Everything moves much faster today than things moved in the past. News travels fast and is often inaccurate or incomplete. People travel fast and are often stressed and rushed. As a result, our minds can race, our thoughts can be chaotic, and it’s too easy to jump to the worst possible conclusions.
These are all reasons why it’s so important to get grounded and stay grounded in our daily lives. When we are not grounded, anxiety can become a normal state. But when we are grounded time returns to its normal rhythms from our point of view and we feel much more safe and secure.
So how do you get from one state, ungrounded, to the other state, grounded?
When you are trying to get grounded, get out of your head and focus on bringing your attention downward, towards earth instead. You are not going to get grounded from anything out in the world. And you can only ground you, you can’t ground anyone else. You also cannot save the world. And if you are trying to, maybe you should stop and see someone about being allowed to focus on yourself and your own life.
Another good idea is to stop talking so much. Stop ranting, defending or picking fights, if you are doing any of that. Find your happy place and hang out there for a while. Animals have their dens where they can feel safe and secure. We have our homes and they should feel like safe havens to us.
A good visual metaphor for being grounded is to imagine a large tree with deep and widely established roots. See the tree bending with the strong winds but still standing tall because it’s roots are solidly established. Rain or sleet or snow, this tree does not crack, bow, or break. This is how we need to be if we want to stay grounded no matter what else is going on.
Spend the day noticing which activities you do that make you feel more ungrounded and which activities you do that make you feel more grounded. Keep your attention inside yourself, on your subjective point of view, focused on how you feel as you move through your day. What are you learning about what makes you feel better and what makes you feel worse? Paying attention to how you feel and trusting that is the key to making healthy future choices.
There are lots of simple ways to feel more grounded in a very short time. Here’s a quick list of reminders to help you slow down and get both feet firmly planted on the ground.
Turning off the news
Staying off social media
Doing grieving work for any recent losses
Drumming
Dancing
Taking a walk outdoors
Jumping rope
Tap dancing
Using a mini-trampoline
Running or jogging
Doing aerobics
Doing physical work in the yard
Gardening
Doing heavy chores indoors
De-cluttering and creating order
Cleaning the room you spend the most time in
Soaking your feet then rubbing them with lotion
Getting a pedicure
Trading a foot massage
Wearing quality socks
Wearing supportive shoes
Making your bed cozy and luxurious
Carrying small stones in your pockets
Wearing jewelry with stones that feel grounding
Putting rocks you like around your home
Sprinkling the edges of your property with salt crystals
Making soup or stew with root vegetables
Eating quality, home-cooked meals
Putting your health first
Taking responsibility for whatever you’ve been avoiding
Being direct and honest with others
Wearing red clothing, especially socks
Considering whether past traumas are still affecting you today and getting help
Joining an in-person support group
Working with a supportive coach or therapist
Getting a deep-tissue, full-body massage
Spending time with pets or getting a pet
Making a list of what your priorities are, letting go of everything else
Staying away from chaotic, disruptive people
Having a no-drama policy in your life
Remembering that you are the primary authority in your life
Taking your power back from anyone you are putting on a pedestal
Renewing your sense of healthy safety and solid security on a daily basis
If you did not get your basic childhood needs met, don’t be surprised if you struggle to keep yourself feeling grounded no matter what your age. If you have experienced trauma, abuse or neglect, you may benefit from spending some time seeing if you could become even more grounded than you are.
If you unconsciously put yourself into situations where you re-experience the same trauma, abuse or neglect you experienced in your past, why not get some help? We all deserve to live a happy, safe, and grounded life. And once we put ourselves and our self-care first, we can have that, no matter what happened in the past.
Christina Katz has been a self-care advocate for women and moms since she wrote the popular article, “The Art Of Making Time For Yourself,” which lead to an appearance on Good Morning America. Since then, she has written gobs of articles on the self-care, which are regularly published in magazines all over North America. To learn more about taking better care of yourself, check out her new video class More Joy Now, her ebook, The Art Of Making Time For Yourself, and her 50 self-reflection questions for women, Creative Knowing.