Pearl Nash
Bad vibes go way beyond just a gut feeling. They usually indicate that something is off…
Try to remember the last time you felt that someone is giving you bad vibes. I bet you felt like there was no reason to feel this way, but somehow you still didn’t want to be around that person, right?
Believe it or not, there’s actual science behind why we’re feeling that someone can be dangerous to us.
You can get a weird feeling even from the most popular and liked people. But no matter their social status, your gut knows the truth..
Do you want to know more about this feeling and why you get it?
Read on to learn 10 reasons why you’re getting bad vibes from someone
1) Bad days = Bad vibes
When I’m in a foul mood, you can bet my vibes are entirely off the chart in the worst possible way.
Everyone can have bad days, it’s normal, and I think it’s healthy.
Are you telling me you’re happy 365 days a year, 24 hours a day?
Hard to believe.
But beyond having bad days, it’s known that our emotions have a lot of power over us. They can change our body language in positive and negative ways.
If you’re an especially sensitive person, you know what I mean.
Intense emotions are almost unmanageable. They will project outside whether we want them or not.
If the feeling is negative, our vibes will be negative as well.
It will show up in our way of moving, our body language, our facial expressions, and even our voice. We might end up lowering the vibe of the entire room!
2) Your subconscious has something to tell you
Our subconscious mind picks up on a lot of information that we don’t immediately process unless necessary.
This is the most common reason someone can seem “off” when we meet them.
They’re probably:
- Not making enough eye contact or making too much eye contact for someone’s liking;
- Sending mixed signs with their body language, like fidgeting or moving the hands too much;
- Being erratic or “fake”, as in smiling too widely and speaking too loudly.
They can also remind you of someone else you don’t like.
For example, I get immediate bad vibes from guys that act like my ex, even if it’s a small thing. I pick it up right away!
3) Check on your past trauma
This ties very closely with the example I gave you about my ex.
Past trauma can help us pick up on bad vibes, but it’s also our responsibility to know when we’re simply “getting ideas” without actual proof.
Bad vibes could be from our past traumatic experiences.
The U.S. National Library of Medicine published a study in 2015 about this topic.
According to them, “childhood trauma is a common social problem. Individuals with childhood trauma show much more depression, anxiety, distorted cognition, personality deficits, and lower levels of social support.”
What does this mean?
In a nutshell, it means that if you haven’t healthily processed trauma, it will show up in every aspect of your life.
Maybe, if you’ve had trauma from an ex, you’re missing out on meeting awesome folks just because they have the same name or a similar mannerism.
The good thing is that this trauma also helps you find people in a similar situation as yours, so you can help and heal each other!
4) You might dislike them
Now here’s a little confession.
When I know someone doesn’t like me, especially if they haven’t known me for long, I go out of my way to be especially annoying.
Why? I have no idea.
Maybe because I like to pick on their prejudice, but also because I can feel it, and it’s… not nice.
If you relate to what I’m saying, though, you know there comes a time when questions start to plague your mind:
- Why do they dislike me? What did I do?
- They’re so annoying; I’d hate being liked by them. Right?
- I don’t even care. I won’t get close to them either way.
Unfortunately, this just means both of you will be feeding off each other’s bad energy until one of you either get away or gets over it.
5) If someone complains a lot…they aren’t attractive
Ugh, complainers are the actual worst.
I had a friend who only contacted me to complain about her life. Nothing good ever happened!
Talking to her always drained me of energy and optimism, to the point where I had to cut her off once she started being toxic.
Complainers, in my opinion, tend to overhype their woes to get attention and compassion.
It tires everyone and leaves them with fewer friends than before.
If you recognize this pattern, you might be getting bad vibes from the right people, so to speak.
Make a quick exit!
6) Bullies give bad vibes to everyone
Let’s nuance this conversation a little bit.
Sometimes laughing about someone else’s pain isn’t terrible.
For example, a comedy movie where the main character is kicked in the nuts can be funny. It doesn’t mean that you’re being cruel by laughing.
However, from time to time, you can encounter the kind of people who will laugh at someone’s disgrace without remorse.
This is what bullying is about, and so many adults enjoy bullying others even growing past high-school.
At one point in life, I had a very cruel group of friends who would laugh and belittle me at the smallest mistake: a mispronounced word, a moment of distraction, a physical attribute I was insecure about… you name it.
So, what’s the difference between a good person who laughs at disgraces and a cruel person who’s a bully?
Good people won’t laugh when someone is hurt or humiliated. They will get angry and try to protect the victim.
Bullies will be cruel and uncaring. They’ll mistreat others and act in a mean way.
7) Introverts and bad vibes
I am an introvert, and I can come off as weird when people first meet me. I’ve been told I speak very little!
New people intimidate me, so I avoid eye contact.
Sometimes I disappear from the party for a little bit… it’s all until I am comfortable enough to be myself, but I understand why some folks can’t make up their minds about me.
If you get bad vibes from someone you just met, they’re likely too shy and introverted, and this is why it’s so confusing to you.
There’s a difference between being creepy and being socially awkward!
You’ll be surprised if you get to know an introvert. They can be lots of fun!
8) Psychological suffering isn’t a joke
Sometimes your trauma allows you to detect someone with bad vibes.
To give you an example…
I remember one time I reconnected with a friend from high school. We started talking and I learned that she’d gone through a lot of problems in the past couple of years.
Financial issues, family problems, a painful break-up… you name it, and she’d gone through it.
