Are you an Empath or Highly Sensitive Person who struggles with restoring and detoxing from all of the daily stressors? For those of us who take on or are triggered by the influence of external energy, we must find ways to cut the negative cords and restore inner peace. This post is about the perfect energy healing bath for Empaths (and Highly Sensitive People).
HOW I DISCOVERED MY EMPATHIC NATURE
About ten years ago, I was living in New York City. Throughout my life, I’ve often encountered people mysteriously drawn to me. One day, while I was walking down Houston Street with a friend, a man started to walk along with us. He was asking me for ten dollars. He didn’t just ask for the money but positioned his case in a way to explain why specifically it was ten dollars. He was currently homeless and needed the money for a bus ticket to Philadelphia. I gave him ten dollars. Something inside me connected with his desperation, and I knew I needed to provide him with that money. My friend, of course, said, ‘you’re CRAZY to have given that guy your money!’ She then said something that, until a couple of years ago, I never realized: ‘Erin, people like that guy are always targeting you. You attract them like flies to sh*t.’
I know that’s an awful expression, but – in a way – she was right though she could have worded it better. (Side note: This friend is a great person; she keeps it 100% – not the worst quality!). It was a statement like hers – and many other incidents – that finally led me to discover that I am an empath. My entire life, people would come to me with their life stories and vulnerabilities. One of my dearest friends was drawn to me on the playground the first day of school my first-grade year with the opener, ‘Hi. I had to repeat first grade – wanna go on the swings?’ Even as a child, people would tell me their life stories without knowing my name.
According to Dr Judith Orloff, author of The Empath’s Survival Guide, ‘the trademark of an empath is that they feel and absorb other people’s emotions and physical symptoms because of their high sensitivities. They filter the world through their intuition and have difficulty intellectualizing their feelings.’
I not only feel and absorb other people’s emotional and physical pain but also attract it. All the years of strangers coming up to me and telling me their struggles and (often awkwardly) painful life stories finally made sense. I used to find it burdensome, but now that I know it’s my strongest trait and what enables me to help others heal, I find it to be a blessing.
But as with all blessings, they can often feel more like a curse.
Being an empath feels like being an oversoaked sponge. It’s important to have coping skills for detaching from the pain and negativity absorbed by others.
One of the things that I have incorporated into my empath self-care routine is salt baths.
Not technically using bath salts, but salt added to a bath.
BENEFITS OF ADDING SALT TO A BATH
- Detoxification. Adding salts, such as Celtic Sea Salt or Himalayan Pink Salt, to your bath helps to extract bodily toxins through the skin while leaving it soft, protected, and exfoliated.
- Restoration. A salt bath will recharge your vibration as the natural properties of the salt ionically restore the body while boosting immunity and natural healing.
- Pain relief. Salts, specifically Celtic Sea Salt and Himalayan Pink Salt, contain essential trace minerals such as calcium, potassium and magnesium, which aid in easing inflammation, strengthening bones and soothing the body’s connective tissues — raising your vibration. Salt baths are a great way to cleanse your body, spirit, and aura. The healing benefits of the salts accompanied by setting positive intentions can clear the body and mind of toxins, bacteria and negativity.
HOW TO ENHANCE YOUR SALT BATH
- Adding a few drops of essential oil can increase the benefits of a salt bath. Aromatherapy is one of the oldest and most powerful ways to improve sleep, manage pain, ease anxiety and boost immunity.
- Burning incense during a bath is a great way to raise your vibration and clear negative energy as it rises from the air surrounding your bathtub. Burning sandalwood incense can activate and help to stabilize the upper and lower chakras.
- Maybe light a candle (or two) to nurture your vibration, paying close attention to its colour; for example, a candle in the shade of lavender will help to soothe and facilitate spiritual insight, whereas a yellow candle will help increase the effectiveness of meditation.
THE PERFECT BATH FOR EMPATHS (AND HSPs)
- Be sure to bring a water bottle of cold water into the room to prevent dehydration or discomfort – you want this bath to heal you, so it’s vital to replenish the body!
- Physically cleanse before your bath by taking a quick shower.
- Run your bath to a temperature as hot as you can take it – to induce the most cleansing benefits but without causing discomfort.
- Add one cup (340 g) of Pink Himalayan Salt as the bathtub is filling up to ensure the salt dissolves fully into the water.
- Mix in 5-10 drops of Egyptian Musk essential oil. Musk oil repairs negative energy while balancing out emotional flow, increasing inner self-reflection and connection to the Higher Self.
- Soak in the bath for 20-30 minutes and free yourself from distractions (leave your phone in another room or place the phone on airplane mode).
- Boost your relaxation and cleansing by lighting a white candle to purify the immediate surrounding of your bathtub and offer more profound relaxation.
- Play soothing sounds or light music to increase relaxation and connection to self (I like this!).
- After your bath, there is no need to shower as the salt and oil will continue to clean and condition the skin. (Also, your skin will smell and feel amazing!)
HOW MANY SALT BATHS SHOULD I TAKE (CAN I OVERDO IT?)
As with anything, too much of a good thing can turn bad. In the case of salt baths for Empaths and Highly Sensitive People, a maximum of two per month is best. Why? Because Empaths and the Highly Sensitive Folk (and speaking from personal experience as one myself) are so vulnerable to overstimulation that too much self-care can lead to the opposite effect.
Of course, you can listen to your body and see what works for you, but this type of self-care raises your vibration and releases the surplus of external energies absorbed throughout daily life.
ARE YOU AN EMPATH OR A HIGHLY SENSITIVE PERSON? WHICH SELF-CARE PRACTICES HELP YOUR ‘ENERGY DETOX’ THE MOST?
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