Is Positive Really Better Than Negative? The Truth About Energy

• Positive and negative energies are both needed in order for us to remain balanced.
• Positive helps us be open and curious but can make us over-confident and careless.
• Negative can make us pessimistic and shut-down but can help us anticipate problems.

There is a very common perception that positive is better than negative, and that a positive mindset is a very good thing. While this isn’t entirely wrong, the place of positivity needs to be understood more clearly.

Sometimes in life, we can get deeply mired and stuck in negativity. If we find ourselves complaining a lot, ruminating, overthinking and focused on everything that is wrong and can go wrong, then positivity is a very good idea. In such a case, approaches like a gratitude journal, positive affirmations and the like can help bring about a much needed balance.

And it is balance which is the key word here. Without balance, we go to one extreme or another, and extremes lead to distress. While we are very familiar with the downside of excess negativity, but very few of us are aware of the downside of excessive positivity.

Let us compare what excesses do.

Excess negative energy leads to:

• Pessimism to the point of missing opportunities
• Low self-esteem, focus on mistakes, poor confidence
• Dullness, lethargy, unable to deliver responsibilities
• Neediness, clinginess, codependency ruining relationships
• Emotional eating, lack of exercise ruining health
• Abandonment issues, rejection, abuse, getting bullied
• Blockages and obstacles in relationships, career, health
• Lack of empathy
• Lost in the past, ruminating, depressed, hopeless
• Physically, it can cause diarrhea, excessive bleeding, too much mucous, oversleeping, lethargy, and so on.

Excess positive energy leads to:

• Optimism to the point of overlooking real risks
• Over-confidence, superiority complex, ignoring mistakes
• Hyperactivity, fluctuation between too high and too low energy if it goes too far
• Overly detached, afraid of commitment
• Too much control over food and exercise, forgetting to enjoy the body and food
• Violating boundaries, giving unsolicited advice
• Poor at drawing boundaries, freezing when violated
• Walking away from problems. Escapism, denial, idealism
• Over-empathetic, picking up negativity from other people
• Lost in the future, day-dreaming, anxious, impractical
• Physically, it can cause headaches, vomiting, dry skin, constipation, anemia, and so on.

On a physical level, excessive negative energy leads to problems like sleeping too much, infections, congestion, and excess weight, whereas excess positive energy leads to problems like insomnia, headaches, allergies, vertigo, cancer, etc.

Strive for Balance

For us to live a balanced, thriving life, we need to have a strong healthy positive as well as a strong healthy negative. Positivity allows us to be confident and see opportunities in obstacles, whereas healthy negativity balances this with the capacity to perceive potential roadblocks so that we can be well prepared for them. Healthy positivity allows us to maintain the right amount of detachment and space in relationships, while healthy negativity allows for the right degree of attachment and vulnerability, and so on.

As healers, we tend to request or wish for positivity, and this can get us into trouble. Not just this, positive energy tends to shift sooner, as the influence significantly reduces at night. On the other hand, when we request for a balance, for example while healing someone or clearing out a space, the energy remains stable for much longer.

Regular Reiki practice brings balance, not positivity, although if we’re starting out from a place of extreme negativity, it might bring a lot of positivity-inducing exercises our way to begin with. However, after a point we outgrow these practices and need to move on to going beyond the mind, rather than letting thoughts control and affect our well-being.

Author: Ashwita Goel learned meditation as a child and has practiced energy healing for 27 years. She has helped thousands of people overcome phobias, trauma, limiting beliefs, find confidence, enhance performance and improve their relationships through online sessions and classes.

Related Articles

Latest Articles