This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "Good Vibes, Good Life" by Vex King. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading.
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What does it mean to “vibe high”? How do you raise your vibrational frequency to a higher level?
According to mind coach Vex King, maintaining a high vibrational frequency requires loving yourself, using positive body language, taking care of your body and mind, being grateful, turning negativity around, and embracing the present moment.
Here’s how to raise vibrations in these six ways.
Tip #1: Practice Self-Love
Self-love is composed of two parts: total acceptance of yourself (appreciating who you are and where you are in life) and taking action to improve yourself. King warns that many people fail at improving themselves because they fail to truly accept and love themselves no matter where they are at the present moment.
(Shortform note: Health experts second King’s assertion, explaining that self-love motivates us to make healthy life choices and nurture our well-being. They define self-love as a state of appreciation for yourself that results in physical, psychological, and spiritual growth, which include the two components King presents: self-acceptance and self-improvement. Further, experts explain that when we’re motivated to take care of our body and mind we are also more resilient to mental hardships and physical ailments.)
There are a number of suggestions King makes to help you learn to love and accept yourself:
Love your appearance: Many people get down on themselves about not looking perfect because society pressures us to compare ourselves to others. King reminds us that there’s no such thing as the “perfect” appearance. Beauty standards constantly change, but regardless, these are all social constructs that mean nothing. Appreciate your uniqueness.
Appreciate your inner beauty: Are you intelligent, artistic, kind, compassionate, generous? There are so many wonderful things about you that add to the world. Remember and appreciate these things.
Celebrate your achievements: Remind yourself of all the amazing things you’ve accomplished, big and small, and celebrate these things. If you are proud of a project you completed, celebrate by making your favorite dinner or meeting with friends. This will help you love and appreciate yourself.
Forgive yourself: Everyone makes mistakes, but the only thing you can do about it is learn from it. You can’t change the past.
Check your behavior: Are there things you’re doing that are hindering your progress? Bad habits, addiction, toxic relationships? We have the power to change, but we need to take action and be consistent to achieve these changes.
Tip #2: Use Positive Body Language
Another thing King says we should do to raise our vibration is adopt confident, positive body language because research shows that how you act outwardly can affect how you feel inwardly. So even if you’re feeling down, faking a smile is actually proven to help you feel better.
Further, studies have shown that doing power poses for two minutes per day can increase testosterone, the confidence hormone, by 20% and decrease cortisol, the stress hormone, by 25%.
(Shortform note: Psychologists second King’s assertion, explaining that positive body language such as making eye contact, leaning forward during conversations, standing up straight, keeping your chin up, slowing your movements, taking larger steps, and speaking slowly and clearly can make you feel more positive and confident. However, medical experts caution that multiple studies have proven that expansive posture, like power poses, has zero impact on testosterone and cortisol levels. So while power poses and positive body language might make you feel better, there’s no evidence that they have any effect on your body chemistry.)
Tip #3: Take Care of Your Body and Mind
King explains that you can’t maintain high vibrations if your body and mind aren’t healthy, so you need to take good care of them by getting outside often and eating well.
Based on a 1991 study, King argues that being in nature can improve your emotional state and psychological well-being.
(Shortform note: Multiple studies have proven King’s point, showing that—as long as people feel safe—spending time in nature improves well-being. It can lower blood pressure and stress hormones, reduce arousal of the nervous system, enhance immune function, increase self-esteem, reduce anxiety, and boost good moods.)
And, sunlight gives us vitamin D, which encourages the production and release of serotonin—the happiness hormone.
(Shortform note: Experts explain that not only does sunlight improve your emotional state and psychological well-being, but a lack of sunlight can cause Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a type of depression resulting from a lack of vitamin D. And while there are supplements and vitamin D-efficient food we can eat to try and counter this effect, research on whether or not these help with SAD is limited. Professionals say the best way to cure SAD when we lack access to real sun is through phototherapy—the practice of standing in front of a special lamp that emits safe UV light for around 20 minutes every day.)
In Good Vibes, Good Life, King explains how to raise vibrations using food. He says that foods actually have a vibrational frequency, so putting healthy, high-vibrational food in your body will increase your frequency while eating bad foods will do the opposite.
A 1949 study reported that foods like fresh fruit, raw vegetables, whole grains, olives, and many types of nuts have very high frequencies. Foods like boiled vegetables, dairy, eggs, natural sweeteners, and cooked fish have slightly lower but still decent frequencies.
On the other hand, foods like cooked meat, coffee and tea, and processed sweets and cheeses have low frequencies. And foods that contain margarine, refined sugars, bleached flour, and alcoholic spirits have no vibration at all. So, if you want to raise your vibration, eat more high-vibrational foods and fewer low-vibrational ones.
Tip #4: Be Grateful
When bad things happen, it can be difficult to think of the positive things in life, but King argues that always being grateful for where you are and what you have is a sure-fire way to emit good vibes.
If you have trouble finding things to be grateful for, King recommends thinking about the things you use on a daily basis (like your car, kitchen appliances, or phone) and imagining what life would be like without them. What would happen if you didn’t have that thing? For example, if you didn’t have an oven or stove, you would spend hours gathering wood, building a fire, and waiting for your food to slowly cook. Consider these things and be grateful for what you have.
Tip #5: Turn Your Bad Emotions Into Good Ones
By paying attention to how you feel, you can recognize your own negativity and reverse it, turning your bad vibes into good ones.
King recommends doing this by first identifying the emotion you feel—is it anger, jealousy, sadness, regret? Then, consider whether these feelings are appropriate based on the situation—have you made false assumptions, exaggerated the situation, or had a misunderstanding?
Next, think about the underlying reason you had the feelings—does it stem from insecurity, fear of abandonment, or lack of trust? Now replace the negative emotion by thinking of something positive—remember a time you felt the opposite emotion. Finally, think of how you can rewire your response to avoid the negative reaction next time a similar situation occurs.
Tip #6 Live in the Present Moment by Meditating
When you live in the present moment, you’re immune to the negative feelings you have when lamenting about the past or worrying about the future. King explains that the key to living in the present moment is through meditation, which decreases negative emotions that cause us distress while increasing our ability to stay calm and feel joy in the moment.
Ultimately, meditation gives you a break from constant thinking and a chance to be your authentic self. He says that you’ll see and feel a difference after meditating only 15 minutes a day for 30 days.
(Shortform note: In 10% Happier, Dan Harris elaborates on King’s point by explaining why meditation helps us stay present—because it helps us separate our “self” from the thinking voice in our head that belongs to our ego. This thinking voice is what causes negative thoughts—lamenting about the past and worrying about the future. He adds that the key takeaways from mediation that will help us resist negativity and remain present are learning to respond rather than react, how to be compassionate, and how to worry less and only worry when it’s helpful.)
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- Why the key to living your dream life is to have good vibrations
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- Tips on how to avoid suffering and negative energy
