Negativity is a thief.

All too often in my life, I’ve found myself in a crippling state of depression. I didn’t have any sense of purpose or direction. I didn’t care whether the sun stopped rising or my life suddenly ceased to exist. Every single day was a struggle and I didn’t know how to fix it. All I knew was that there was a dark, ominous cloud hanging over my head and I was desperate for the storm to pass.

There is something to be said for energy in this world. Energy comes in varying quantities. People themselves are full of it. I became aware, after doing some research, that I was experiencing a great deal of negative energy. Where it was coming from was not so much of a shock, but of great disappointment...my friends. At that low point in my life, I was surrounded by the toxic, negative, “Debbie Downer” type of people. We all know the kind. The type of people who are all about me, me, me. They are the liars, manipulators, and cheaters. When I look back on that period in my life, the reason eludes me as to why I kept them in my life for so long. I was trapped, really. A few of my so-called “friends” used me for nothing other than a source of attention. I only stayed because I cared too much and I wanted to help them. For so long, I was blind to the effect of the constant stream of negativity in my life. I like to think of it as dirt. Every time I would hang around one of the “bad apples”, a layer of dirt was cast onto my skin. Soon enough, layer by layer, I resembled the man who never bathes, in a spiritual sort of sense. I myself, had become a source of negative energy.

In a last ditch attempt to turn my life around, I ended my toxic relationships with several people. No explanations, I simply excommunicated myself from them. But I needed more than that. At this point in my life, my depression was at it’s peak. I was having trouble with school, trouble with home, and trouble with my soul. I just didn’t care about anything. I wanted to quit life. Fortunately for me, this story does have a happy ending. I found a speck of light in my layers of dirt. A little drop of clarity to wash away just enough to help me see the light. A wonderful soul happened to stumble across my poor self. It was the first time in a year that I felt good when I was around someone. This person emitted some sort of happiness that I can’t fully describe. Energy. I had one of those light bulb moments. When I was with the toxic people, I would leave feeling drained. However, when I spent time with my new friend, I was filled with happiness and good thoughts. Energy matters. Relationships matter. When you spend all of your time with negative people, sooner or later, that negativity finds it’s way inside you. Pay attention to how people make you feel.

I’m not here to tell you that you must avoid those people who put off those negative vibes. It’s impossible. They aren’t bad people, either. I too, was once a source of negativity. However, I needed to make some changes in my life. Those negative friends’ energy was not the kind of energy that I wanted polluting my life. I wanted to be a source of good vibes for other people to feed off of. I wanted to be able to hang around a group of friends and not leave emotionally and mentally drained. As it turns out, leaving those friends was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life. Life is better than ever. I see things so much clearer now than I did before. I realize how much I was missing out on in my family. I have been increasingly successful in school. I actually want to get involved in things now.

So much time is wasted when you let negativity consume your life. Don’t be afraid to make the change to better yourself. It is your life, take control of it. Beautiful things happen when you distance yourself from negativity.

Whatever is good, meditate on those things.