Given much thought to your energy lately? I don’t mean your enthusiasm level or your daily caffeine intake or even your post-workout, post-deal-closing, post-quittin’-time I’M KING OF THE WORLD go-get-em energy.

I’m talking about your internal, deep-seated, very personal energy (find out more about this here), which is essentially the filter through which you experience, interpret, and understand your world.

I’d say that makes it pretty important.

Yet… we don’t really spend very much time thinking about it.

Sure, it crosses our minds when confronted with toxic people or encounters – which is why we use words like “draining” to describe those people and situations – but, on the whole, we don’t dwell on energy of this type much at all.

This lack of mental attention to what is a very important part of our lives can reveal itself in things like “history repeating itself” or having a victim mentality or being unable to move forward with certain things no matter how hard we try.

Basically, failing to focus on and work to “uplevel” our energy keeps us stuck.

Since no one wants to be stuck, it’s important to create a toxic-energy-free-zone where you can detox from all of the drama that attempts to drain you each and every day.  And guess where most of that tends to happen?

W-O-R-K.

I invite you to focus on creating a daily detox where you make a habit of clearing your energy before and after work. This is just as important as drinking water, exercising or brushing your teeth. It's extremely necessary energetic hygiene. Why bring energy from home into the office or vice versa? While it's one thing to bring positive energy with you wherever you go, it's another to allow the negative energy of the day to continue to impact you… even when the experience itself is long over.

Do you struggle to shift gears when you’ve had a bad day? Do you find yourself kicking the cat (metaphorically, I hope) because “sh*t runs downhill” and you have to take out your frustrations somehow on someone? Do you find yourself replaying confrontations or microaggressions or difficult client interactions or —------- (INSERT THAT THING HERE) over and over again, even rehearsing what you woulda-coulda-shoulda said?

If so, it’s time to detox that negative energy right out!

The idea of clearing your energy may be relatively new to you. But, when you think about all of the energy we experience each day in our conversations and encounters, it's A LOT. And not all of it is good all the time. We often fail to realize that when we come across someone who is negative or trying to push their own insecurities and toxic feelings on us, we tend to carry that energy with us.

Consider: you're at work, having a fantastic day until here comes Little Miss Toxic. She’s Debbie Downer meets Negative Nancy and she brings her really pessimistic, complainer self to the party. Each and every day. Someone like that carries dark energy around with them and it’s waaaaay too easy to let it negatively impact how you feel. I guarantee you: if you allow yourself to start engaging with a person like this, no matter how great you felt beforehand, you’re not gonna feel great afterwards.

The simplest way NOT to let someone else's energy affect you is to try your best not to take it personally. Truthfully, most things we experience really aren’t personal! Most situations that are negative in nature are the result of what the other person is experiencing themselves and projecting onto others, often unconsciously. Don't dwell on the things they said or allow their actions to take up space in your head. Sure, it's easier said than done, but it's the best way to get into the mindset of being able to clear that negative energy, especially before leaving the office and heading home for the night.

When you can feel the negativity from within you because of certain interactions with someone else or because you've had a rough day, set intentions to release that energy. You can say, "I choose to release this energy that doesn't benefit me. I release this energy and choose to move forward for my own mental and spiritual health." Of course, it doesn't have to be those exact words, but simply acknowledging the release of those feelings is a great place to start.

Which leads me to my No. 1 go-to tip for for clearing energy: using self talk and affirmations. Remember: the way others speak to you impacts your energy… but so does the way you speak to you! 

Here are some of my own favorite personal affirmations I use daily to clear myself when my interactions with others start getting funky (hint: try reading them outloud):

• I deny the illusion of conflict as all things work together for my greater good. 

• No person, thing or event can keep me from that which the universe has for me now. All that has been done against me now helps me. I bless you and release you in peace.

• I now release and am released from everything and everyone that is no longer a part of the divine plan of my life. Everything and everyone who is no longer a part of the divine plan of my life now releases me, and finds his good elsewhere. I now expand quickly into the divine plan of my life where all conditions are permanently perfect 

• God brings into my life the right people who can help me and make me happy and whom I can help and make happy. Those people who are no longer for my highest good now fade out of my life and find their good elsewhere. I bless them on their way

• You are in my life by divine appointments. You have crossed my path so that I may learn something from you. You have crossed my path to receive my blessing. I freely give you my blessing and I now release you to your highest good elsewhere. 

• I let go of everything and everybody that is no longer a part of the divine plan of my life. I now expand quickly into the divine plan of my life where all conditions are permanently perfect.

What else can you do to perform a brief daily detox each day and clear your energy field before and after work? First, meditate. Take a few minutes before and after work to sit in silence, breathe deeply, and imagine yourself in a place of peace. I like to sit outdoors or in nature but I can clear myself in my home, my office, or even in the Uber – location doesn’t really matter. 

Meditation starts with putting my attention and awareness on my breath and my heart and doing a few rounds of deep breathing. Then, I close my eyes and visualize a color that makes me feel good or one that is associated with one of the body’s energy centers/chakras. I visualize that color filling up my whole body, clearing out all tension. I imagine it expanding out and touching everything around me. I do this for 3-5 minutes or until I start to feel some release. I then repeat this myself: “I cleanse, clear and release myself of all energy that does not belong to me or serve me in this moment. Peace is my birthright and I claim my peace now. I let go and release. So it is.” 

Next, consider doing something that makes you feel good. For example, some people like to clear their energy field by going for a jog or doing exercise that helps them release those negative feelings. Dancing can be a very effective way to detox some of that negativity.

The goal is to create a mental and/or physical vacuum that helps you clear out any negative thoughts and emotions. If physical exercise is not feasible, decluttering is just as effective. It can be something small like a desk drawer or even your ((gasp)) email inbox. 

Thoughts occupy space in the mind which creates energy. You don’t have room for new or better thoughts to come in if you are already full of old, crappy ones. You must do a mental house cleaning. 

As you start taking these moments to yourself to clear your energy field, you may begin to notice a shift in your energy. It's a shift that genuinely benefits your mind, body, and spirit as it helps you release any negativity you may have experienced, allowing you to be the best version of yourself as often as possible.