I’ve discovered one really simple thing to keep bad energy out of your house.

Original photo by Viktor Mogilat

I know, I know. I’m getting super witchy and woo woo in my old age. What can I say? Some of us are descended from Avalonian high priestesses, and some of y’all are basic assholes.

Don’t hate on me because I’m magic.

Don't hate on me because I'm magic. Click To Tweet

And for those of you who think this is all hooey, let me just say this. Mindset is everything. So don’t act like the bad attitude you got at work doesn’t affect your home life. Don’t pretend that you don’t bring your negativity home. Don’t even act like you’re a ray of sunshine, BECAUSE YOU’VE ALREADY POO-POOED WHAT I HAD TO SAY.

So keep an open mind, here.

It’s important to keep bad energy out of your house for a number of reasons. For me, I like my home to be a place for rest, recharging, and dog cuddles. And if I’m bringing in negativity when I get home from work, or just stress from driving in traffic, it prevents that rest and recharge. (Nothing stops the dog cuddles when Rosie wants them. Though, to be sure, she doesn’t want them half as often as I do.)

The house I’m living in now is the first place I’ve lived that I’ve had 100% control over. From the decor to the schedule, everything is all me. And for that reason, this environment has been really good for me. Like, I’ve been more social and more positive-minded in the past 3 months than I have in the past 10 years. I’m excited about projects, and I’m envisioning a very good future for myself.

It’s really a great place to be.

But, with the semester starting up, and the stress of grading papers and contentious department meetings on the horizon, I knew I had to devise a way to keep the atmosphere in my home cozy and positive.

If you would like to do the same, then you can follow my simple steps to keep bad energy out of your house.

When you finally get home from work, don’t go into the house immediately. It’s easy to just get out of the car, barrel up the steps and bust into the house. However, if you do that, you’re not taking a moment to enter the house intentionally. Admittedly, this — the waiting — is the hardest part (SORRY NOT SORRY FOR TOM PETTY LYRICS) because I typically have to pee really bad when I get home. So, if you can wait just a moment, do. If you can’t, I totally get it, and I won’t judge.

When you finally get home from work, don't go into the house immediately. Clear your head. Click To Tweet

But the reason this moment is important is because you want to take that time to clear your head. Sure, Suzy sent you that passive aggressive email about that tiny error you made on the quarterly report. And yeah, that kid in the Land Rover almost hit you as you were going through the crosswalk. Your entire department spends all day complaining about management, and no one will drop it. They keep heaping one complaint on top of another, and their stirring up past grievances until the atmosphere is a roiling mass of anger. Oh, and you’re favorite soda in the vending machine? It’s been out for TWO MOTHER HUMPING WEEKS.

Do you feel all that bad energy?

Do you want that in your house? (Should you even be carrying it anyway?!) Because that shit will sit next to you on the couch as you try to unwind. It will follow you into the bathroom when you’re flossing your teeth. It will sit on your kitchen counter when you’re chopping tomatoes. And even worse — it will keep everyone else you live with company. In fact, in a lot of ways, all that bad energy will replace you in your relationship with those people or pets, because that’s what you’re bringing into the home.

That’s why you need that brief second.

Just stand there. Not too close to the door, and not super far away. Just at a spot where you’re comfortable, and don’t look like a goober to your neighbors.

Imagine all those things that you experienced throughout the day slowly dissipate, like they’re liquid evaporating off your shoulders. Once they’ve lifted, you’re free not to worry or think about them until you get to work the next day.

I like to close my eyes in this process. I take two or three deep breaths, and I literally imagine my work email disintegrating like moldy paper. I pretend that I’m stepping into an alternate dimension where I can’t be reached by coworkers. I envision all the homework that I have to grade has been impounded, and can’t be accessed until the next day.

Then, I unlock the door and step inside.

That’s how you keep bad energy out of your house.

It’s nothing revolutionary. In fact, it’s quite simple. But if I don’t do it, I will walk in the door with all those things weighing on me. And when those things are weighing on me, I don’t enjoy my rest/recharge/dog cuddle time as much.

In fact, when I’m feeling those things, I can’t relax. I don’t want to walk Rosie, which is something I mostly love. I don’t want to read, which is my favorite past time. I don’t take time to nurture and develop hobbies the way I should.

When I let the bad energy in, I find myself mindlessly scrolling through my phone all evening, and that’s not productive down time for me. It makes me grumpy, and it makes it hard for me to go to sleep. And I know my brain isn’t getting the sort of rest it needs to do worthwhile work the next day.

How to Keep Bad Energy Out of Your House Click To Tweet

So, I want to issue a challenge to you. Keep bad energy out of your house by pausing to breathe on your doorstep. Let the things fall away. And heck, if you want, you can send me a video of you doing it via Instagram stories! I’d love to see what shape this ritual takes for you.

What steps do you take to keep bad energy out of your house? Are you descended from Avalonian high priestesses too?

 

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