How To Use Healing Crystals For Anxiety And Depression

How are crystals formed?

Crystals or gemstones are crystallized minerals that form naturally within the earth. Crystallization is the orderly arrangement of atoms in repetitive patterns. Crystals mostly are formed from a combination of minerals and their structure is complex. 

When rocks on the surface of the earth wear by the action of natural forces, mineral deposits in them will come loose. Rainwater and wind will gather these minerals and deposit them in the cracks and crevices on the earth’s surface. These minerals mixed with groundwater will ultimately get deposited deep inside the earth in layers. 

At high temperatures, these minerals remain as such without change. When it cools down, crystals form. For each mineral, the threshold for crystallization is different. This means that different minerals in the same solution will crystallize at different temperatures and at different times. 

Pressure has no role to play in the crystallization process. However, pressure is vital in bringing together diverse crystalized minerals to form a gemstone. Very high temperature and pressure are essential for this process. Time is also important. The entire process takes a couple of hundred thousand years. 

How do crystals heal?

Everything in this Universe is made up of energy and is in a constant state of vibration. However, each one of them is vibrating at its own frequency and this may change when it absorbs or loses energy. 

The formation of crystals involves high-energy processes and some of this energy gets trapped in them. Due to this, crystals are always vibrating at higher energy levels. Crystals continue to emit this energy into their surroundings.

When we come into contact with a crystal, we absorb some of its energy. This will make us vibrate at a higher frequency. When our frequency is low and that of the crystal is higher, energy transfer happens. We align our energy with the frequency of the crystal. 

When our vibrational frequency goes up, this will be visible in all aspects of our life. Physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually we feel better. Better health, a positive attitude, being physically more active, and a state of being happy and content are the most pronounced among them.

When you are feeling low or suffering from ill health, you can help get better with crystals. 

What are grounding stones?

Grounding stones are the gemstones used to heal the problems of the mind, especially stress and anxiety disorders. Humans discovered the amazing powers of crystals to help them calm down. Known by various names, grounding rocks, worry stones, or therapy rocks, these healing crystals are an integral part of the mindfulness practice. 

These calming crystals reduce anxiety by:

• Turning your focus toward your senses
• Providing distraction from worries
• Offering themselves as something for you to focus on
• Giving you comfort in a physical sense
• Serving as a reminder to practice mindfulness

How can mindfulness help with stress and anxiety?

When you are agitated or suffering from mental health ailments like anxiety and depression, it activates the amygdala, the part of the brain associated with emotions. It is considered the integrative center for emotions, emotional behavior, and motivation and forms the core of a neural system for processing fearful and threatening stimuli.

An overactive amygdala leads to an amygdala hijack. This is an over-the-top response to a stimulus and much more than what the threat warrants. 

Mindfulness is all about being aware of physical surroundings, emotional ups and downs, your thoughts, and everything else you are going through. This heightened level of awareness can help you divert your attention from harmful thoughts and things and help focus on the positives in your environment. Multiple studies have confirmed that this can change the functioning of the brain.

When you are suffering from stress, anxiety, and depression, rumination is something you cannot avoid. You will go through the episodes that have been troubling you a million times. With this happening, no wonder you find it difficult to focus on anything worthwhile. 

Triggering the senses is a common practice in mindfulness exercises. Such as a distinct smell, vivid colors, soothing music, invigorating touch, and delectable taste. Holding an ice cube is often followed by mindfulness practitioners.

Crystals can help in raising your mindfulness by imparting extra energy to you. Depending on the energy contained in a crystal, the change they cause in you also differs. There are grounding stones for motivation, kindness, and healing.

How to use a worry stone for anxiety?

Your grounding is associated with your root chakra, located at the base of the spine. When this chakra is blocked or out of alignment, you will feel ungrounded, the most visible effects of which are stress and anxiety. 

When you are suffering from anxiety and depression, the obvious culprit is the imbalanced root chakra. To regain your grounding or sense of self, you need to focus on yourself. “I am, I exist, I’m safe”. Grounding stones offer you a simple way to bring back balance in your root chakra. 

