Let’s set the scene. It’s 4:30pm on a Thursday. It’s been the longest week of your life and there’s still a whole-ass day left before you get any reprieve. The iced coffee you treated yourself to this morning is now sitting in a ringed pool of condensation on your desk. The barista used half-in-half but you’re lactose-intolerant. Someone side-swiped you on the drive back from the cafe. You ate a few olives because you didn’t have time for lunch. Your partner forgot to put the toilet seat down. An insolent peer sent you a passive-aggressive email about something you already addressed. Your body is begging you to go to sleep early but this is the third time you’ve postponed on a friend. It’s now 6pm and you still haven’t eaten an adequate meal. Phew, don’t you feel drained just reading that?

If you’re feeling lethargic, run-down, have a low social battery or strong reactions you can’t explain… you might be spiritually constipated.* 

The demands of an average workday permeate the psyche and stick to your energy like velcro. You might absorb the stress of taxes, a backhanded compliment your mom sent in the group chat, or a tight deadline on a day you double-booked yourself. There’s no changing the unpredictable nature of what falls on your plate; you can only control your reaction. Seems simple enough, right?

Imagine not washing your hands after you wiped your ass, or changed your oil. What if I told you that your energetic body can get just as polluted?

Spiritual hygiene is the act of cleansing your energy, just like you would a physical space.

Step 1:
Identify your energetic threshold. List the personal symptoms you experience when running out of energy or patience. Perhaps you forget to eat, act snappy, stop drinking water, or go into auto-pilot. Set a mental Google-search notification and ping your awareness when there’s a hit. For me, it’s when I catch myself bouncing between social media apps, scrolling mindlessly.

Step 2:
Identify immediate actions that reset your energy or space. What brings you back to your center in 20 minutes or less? Here’s my list:

_________

Alarms set to refill my water bottle.

30 jumping jacks or a sun salutation between Zoom calls.

Splash my face with cold water.

Hold a cold compress to my chest for 30 seconds on/off until my nervous system is regulated. (I use frozen fruit and call them my ‘anxiety berries.’)

Hot yoga in the morning or restorative yoga at night.

Call and ask a friend if they have room for me to do a 90-second vent.

Physical activities like hiking, swimming, running.

Set a timer and take a nap. (For it to be intentional, I must get up when the timer goes off.)

Get my blood sugar back up with fruit or ice cream.

Water my plants.

Mist my face/space with aromatherapy blend, light incense or candles.

Take a cold shower.

Take my dishes back to the kitchen and reset my desk space.

Add essential oils to the diffuser.

Refrigerated face roller or eye mask.

Open the windows.

Practice breath work. Four second inhale, five second hold, six second exhale. Find a rhythm that works for you.

Free flow journal on a 5-minute timer.

10-minute power clean.

20-minute workout on a free app like FitOn.

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*If feelings of stagnation, depression, or anxiety are persistent, please seek out a licensed therapist. Astrology, wellness, and self-regulation tools are amazing, but they’re no substitute for mental health support.

How do you press reset on your energy and space? Let me know in the comments.

To the moon and back (pun intended),
Ocean @witchykid