Healing crystals have long been used as tools to promote mental and physical wellness as well as bring luck, love, etc. They have long been utilized by different cultures around the world and now find widespread acceptance within wellness communities worldwide.

These tools may take the form of wands (to direct energy away from and toward certain parts of the body) and geodes, or raw and tumbled stones.

Grounding

Crystals can be an extremely useful way to ground your energy and bring balance back into your life, particularly if you feel overly anxious or “floaty”. Holding onto grounding stones such as black tourmaline, hematite or amethyst will help bring focus and ease your mind.

Other than holding stones for grounding purposes, another way of using them to ground yourself is to create a grounding stone altar. Create an intention and select healing crystals that support that intention before adding them to the altar. When feeling unsteady or need to ground yourself quickly, simply pick up and hold one or more stones while thinking of your intention.

Additionally, many people find that placing grounding stones near or on their nightstand helps promote restful sleep and enhance dream recall. Weighted blankets with inclusions of hematite or amethyst can also have this same impact.

Manifestation

Manifestation (otherwise known as the law of attraction) is the practice of using positive thoughts and energies to bring your desired reality into being. This technique can be an invaluable addition to your healing arsenal!

Implementing manifestation as part of your healing journey can help ease you into the new chapter of your life with calm certainty and joy. For example, when searching for new job roles, considering all possible possibilities within and outside your current employer.

But manifestation practices must be undertaken with caution and ethical consideration in mind. Overemphasis on manifestation as a way to control external circumstances can foster entitlement, shirk personal responsibility and compromise efforts toward genuine growth and resilience – particularly within marginalized communities.

Protection

If your life seems overwhelming or disorganized, protection crystals may provide much-needed support. According to popular belief, these stones shield your aura and boost positive energy.

Crystal healers believe that crystals have the power to cleanse, detoxify and align your chakras–vortices of energy located throughout your body. According to Healthline, different crystals hold special healing powers for specific parts of the body–amethyst is believed to benefit digestion while green aventurine offers heart protection.

As with other holistic healing practices, crystals lack strong scientific proof that they possess real-world powers. Still, it’s reasonable to be skeptical. Before purchasing any crystals online or from local shops, always do your research first and purchase from responsible sources that ensure a positive experience – such as using these rocks responsibly in their mining locations – which may make all the difference to your experience with rocks – for instance by not mining in impoverished nations with poor environmental policies (please see link below for further reading).

Love

Rose quartz, widely recognized as the love stone, is believed to promote connection, harmony and peace within relationships as well as encouraging self-love. Many find its healing properties helpful when recovering from past relationships or increasing self-worth after experiencing one.

Crystal healing practitioners believe each stone carries its own distinct energy vibrations that can help boost immunity, concentration, emotional processing and stress reduction. Holding onto a crystal with specific intentions in mind – similar to mindfulness meditation’s purpose-driven mindset – may help keep you grounded throughout the day.

That being said, there’s no scientific proof that crystals can actually cure anxiety or depression; however, including them in your wellness routine can be an enjoyable way to relax and support mental health, provided you follow your doctor or psychologist’s advice. Just make sure your crystals are regularly cleansed to eliminate negative energy build-up (we suggest leaving it outside under the moon for 24 hours as one way of cleansing them!). Emily Rekstis lives and writes from New York City and contributes her beauty expertise and lifestyle insights for various publications including Greatist Racked Self and others.