Grounding Yourself

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Have you ever noticed that when you are most stressed or challenged, you tend to spin in circles? This can happen in the form of racing thoughts, going round and round with worries, resentments, or regrets. It can also literally happen that we go round and round physically, from one task to another. When this happens, it’s a clue that we need to slow down and ground ourselves.

However, we often feel like this is the opposite of what we need to do. We drive ourselves to do more, think more, desperately searching for some sort of resolution. Ironically, the answers come best when we do the opposite.

“Stand still, listen.”

Developing an ability to do this is an essential part of grounding. Grounding means coming back to yourself and opening to hear the wisdom you have within you. You have to still your mind in order to do this. This can happen in any number of ways; as a wise poet said:

“There are a hundred ways to kneel and kiss the earth.” Rumi

Here are some examples:

  • walking in nature (or running if that’s better for you)
  • meditation
  • prayer
  • focusing on your breath
  • reading something that nurtures you
  • journaling – writing out your thoughts, feelings, opinions
  • doing any activity mindfully (washing dishes, eating, walking the dog, etc.)
  • guided relaxation exercises

There is no one best way for everyone, so if you don’t know what works best for you, experiment. You have nothing to lose by trying something; if that doesn’t work for you, try a different thing.

Slowing ourselves down in any of these ways allows us to get in touch with what we already know. Anxiety and worry can inhibit us from trusting and paying attention to our “gut”, to information we already have.

Talking to someone can help us by gaining other ideas and insights. However, beware of the trap of others telling you what to do.  Always take time to see if it resonates for you.

Sometimes stilling our minds enough to allow insights to surface seems to increase anxiety. Be patient and persevere. Do what you can. If this is extremely hard for you, a therapist could be helpful.

It doesn’t happen overnight, but I’ve found that dedicating the time to something that stills the waters of my mind provides immense benefits.

Allow yourself to plug in and ground for 5-10 minutes a day. You may become addicted in a very positive way! Of course you can do it longer if you want, but you will see results from whatever you do.