the past. Think about the last time you did any of them… Maybe it’s time to create some new experiences? Notice how you feel when you are in a joyful state. Try and create more of it in your life. You will never lose from having positive experiences. If you’ve been down for a while, this will hopefully help you contrast that with some positive experiences. It can be as simple as buying yourself flowers, or a more complex task of joy like remodeling your living room.
Imagine an alternate life.
You can be anything you want here. Brainstorm and live a completely different reality. You can be a teacher, a stay-at-home mom, a chef, a painter… the list is endless. Spend some time getting lost in this reality and write down what your day would look like. This has been quite expansive for me in terms of seeing my life in a different way.
Drink water.
Always ensure you drink plenty of water to assist your body to flush out toxicity day-to-day. Toxicity has a marked impact on our vibration, so we must do what we can to reduce its impact within and around us.
Practice acts of kindness.
This is so powerful. Giving to someone else — without expecting anything in return — shifts your thinking from a view of scarcity (“I don’t have enough”) to a feeling of abundance (“I have more than enough to give to others.”) In the same vein, being kind — as opposed to being mean or snarky — puts you at a higher vibration. Gossip or treat others badly and your vibration will suffer.
I have a friend who is an artist (and therapist) who encourages us all to live without constraint or modesty. On her website, she writes “ I like it when things don’t make perfect sense. That space between the lines where there is a decision between connecting or detaching. The moment between fear and laughter where I can breathe and smell the earth and live without time. “ This, to me, is life. We are at a crossroads right now, everyone. Even though it feels like all our choices have been taken away, we still have a choice — a decision to show up and live life to the fullest… every single day. To find those simple joys in your life and relish in them. To take your time to smell the roses (or the ocean, or the forest). Who knows where you might find yourself (or your next amazing idea) the moment you slow down and reflect.
How will you raise your vibration? Let’s collectively raise our vibration this month!
Take it from me — as someone who lived with someone who has very serious mental health issues — if you feel like your vibe has been low for a while and you can’t get yourself out of the low… please consider seeing help. Please check in with your friends.
“Your ‘vibration’ is a fancy way of describing your overall state of being. Everything in the universe is made up of energy vibrating at different frequencies. Even things that look solid are made up of vibrational energy fields at the quantum level. This includes you.” — Vibration as described by Cassandra Sturdy