She was completely broken at that point in her life, and even though she tried staying cheerful, I could tell that she was going through a rough patch.
If one of your friends is like this, their vibes are bad but not from cruelty. They’re sad or even depressed, and they need you.
Unless the friendship turns toxic, this is where you need to step up and be there for them as a friend.
Unprocessed trauma makes us all the kind of people who give off bad vibes.
9) Someone is too self-centered
When I say “self-centered,” I mean the people that complain about their problems all the time.
People who can’t stop talking about themselves are annoying, and their vibes?
The worst.
Talking about yourself too much gives off the vibe that you’re not sure of who you are, and that insecurity leads you to make other people feel that something is off.
Others can pick up on this insecurity and get put off by such behavior.
At the same time, if you brag about yourself too much… your friends are probably working on their tolerance levels too!
Get professional help if you feel like you’re lost or can’t figure things out. It doesn’t hurt to let others help you!
10) Never resting the gaze
If someone’s eyes are jumping all over the place, their vibes might be very low for others.
It speaks about a lack of attention, concern, and anxiety.
Understanding other people’s gaze is important in non-verbal communication, and this is why someone with a different way of looking at people and things can come off as weird or downright bad.
What to do when someone’s vibes are awful
I am a journalist, and I’ve met all kinds of people all over the world thanks to my job.
Some of them, rich people with a lot of power, gave off such bad vibes that my fight-or-flight instinct was screaming in my head.
When I’m in a situation like that, this is what I do.
1) Try to reason this feeling
A negative feeling doesn’t equal bad vibes every time.
As I’ve stated before, perhaps the person isn’t feeling well physically or just feels low on energy.
This energy can be considered “disturbed,” not necessarily bad.
We don’t always stay in the same frequency; we can improve– and get worse! – but it’s important to give people the benefit of the doubt.
Plus, it’s a good way to protect your energy.
2) Practice detachment
I used to feel low for hours after talking to someone negatively or being in a negative space.
When I practiced keeping my energetic and psychological boundaries, things got a lot better for me. I can now say “no” without breaking a sweat.
This way, I get to choose things that uplift me instead of dragging me down.
This is how I did it:
- I started by asking myself if I wanted something or not.
- Then, if the answer was negative, I practiced saying no without justifying myself.
- I checked how I felt after the event: was it a good choice? Should I rethink?
It helped me develop an internal compass and get better at evaluating my energy levels and how I will compromise them.
Now, I can also use this internal compass to know when something is coming from myself or someone else.
3) Move around a bit
Most of us have trouble separating our energy from other people’s.
Fortunately, I’ve got good news.
It helps to physically move away from them!
Moving away doesn’t only help with the “small” annoyances, like the person’s tone of voice or topic of conversation, but it helps us recenter our energy.
It’s especially good if you consider yourself an empath because you can take a moment to rest if it’s not possible to move away from them for good.
4) Stay in your power
Center your energy as many times as you need it. Use it to protect yourself from negative influences.
People with bad vibes can and will often steal your good energy from you, even when they don’t mean to. Remember that you’re you, and they can’t affect you if you don’t let them.
Make this a conscious choice however many times you need to.
5) Start practicing mindfulness
I don’t meditate for two hours a day. I don’t need that, and I don’t have the time to do that either.
However, I do take breaks to be mindful very often. It helps me throughout the day and keeps me balanced.
I can release negative patterns of thought and detect my progress this way!
6) Affirmations can help a lot
Affirmations have been used for the longest time to help us with our energy. Sometimes it’s a mantra, others a prayer, and today we call them affirmations.
They must be:
- Conjugated in the present tense (I am…).
- Positive (avoid negative language at all costs when creating your affirmations).
- Chakra-aligned (it depends on what area you want to improve).
If you want to release blockages in your throat charka, one of the affirmations you might use is something like: “I can speak the truth with honesty and delicacy.”
7) Use helpful mental images
A lot of people –myself included– tend to use mental pictures to protect our energy.
When I worked in a toxic environment, I used to visualize golden armor all around me that protected me from my coworker’s negative vibes.
It helped me so much that by the end of the year, I was genuinely enjoying my job!
Some folks prefer to think of a blue or violet light surrounding them, while others sing a special song in their minds or have affirmations in place.
The more you practice, the more effective your protection will be.
8) Have a positive mindset
Being helpful, being grateful, and thinking good thoughts go a long way in improving our vibes and energy levels.
You have to make a conscious choice to improve your outlook on life. You are responsible for the vibes you give off, after all.
9) Take a bath with herbs and salt
Even though you might have resources for protecting your energy, people can still get to you and affect your mood.
When I’m feeling tired and overwhelmed, a shower can reset my energy levels very quickly.
Sometimes I add salt and essential oils like rosemary, and I turn on my favorite song.
It’s not necessary if you bathe or shower with intention. Water is magical and cleansing anyways. Just touching it, you will feel a lot better if you let it cleanse your aura.
It also brings your mind back to your body and eases up anxiety and depression.
In a nutshell
The essential thing to do when you get bad vibes from someone is that you trust yourself. Honor yourself and your gut feelings, and you will be protected most of the time.
You don’t need to like someone only because everybody else seems to do so.
You can totally have a different opinion!
If you stay in alignment with your values, you will live a better life.
In addition, work through your trauma and prejudices. You have to be able to form healthy relationships, and the best way to do so is to work on your mental and physical health first.
Believe me, the benefits will last your entire life.