Let’s see how to use grounding stones for anxiety and stress.

1. Choose a stone that works best for you. (This is explained in the later section)
2. Pick a time and spot without distractions and disturbances. 
3. You may build the right ambiance with soft lighting, soothing music, and even scented candles.
4. You may do a short 5-minute meditation session to help clear your mind.
5. Sit in a position that is comfortable for you. Yoga poses like vajrasana, siddhasana, and padmasana are the most recommended sitting positions.
6. Closing your eyes is highly recommended as this will help you stay focused. 
7. Hold the stone in your hand.
8. Feel the stone through your senses. Such as its texture, size, weight, and temperature. 
9. Turn your attention to your reaction while holding the stone. How is it making you feel?
10. Take care not to rush through this stage. Take your time. Spend as much time as you want in this step to figure out your physical sensations as well as emotional feelings.
11. Become aware of what is happening around you. What can you hear? When you are focusing on the stone, your mind tends to tune out other sounds.
12. Once you feel satisfied with this step, open your eyes and look at the stone.
13. Notice all its physical features like color, patterns, imperfections, and shape. Take your time to fully absorb everything about the stone. In life, you are so used to glancing at things and forming images and opinions. Avoid this and observe the stone in the real sense.
14. Turn your focus back to the physical sensations. How does it make you feel to hold the stone in your palm? 
15. Spend as much time as you want in this pose. When you feel satisfied, you may wind up the session. 

This grounding technique is found to be beneficial to an overwhelming majority of those who have tried it. This process helps in bringing back the focus to the present and raising your awareness of your physical and emotional feelings.

If done regularly, this will help reprogram your mind to remain calm. Without much time and effort, you will be able to regain your composure and calmness just by holding the crystal.

How to choose healing crystals for anxiety and panic attacks?

Before you go crystal shopping, you need to do some work on yourself to figure out what you are ailing from. Each crystal comes with a certain energy and hence will benefit those who are lacking or falling short in that particular energy. 

Find out the root cause of your anxiety and depression. What is the trigger? How is it making you feel? Have you found a way to make you feel better?

Armed with answers to these questions, you are ready to go shopping for healing crystals.

If you are using the services of a healer to help you with crystal therapy, you can ask for help from them in choosing the right stone. Another choice for you is to use the internet to read up about various crystals and find the right one.

Better still is to go by your intuition. Walk into the shop selling crystals. Take your time holding the crystals one by one in your hand and figuring out how it makes you feel. You may also use your visual sense to pick out the right healing crystal. 

Or you can use a combination of all these approaches. Go with the choice that makes you feel like saying, “This is the one for me”. Without you knowing, your subconscious is guiding you to the right grounding stone. The instant connection you feel is the most important aspect you should be looking for.

How to care for healing crystals?

After buying the crystals you will be using them for years whenever you feel the need for them. You must now be aware that these crystals share with you some of their positive energy and take in your negative energy.

Constant use of crystals over a long period will result in the crystal having overall negative energy. The negative energy absorbed from you will remain in it if you do nothing to remove it. Caring for crystals is important to benefit from them for a long period.

This leads us to the question “How to get rid of the negative energy in healing crystals?”

You have a few options to choose from.

• Hold the crystal under running water for a few minutes.
• Keep it immersed in sea salt.
• Leave in the sunlight or moonlight for some time.
• Smear your crystals with healing herbs like sage.

The method you choose depends on the crystal you have chosen. While most stones remain intact and get cleansed when washed in water, there are a few that turn toxic. Some even disintegrate when dunked in water. 

Most crystals come with a guide telling you how best to care for them. Read it before proceeding with this step.

It is not only after using the crystals that you need to think about cleansing it of negative energy. A shop-bought crystal may have energy that is detrimental to your well-being. Before using them, make sure that you are purging the negativity from them.

Another important point to note here is your attitude towards healing crystals and crystal therapy. Crystals can work their magic only if you believe in them wholeheartedly. Your mental cleansing is as vital for the success of this therapy.