Empaths have long-since known the impact negative people have on wellbeing, but they are not the only ones to suffer. Everyone is harshly marked by the imprint of negativity.

Science has duly acknowledged the undesirable effects disapproving and depressing people have on our health and happiness. There are numerous studies showing how prolonged ‘people stress’ can affect gene expression within the immune system.

In her protocols for healing thyroid conditions and returning people to health, Dr Izabella Wentz, Pharm. D. and best-selling author, recommends her patients avoid spending time around those who cause them emotional stress; for the fact being in their presence could exacerbate health conditions.

There is no denying it, ‘people stress’ exists. Every one of us has experienced it. And I have no doubt we will have caused people stress to another at some point.

No matter how positive we try to be, everyone has off days when they are gloomy and thoroughly disagreeable. Tiredness and unsuitable foods or drinks may leave you antsy and at odds with the world; as can illness or depression. But one thing that will darken the brightest of days is by spending time around negative people (NP).

There are some who seem to prefer living under a dark cloud of negativity, making an occupation of unpleasantness. They talk malevolently of people, places and pastimes and suck the joy out of life. They are filled with pessimism and mostly display a less than unenthusiastic outlook. These are the NPs of the world.

By spending time with those who constantly make you feel bad, you are doing more physical and emotional harm than you may know.

Most people have some stress in their everyday life; one of the most common being job dissatisfaction and bad bosses. Some stress is considered healthy. But regularly experiencing negative emotions is not.

It may seem unkind to suggest avoiding negative people, especially those who galvanise your darkest emotions, but here are 9 reasons why you should:

1, Low Moods are Triggered by Emotional Contagion:

Emotional contagion is the phenomenon of having one person’s emotions and linked behaviours trigger similar emotions in others. Or, in other words, you are subjected to other people’s dispositions.

If someone acts as a fountain of negativity and you spend time with them, guess what happens? Yup, you end up carrying their bad vibes and thus low moods. The other person does not have to ignite a bad emotional response to make you feel downbeat, just being in their presence is enough.

2, You Become a Magnet for Negativity:

Ever wondered why after spending time around a NP you draw more negative situations towards you? Like attracts like. When you unintentionally harvest other people’s negativity, through emotional contagion, it often becomes your own. Through the law of attraction, you then attract more. Negativity breeds negativity!

3, You Experience a Vitality Drain:

You may have noticed that when you spend time around negative people you start feeling cloudy, flat and lethargic? Most NPs are also energy vampires. Their negativity draws the vitality from you, even after a short duration spent in their presence. This drain leaves you low, uninspired and weary.

4, Negative People Contribute to Inflammation:

Stress, and people who repeatedly make you feel hassled or anxious, causes inflammation in the body. Chronic inflammation has been linked to depression, heart disease and even cancer. Inflammation, which is normally an immune response, is the body’s attempt at self-protection. When prolonged, it causes many health problems.

5, The Adrenal Gland Weakens:

Although every organ is affected by people stress, the adrenals are one of the first organs to be impacted.

The adrenals are part of the endocrine system and are responsible for releasing the hormones cortisol and adrenaline. Cortisol is anti-inflammatory (when the adrenals are functioning properly, otherwise it has the opposite effect,) and adrenaline speeds up the metabolism for energy. They are thought to be the most important hormones in the body.

By spending time around negative people it can cause excessive stress which in turn activates your fight-or-flight system. This system is supposed to keep you safe from harm, giving you the energy to run away or stay and do battle. The adrenals release adrenalin and cortisol which preps the body for danger… but there is no danger just people stress. This happening repeatedly not only weakens the adrenals but inhibits the proper release of cortisol and impairs health.

6, Fatigue and Weight Gain:

If you are sensitive and spend a lot of time around stress-inducing people your adrenals become compromised, which in turn plays havoc with cortisol production.

Cortisol is also known as the stress hormone and the fat storing hormone. Excessive cortisol production leads to fatigue and the breakdown of muscles.

Weakened muscles combined with fatigue makes everyday life a challenge and any kind of exercise difficult. This fatigue robs you of the desire to get more socially involved and impedes your inclination towards making any positive life changes.

The weight gain generated by excess cortisol is often seen around the belly (and why many sensitive people have a squidgy pot belly) and is difficult to eliminate.

7, Imbalanced or Blocked Energy Centers:

Energy centers are also known as chakras. Once thought of as a ‘woo woo’ topic, the West has now caught on with what’s been known in the East for hundreds of years about the chakras.

Chakras are directly linked to your endocrine glands. When any endocrine gland weakens (adrenals for example), it has a knock-on-effect on the other glands and thus chakras.

Blocked or unbalanced chakras cause many physical complications: from constipation and digestive issues to blood pressure or throat troubles.

8, Weakened Energy Field:

Also known as the aura or pranic sheath, your energy field emanates around you like a luminous egg-shaped sheath. The aura has been defined as a haze or metamolecular space that surrounds every living thing. It is said a healthy pulsating aura helps keep good energy in and bad energy out; but when weakened it becomes porous.

The energy field has many layers and is seen by some with varying colours. The layers closest to the body are known to correspond with the chakras. Weakened chakras lead to a weakened aura. If you find you become overly stressed or anxious when around negative people you are more at risk of developing a permeable aura which blights the smooth running of the mind, body and spirit.

9, Unhappiness and Depression:

It is difficult to stay upbeat when around anyone who drags you down emotionally. Even with the best intentions, remaining positive when around a bleating NP is difficult to do. For this, and all the above reasons, the best way to stay happy and balanced is by avoiding negative people… Or at least limit time spent in their presence.

Remedies

Because complete avoidance of negative people is near impossible, I have included 3 quick recovery remedies that aid relaxation and help switch on the parasympathetic nervous system (system responsible for bringing calm to the body).

Take a Salted, Magnesium, Essential Oil Bath: This is an incredible combination for instilling calm and overall balance. Salt clears negative energy, it also heals and softens the skin. Magnesium helps one relax, it also boosts energy, supports the endocrine system and aids sleep (quality sleep is essential for repairs), and choosing an essential oil, such as lavender, further supports deep relaxation.

Still the Mind and Calm the Breath: When stressed or anxious the breathing becomes erratic and thoughts go into overdrive, this only serves in heightening stress and weakens the body. To quieten the mind, sit comfortably in a darkened room, with incense or your favourite essential oil burning, and practice alternate nostril breathing. This breathing technique brings instant serenity and quietens a chaotic mind.

Get Outdoors: An effortless way to restore balance is by simply stepping out in nature (read more here), or by using a technique called Earthing (read more here).

Hope this helps on your journey.

Until next time

Diane