Is My Solar Plexus Blocked? How To Heal The Energy Source That Controls Weight, Worry And Self-Esteem

The chakras are traditionally believed to be points of energy that sustain human life. In the Vedic practice, it is thought that these 7 points are situated vertically throughout the body, and each resonates with a different fundamental aspect of livelihood.

The lower chakras – near the groin – relate to our fundamental need for safety and survival. The upper chakras – in the third eye and above the head – relate to wisdom, universal knowledge, and unconditional love. The other chakras in between deal with basically everything else, from relationships to creativity.

One of the most talked about chakras is the solar plexus chakra. It is located in the upper abdomen, and typically represented by the color yellow. The solar plexus chakra governs things like self-worth, place in the “tribe,” confidence, money and purpose.

The solar plexus is located between the heart chakra and the sacral chakra. The heart governs love and inner peace, and the sacral governs sensuality, emotion, pleasure and new experiences. It is common that if your solar plexus is blocked, the energy stream is disrupted and the chakras closest to it will also be weak.

Sometimes, this can be confused for having an issue in your personal relationships, or with your ability to open up to new experiences or sensual pleasures. This is because to do either of those things, you need to have a firm sense of self and safety, which is why healing the solar plexus is so important.

Of all the chakras, people tend to struggle with the solar plexus the most. This is because it is easier for human beings to balance their root chakra (to feel fundamentally safe and not in an immediate risk of threat or danger) but a lot harder for them to conceptualize their self-worth. In other words: it’s easier to accept that you are alive than it is to rationalize what you are alive for.

These are the most common symptoms of a weak or blocked solar plexus chakra:

1. Oscillating self-esteem: either feeling worthless and inferior or unrealistically superior and “perfect,” with little to no in-between.

2. Obsession with how to make oneself “safe,” whether that is through overeating, attaching to unhealthy relationships or jobs, refusing to take risks, being adverse to change, etc.

3. Past issues that relate to the time in your life in which you were ages 15-22. This is the time in which your solar plexus is developed.

4. Being resistant to change, even if that change is ultimately for the better.

5. Failing to trust that you will be able to cope with whatever challenges life brings.

6. Easily anxious or depressed over circumstances that, in retrospect, were probably an overreaction.

7. Having poor self-esteem, feeling as though you are constantly judged, unlovable, or disliked.

8. Grappling with all different types of addictions (even subtle ones) like food, alcohol, money, or even bad relationships.

9. Struggling with self-discipline, frustration that you cannot will yourself to perform better, do more or less, etc.

10. Feeling as though the joy of life no longer exists, that it is just a game of trying to get by and ensuring that you “make it,” or in other words, just survive.

11. Feeling disconnected from your history, disassociating from friends, family or old places you used to live.

12. Struggling with a deep sense of shame over who you are.

13. You feel like a victim to your life’s circumstances, and fear that you will have no control if someone or something strips you of what you perceive to keep you “safe,” such as money or love.

This is how you can heal your solar plexus chakra:

1. Wear and surround yourself with the color yellow, which is the color that resonates at the same vibration of the solar plexus.

2. Do things each day that bring you simple pleasure and joy.

3. Do some soul-searching: journal about what you value and what you don’t, what you enjoy and what you don’t, what you aspire to be and what you don’t. This will help you discover who you really are.

4. Let go of your old self-concept. You are not that person anymore. You do not need to have shame about that person, nor did you ever have to.

5. Start doing things that scare or intimidate you. These are the things you actually want, but your self-esteem is telling you that you are not good enough to have.

6. Work on re-writing your inner narrative to support you and transform your experience of life. Focus on thoughts like: “I am powerful and I am my own hero.”

7. Get to the root cause of your deepest emotions, and then intellectualize that experience. Write down clearly how you felt, why it happened, and why you’re carrying it with you. Being able to explain it will help heal it.

8. Communicate to others clearly. Explain as best you can what you want and what you expect, and do so with as much grace as possible.

9. Stop resisting what you want.

10. To figure out what you really want look at what makes you most jealous of others.

11. Take action on your finances: start a savings account, apply for a new job, or make it a point to get your money organized.

12. Explore different religions and philosophies until you find one that speaks to you the most, or helps you rationalize life a bit better.

13. Understand that what you love in others is what you love in yourself, and what you dislike in others is what you cannot see in yourself.

14. When you are jealous, remember that it has really nothing to do with what someone else does or doesn’t have, and everything to do with what you will and won’t allow yourself to have. 

15. Know that your purpose is just to be alive, and whatever else you do from there is just extra.

16. Disconnect from people who make you feel as though you have to prove your worth, or who make you feel “less than” them.

Most importantly, when it comes to healing one of your chakras, remember this:

The chakra is already in perfect health. It cannot be any other way. It is only your mind that has to realize it is already healed, and then it will be.

Your energy systems cannot actually be blocked or unwell, it is only your mind that can disrupt them and create discord. Once you heal that, you can change everything. Thought Catalog Logo Mark

January Nelson is a writer, editor, and dreamer. She writes about astrology, games, love, relationships, and entertainment. January graduated with an English and Literature degree from Columbia University.