Signs your solar plexus chakra is blocked and how to heal it

Our bodies channel energy through various centres that influence our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. These energy centres, called chakras, each regulate specific types of energy within us. We have seven main chakras: the crown, third eye, throat, heart, solar plexus, sacral, and root. Together, they enable a balanced flow of life force energy, fostering harmony and contentment in our daily lives. Many people explore chakra balancing to invite greater joy, health, peace, and inspiration into their lives, seeing it as a pathway to release deep-rooted issues and replace limiting patterns with growth and happiness.

What is the solar plexus chakra?

Located in the upper abdomen, just above the navel, the solar plexus chakra is central to our personal identity and sense of power. When energy flows freely through this chakra, we experience clarity, self-assuredness, and a strong sense of direction in life. A balanced solar plexus chakra enables us to step out of our comfort zones and embrace life’s challenges with confidence. However, when this chakra is blocked, we may feel powerless, directionless, and overly influenced by others’ opinions. Below are some key signs of a blocked solar plexus chakra and practical steps to restore its balance.

5 signs your solar plexus chakra may be blocked

1. Relationships feel restrictive 

Instead of adding to your life, your relationships may feel oppressive and restrictive. You might feel like a watered-down version of yourself around your partner, routinely dimming your light to avoid conflict. Perhaps you also feel the urge to control your partner or find that they’re constantly trying to control you.

2. Procrastination and low motivation

You struggle to conjure up the willpower to start tasks (small or big). Pouring your love and attention into one assignment and producing a quality piece of work may rarely feel feasible because of your distracted mind. You may spend a lot of time scrolling on your phone, staring into space, or striking up conversations with the people around you instead of fulfilling your work or personal duties. 

3. Daydreaming

Even though you are bursting with ideas, hopes, and dreams, you rarely bring your exciting visions into reality — they tend to remain an idea in your head. You spend a lot of time daydreaming instead of developing and producing.

4. Fear-based decision-making

You lack the confidence and self-trust to try new activities, meet new people, and travel to different places. Rather than embracing uncertainty, you obsess over avoiding it (and this leaves you stuck in your comfort zone). You may try to predict the future so much that you never live in the present moment. In an attempt to protect yourself, you constantly try to control all outcomes in life (even though this is impossible).

5. Low self-esteem 

You struggle to like yourself, advocate for your needs, have confidence in your inner beauty and aspirations, and make decisions on your own. Furthermore, not trusting in your internal compass ultimately means you stifle and judge your authentic self, seeing the truest version of you as unworthy. 

3 ways to unblock the solar plexus chakra 

1. Eat to nourish the solar plexus chakra

We can balance the solar plexus chakra by eating certain foods, herbs, and spices. When we do this, we help to support the energy funnelling process and advance the efficiency of the chakra. It’s important to know that this way of healing should be paired with other practices that introduce fundamental changes in our lifestyles. 

Recommended foods:

• yellow peppers
• bananas
• sunflower seeds
• pineapple
• squash
• lentils
• corn
• fennel

Recommended herbs and spices:

• ginger
• turmeric 
• cinnamon
• chamomile 
• dandelion
• saffron

2. Intuitive movement

The solar plexus chakra thrives when you move your body — the only important factor is that you genuinely enjoy doing it. Forcing yourself to do physical activity that feels uncomfortable and tiresome disrupts energy flow in the solar plexus chakra. So, listening to your authentic desires and moving your body in a way that feels fun, creative, and spirit-lifting, for you personally, is key. 

You want to associate moving your body with joy and pleasure, not punishment. In fact, if your workouts leave you feeling utterly exhausted, low, and uninspired, you will throw your solar plexus chakra more off balance (not to mention put yourself in a bad mood).

You might initially struggle to find the motivation to move your body (this is normal), but once you begin, you want to feel a sense of exhilaration and gratitude. If you often find yourself thinking, “Wow I enjoyed that", after a workout, you are on the right track!

Try these fun ways to move your body:

• Go to your local park with a hula hoop or skipping rope and enjoy your surroundings whilst you do a workout. 
• Find a quiet spot in nature where you have plenty of space, listen to your favourite tunes, and dance freely. 
• Practice doing cartwheels, barrel rolls, or whatever feels fun in your back garden. 

3. Authenticity

If you have a blocked solar plexus chakra, the likelihood is that you live your life according to other people’s needs rather than your own. You become an inauthentic version of yourself and develop low self-esteem when you consistently prioritise impressing others. That’s why listening to what genuinely feels right for you is important — this is the most powerful thing you can do to help the solar plexus chakra find balance.

Affirmations

Affirmation practice is a great way to connect with our more honest and true selves. While we can repeat statements that feel optimistic they still have to feel within reach. It’s advised to repeat affirmations that strike a chord with you. You may feel disingenuous repeating the affirmation “I love myself.” Perhaps “I love who I am becoming” is more true to your reality and mindset. It doesn’t matter if you repeat the same affirmation every day for weeks, if it feels wrong, it will cease to resonate with you. Do not force something that feels alien to you — allow yourself time to get there and start from an authentic place.

Boundaries in relationships

If you find you’re constantly making small or big changes that hinder you to suit your partner, your solar plexus chakra will become more blocked. Making choices that benefit you and not everyone else (partners, friends, family, work) is an important skill to master if you want to live a truly fulfilling life (and have a balanced solar plexus chakra). To do this we must find our 'no'. 

We must get comfortable or at least used to letting others down from time to time. This doesn’t mean being nasty or rude, it simply means protecting ourselves and our futures. We won’t achieve our dreams or live the lives we truly want to live if we constantly put other’s needs before our own. We have to listen to our inner voice.

You may feel there is a lot of work to do to unblock your solar plexus chakra, and whilst this may be true, you can rest assured that you are now in a position of power. You are aware and actively seeking solutions and that is a good place to be.

If you’re ready to learn more about the chakras and how to heal or balance them, here are some articles you might like:

• Chakras and why they need clearing and balancing
• How do I know if my chakras are blocked?
• Signs your third eye chakra is overactive and how to heal it
• 10 signs your root chakra is blocked and how to heal it