How to increase your energy levels

Sometimes I get frustrated reading or watching some health-related content and it has this feel of “there is a specific recipe that I can follow”. If it was so easy, I guess nobody would really struggle with their wellbeing as they do, everywhere, every day, to a degree even everyone.

There are countless models on what influences health and wellbeing (physically and mentally). I like things broken down and easy, which is why I focus on three major categories that impact our wellbeing on an overarching level: mental health, physical health and energetic health. This doesn’t mean that I find other ideas to be wrong, but thinking of it like a triangle is very handy and keeps the focus where it belongs.

The human mind is a wonderfully complex system and probably the most misunderstood concept on social media. The market is flooded with people who have never completed a master’s program in psychology (or higher), yet present dangerously simplified and misleading information about human behaviour, perception and health. It might even appear that someone achieved somewhat of an expertise on a psychological niche – popular ones are ADHD or narcissistic personality disorder. But a qualified psychologist will identify easily that the assumptions of the content creator are still incorrect and/or very misleading or overly simplified. A wonderful example amongst serious professionals is Doctor Haji on Instagram (@rise_psychological_services) who dedicates her time and many of her posts to expose false or misleading information about psychology shared on social media. She is a breath of fresh air and important counterpart in this atmosphere of false psychology news by non-professionals.

There is one major reason why people might read a lot of psychology books or studies and still come to the wrong conclusion when sharing their insights on social media: They never learned from leading psychologists at a serious university how to read the information, what assumptions are legitimate to make and which ones require further investigation or more studies. They mainly focus on a plain outcome that they do not have the skills to link to the right conclusions. An example is when the outcome is a correlation between two factors. In statistical analysis there are certain mathematical conditions that need to be fulfilled fully in order to allow a correlation to be interpreted in a way that directs which factor influences the other (and/or vice versa). This is one of the most common false interpretations that I come across. Even in newspapers flashy titles are sold in countless copies like “Scientists found out that overweight children score lower in their exams” with fatal consequences for the readers and possible victims to stereotypes (I won’t out the newspaper which released content like this, but I remember it very well when we discussed this in classes).

This is the reason why I recommend to lean on professionals when it comes to psychology. Though I do believe that in many ways we ask for too many certifications and ensure a small elite group to gatekeep knowledge that should be more widespread, in the field of psychology there is too much manipulation and possible risks at stake.

Having said that, we often find ourselves in situations where information on mental health and psychology gets very confusing and even contradicting. This itself can become a huge energy leak for one person. I have clients come in who report to have sought help for many years. The relief in their voice and facial expression is visible and I feel deep compassion for them. We need to do better when it comes to mental health support for everyone.

Besides the (sometimes desperate) search for the right help, there are many other possible energy leaks that make us feel drained and tired, at times to a degree of great fatigue.

When we remember the health triangle (mental health, physical health and energetic health), we can understand that even when our mental health and physical health are alright, we can still feel unwell, if our energy is not maintained well.

As a Reiki Healer my focus is on this third aspect which is the spirit or in other words: the energetic health. If our energy is out of tune, we may feel down, moody, drained, easily frustrated, even depressed. These energetic issues can lead to bigger blockages. Our energetic health influences our mental health and can even sometimes manifest physically. A client once told me that the congestion in their throat had disappeared after our Reiki session.

The possibilities when receiving Energy Healing are (at least to me) limitless.

Energy desires to flow freely. Energy flows throughout our body. When we feel something on a psychological level, this can cause a physical reaction such as blushing, increased or decreased heartrate, sudden sweat, dry mouth, heartburn, nausea, insomnia, tremor, cold or hot sensation, muscle tension, pains or aches, shortness of breath, dizziness, etc. pp. The list seems endless.

Long-term physical conditions are possibly resulting from the physical reactions: change in hormone levels, increased or decreased metabolism, issues with digestion, cardiovascular issues, etc. pp.

So, what is it that we can do to increase our energy level or maintain our energy level? Because at times we do feel great, but then we have a sort of energy dip.

Besides keeping our body healthy and working on our mental health (including avoiding stress or long-term stress), we can seek direct help from energy workers.

Reiki is a form of energy healing. Make sure to go to a Reiki Master who knows the Usui system. This means that this person was attuned into the Reiki techniques by another trained Reiki Master. Since this system from Japan was (re)discovered by Mikao Usui, countless people in the world have learned Reiki and found new ways to add to the Usui system. But the root system remains the same and proved its efficiency by serving many people around the world. I, myself, offer additional Reiki symbols that complement the Usui system wonderfully. Some of my clients have intense sensations during the session and most report to feel calmer, lighter and either sleepier or more awake (depending on what was done during the session).

You can take advantage of Reiki and book a session in person or from a distance, which is called distance Reiki. Energy does not know (or care about) time or space. It will flow where it is needed, wanted and ready to be received. You would be surprised to learn that a lot of clients come in with burdens from previous lifetimes. I often hear “I just feel like there is something not right. I cannot put my finger on it, but I just know something isn’t quite right.” For me as the Reiki Master it then feels like these old stagnant energies, at times even old karma, practically waited for a long time to be released. Once I start the session, they leave the energetic field in an almost grateful manner.

The in-person set up during Reiki has certain psychological advantages: You have a change of scenery, you will probably relax additionally on a psychological level because of the ambience of the Reiki practice, you will have more of an insight what your Reiki healer is like (because you step into their space and feel their aura), you might have access to health-related products if the practitioner displays them in their practice and you will have a psychological distance to the subjects that you release (you don’t release the negative energy in your home, though a trained Reiki Master would cleanse your space, of course).

The distance Reiki set up has other advantages: You can implement the appointment easily into your day-to-day responsibilities, you can even continue your day as usual without an interruption (though I do recommend to lie down and “enjoy the show” consciously), you can get into the habit of relaxing at home which helps your psyche to learn relaxation in that environment (some people struggle to relax in their own home), you might pay less on a distance Reiki session and you have the option to swoop in a Reiki session spontaneously into your day without the burden of commuting.

A Reiki healer will align your energy centres in your body. Energy centres are distributed throughout your body (and they are not limited to a number of 7). They are called “chakras”.

The Reiki healer can either touch you directly or they simply hover their hands over the parts of your body that they sense to be out of tune or out of balance. Chakra alignment is a classic but not necessary part of Reiki. Sometimes people have aligned chakras, but old karma burdens the energetic body.

A Reiki healer with a genuine spiritual connection will work intuitively, custom to your needs and following what impulses they get from the spiritual world.

Reiki is most certainly a very efficient way to release blockages and old karma. But changes in your life are very essential to avoid falling into the same “traps” again. As a psychologist, I have deep conversations after the Reiki part in my Deep Release sessions. That is when I discuss possible energetic leaks. You might have heard about energy vampires. They are far mor common than most people think. But certain situations or life challenges can also function as an energetic leak.

These conversations, next to the Reiki itself, are the vital component of my Deep Release sessions. This is the combination I always feel to lack whenever I go to a self-care session of any sort. I like recommendations that directly apply to my life. Spirituality is maybe the most important thing in my life. But it needs to serve the purpose of mastering the life we live. Our life is not fictional. It is real and it causes us joy and sometimes pain. Everyone needs help at times. I am grateful that I can be the help that my clients sought for a long time. Well, in terms of Reiki is not literally me helping, but I assist as being the channel they need to access the support from our spirit guides.

Are you ready for your (first/next) Reiki experience?