By guest writer, Jessica Wettig Hendrix
When your family is toxic, how do you deal with conflicting beliefs?
Can you believe the holidays are near already? Halloween, Samhain, and the Day of the Dead holidays have passed, and we are moving into turkey and ham season. You’re already seeing decorations for the holiday season, and holiday sales have begun.
Ram Dass, the spiritual teacher, once said: “If you think you are enlightened, go and spend a week with your family.” For some, this rings all too true.
While holidays are exciting for many, it creates a great deal of stress for others. This is especially true when it comes to an Empath or Sensitive being around family. Historically some of the most common sources of family conflict center around lifestyle, religion, and politics.
No matter your spiritual or cultural path, if you don’t line up with the family’s tradition, those differing beliefs can oft lead to conflict. Sometimes family members learn to respect each other. Sometimes they don’t.
Empaths and Sensitives that have established healthy boundaries may have learned how to deal with the judgment and toxicity of family members who can say and do cruel things. That toxicity can send others into full-blow anxiety and depression.
While we can’t offer the ultimate cure, we have collected a list of tips for taking care of yourself when dealing with a toxic family. Let’s look at what you can do to protect and nurture yourself and your spirit during the holiday season.
Keep Your Chakras in Check
Stress can cause an imbalance in your chakras. Many people deal with this anyway, but it can be especially hard during the holidays. There are a variety of ways you can protect and nurture your chakras. It’s often best to figure out which one you are struggling with.
If you meditate, you can focus on that one for the chakra. If you’re focused on all of them, you can use the om chant, which activates all of your chakras.
There are corresponding crystals for each chakra.
Root Chakra – Focus on survival, independence. Balance with black, brown & red stones.
Sacral Chakra - Our connection and ability to accept others and new experiences. Balance with orange, peach, & brown stones.
Heart Chakra – Ability to love ourselves and others, to experience joy and inner peace. Balance with green and pink stones.
Throat Chakra – Ability to communicate, self-expression, speaking one’s truth. Balance with light blue, and teal stones.
Third Eye Chakra – Ability to focus on and see the big picture. Intuition, psychic abilities. Balance with indigo stones.
Crown Chakra – Our ability to be fully connected spiritually. Connection with God, our higher selves, Source. Balance with clear or purple stones.
Evaluate where you feel imbalanced. That is likely the chakra that is out of balance. Start there.
How to get your chakra(s) back into balance.
Cleanse negative energy. You can sage yourself and your surroundings. Take salt baths or use aura scrubs. Try using essential oils, or crystals. Meditate or pray. Journal about your feelings. Read a book or watch a video on the subject.
Using Essential Oils to Get Grounded
The smell is a very powerful factor that can affect our energy, stress levels, thoughts, and overall well-being. Before family gatherings, grab your aromatherapy jewelry, or apply properly diluted essential oils to your temple and other pulse points before you leave. Anytime you feel your emotions rising, take a whiff! Once the gathering is over, come home and ground. Take a cleansing bath, light some incense, meditate, and push the stress away.
Keep Your Crystals Close
Crystals are a wonderful tool for energy. Wearing a crystal to the family gathering can help cleanse the energy while it’s still present and can help shield you.
For instance, citrine destroys negative energy and is good for the sacral chakra. Hematite is known for absorbing negative energy. Rose quartz is known for promoting love and the energy it brings, whether it’s love between people or love for yourself.
Let Us Help You This Season
At Wildhair Studios Rock Shop, we know all about the wonders and the difficulties of the holiday season. We want to help you get through it and make it something you enjoy. Contact us or visit our store for more information.