This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Augustana chapter.

Towards the beginning of the school year, I started taking a serious interest in crystals, pendulums, and chakra healing and balancing meditations. These crystals and meditations have had a huge impact on my mental health and wellbeing this year. While struggling with depression throughout my junior year, I found myself struggling to find the motivation to go to classes or do activities that usually bring me so much joy. That is when I started wearing a citrine crystal my grandmother had given me. She said she was wearing it when she met my grandfather and shortly after she got him one just like. The citrine I wear around my neck on a daily basis is the same one my grandmother gave my grandfather to wear in the beginning years of their relationship.

Citrine is a great crystal for opening the chakras, but also, “Citrine promotes motivation, activates creativity and encourages self-expression. Enhances concentration and revitalises the mind. It releases negative traits, depression, fears and phobias” (Charms of Light). This citrine helped spark my interest in crystals. Since then, I have picked out quite a few crystals with properties that have improved my mental wellness. I also borrowed a few books and downloaded some audiobooks as well to expand my knowledge of the chakras.

Balancing my chakras is always a good way to clear my head and do a mental reset. A prime example of this was during a tough week: I had a paper due on Friday and I had intended to start writing it earlier but I had not been in the mental headspace to do it. I finally sat down and made a plan to align my chakras and then start my assignment.

This helped me to stop stressing over the fact that I had procrastinated or that I was feeling unmotivated. After clearing my head and becoming aligned I felt like I was finally able to start my assignment. In the end, my professor had emailed me about how well I did on the assignment. This only validated meditation for me and showed that getting into the right headspace before I start an assignment can be beneficial. In my experience, my mind is able to focus on the task at hand because I feel so calm and at peace.

Since becoming in touch with my chakras, I have balanced my two lowest chakras. The root chakra located at the perineum grounds us. I have no words to describe what it felt like after I had healed my root chakra. My entire body was zen and my mind was open and clear. This chakra is connected with the earth element. The next chakra is the sacral chakra which is located at the base of the tailbone. The sacral chakra is connected with water. To balance these chakras, I used guided meditations that focused on each one. Afterwards, I would listen to healing sounds for those chakras while reading more information or simply meditating on my own.

While I still have so much to learn about the chakras and crystals in general, I am grateful that I have started this journey. As silly as it may sound to some, balancing my chakras and meditation has truly improved my mental wellbeing. I have improved my self-communication because I am able to recognize when I have reached my limits and when I need a break. It has helped me reset and get in the right headspace as well.

I mentioned the word pendulum at the beginning of this article. Some people use their pendulums to communicate with their subconscious and ask questions that can help them through daily life. Others use it to learn about their past lives. Since getting my pendulum I have learned a lot about my past lives and how I was connected to certain people from this life in our past lives. Overall, I just find using my crystals, pendulum, and meditations have helped me connect better with myself and those around me.

If you are interested in trying some guided meditations or learning more about the chakras, I definitely recommend subscribing to Meditative Mind on Youtube. Here are some links to other guided meditations I started with and the books I used as well.

A Ten Minute Guided Meditation to Clear Your Mind

Relieve Pain and Suffering and Heal Yourself

Guided MindfulnessMeditation on Self-Love and Self- Worth

10 Minute Chakra Balance Guided Meditation for Positive Energy

Root Chakra Healing

Sacral Chakra Healing

Chakra Bundle Book Link

Chakras Made Easy by: Anodea Judith