For many of us, life can get overwhelming at times. In this fast paced world, it is easy to lose your connection with your inner self. This leads us to feel frustrated, anxious and powerless.
And the more we feel we are not in control of our circumstances the more we withdraw ourselves into our shell. We check out emotionally and mentally which in the long term can take heavy toll on our emotional and physical health.
What does it mean to ground yourself?
It is a set of techniques that help us to be present. When life is beating us down our minds become abuzz with thoughts. We busy ourselves analyzing the past and forecasting the future.
As a result, we become more and more disconnected with the present. And if you think about it, the present is all that we can really control. So ignoring the present and fixating on a time long past or events that have not transpired yet, we get ourselves into a state where we feel even less in control. This sets off our body’s natural alarm system and we feel more and more anxious.
In this article, I am going to teach you how to take over the reins when your life is out of control by grounding yourself.
What it means to be Ungrounded?
Before we discuss what it means to ground yourself and the techniques involved in doing so, it is important to understand what it means to be “Ungrounded”. There are several signs and symptoms that indicate that you are ungrounded.
Generally the symptoms that ungrounded individuals experience are spacing out and getting easily distracted. Losing track of time that is showing up to a commitment usually late or earlier than the assigned time. An ungrounded individual also experiences an inability to articulate their thoughts to others find themselves unable to pay attention to another person talking to them and find it hard to stick to a task and finish it.
In other words, being ungrounded is when you dissociate yourself from your body and your present situation as way to protect yourself. Most of us are naturally inclined to do so as we plunge through life, but excessively zoning out makes you less effective in dealing with your problems and often times makes you emotionally unavailable to others.
Luckily there is another coping mechanism through which we can ground ourselves. By practicing these simple techniques over a period of time we can get ourselves into better shape to tackle challenges head on. Instead of burying your head in the sand, you can ground yourself and breeze through life and rise above your traumas, fears, and weaknesses.
Meaning of Being Grounded
In simple terms the act of being grounded means being present in all three forms that is mentally, emotionally and physically. It means filtering out all the distractions keeping you from experiencing the moment you are in.
It also means accepting things as they are and relinquishing control. In other words, grounding is a coping mechanism that is particularly effective for people suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder when you tend to dissociate and experience flashbacks. Grounding yourself instantly connects you to the now and snaps you back to the reality of the present.
Let me explain a bit further what it means to be present in all three states.
Physically it is giving authority to all five senses and magnifying the sensations of touch, smell, taste, sound and sight. Emotionally it is allowing yourself to feel all the emotions coursing through your body without attaching any sort of judgment to them. Mentally it is observing the thoughts flowing through your mind without reacting to them as if you are a bystander.
So what do you achieve when you ground yourself in this manner? The answer is: control, calm and peace.
The more you fight to change your circumstances, the more you are dissatisfied with the world you are a part of, the more aware you become of your inability to change it. You adopt a defeatist mindset from the beginning so you are clearly less likely to succeed in the long run.
But when you accept your surroundings as it, your feelings as your body’s natural response to outside stimuli, your thoughts as mere products of years of conditioned thinking; the more you are in control of your response to life’s challenges.
In short, grounding techniques help you connect to your body and once you experience that you are more likely to reclaim your life and set its course to your liking.
11 Powerful Grounding Techniques to ground yourself
Now let’s look at some techniques that you can use to ground yourself even in the most stressful of times.
1. Walking Barefoot
Take off your shoes and take a walk on the grass. Feel the grass blades crush softly beneath your soles. Breathe in the earthy smell. Notice the verdant green color, the blue sky and feel the warmth of the sun on your skin.
Likewise, take a walk on the beach. Feel the sand beneath your toes. Feel the water lapping at your feet. Notice the sounds of the crashing waves. Take in the sight of the horizon; the expanse of blue that stretches before you.
Experience all the richness of these moments and remind yourself that you are present, you are safe and you are in charge. This powerful technique is called “Earthing” and is extremely effective as it connects you to nature as you learn to appreciate its wonder and beauty.
2. Take Deep Breaths
Concentrate on your inhales and your exhales. This is the simplest technique to bring yourself in the Now. This technique comes in handy when you find yourself in a particularly tense situation.
In such a scenario it is easy to notice that your breathing becomes naturally shallow and fast. Direct your attention to your breathing and count as you inhale and exhale. This relaxation technique is sure to have a magical effect on your state of mind.
3. Practice Somatic Mindfulness
Somatic Mindfulness means directing all the energy that you tend to focus on negative outcomes in a particularly stressful situation to your body. You may roll up your shoulder or count your breathing as mentioned in the technique above.
The goal is to shift your focus from an abstract problem outside your sphere of control to your body. This form of body awareness, where you focus on your bodily sensations instead of outside stressors is sure to have an immediate calming effect.
4. Create Physical Distance
If your life has gotten really fast and frenzied lately, maybe it is time to push the stop button and walk away for a while. Now don’t get me wrong, I realize it is not feasible for most of us to suddenly drop all our plans and go on a cruise ship to unwind.
Instead just taking a short break from our daily routines and switching off the noise button by going to some place quiet can work wonders. Set aside a few minutes each day to experience solitude. Take this time to clear your head, process your thoughts, write them down in a journal if you can and analyze them later or listen to soothing music.
5. Daily Declarations
It is so easy to get swept up in the daily humdrum of life and forget where you come from, what your purpose is and why you are here. Adding daily declarations to your routine helps you stay in touch with your true self.
These can be simple statements that you repeat to yourself each day or better yet positive affirmations that keep you motivated. For example, each day make eye contact with your reflection in the mirror and say out loud your name, purpose and positive affirmations about yourself. This practice is called “Anchoring” and helps you stay in touch with reality, not lose your sense of purpose.
6. Read Aloud
A couplet, a poem, a passage from your favorite book, a page from the Quran or Bible; in short any text that carries significance in your life. Listen to the intonations of your voice as you read it out, visualize the words in your head, focus on the shape of your mouth as you pronounce each word and savor the calming effect of this exercise.
7. Imagine Walking Away
Usually the problems that cause us the most stress are abstract: a negative outcome that may unfold sometime in the future, a traumatic event that took place in the past or simply negative attitudes of the people around us.
It helps to give your problems a concrete form or shape in your mind and imagine walking away from them in order to calm your nerves and pull yourself back to the present. For example in your head visualize your problem as a television set emitting static noise, now imagine yourself walking away from it and letting the noise grow dimmer with each step you take.
8. Healthy Eating
Ground yourself by indulging in healthy snacks such as fruits and vegetables. It is scientifically proven that eating healthy has a positive effect not only on your body but on your mind as well. Flood your body with anti-oxidants which act as natural de-stressors by reducing inflammation and increasing the production of mood regulating neurotransmitters such as dopamine.
Some foods that can have a grounding effect on the body include eggs, oats, spinach, avocado and yogurt. Fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, oranges, mangoes, papaya and pineapple are jam-packed with healthy nutrients and are sure to give your system a much needed boost.
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9. Exercise
Get your body moving to ground yourself by doing aerobics, jumping, jogging or dancing to music. When we are anxious we tend to zone out and numb ourselves to our surroundings.
Getting your heart racing and body sweating by doing those jumping jacks has the opposite effect; it brings you back to the present by making you aware of your body. Exercise also releases endorphins which trigger positive things and feelings.
10. Play a Game of Memory
Pick up a detailed photograph of a landscape, pay attention to the little details as you look over it. Now put the photograph upside down and recreate the image in your mind. Try to recall all the minute details of the photograph.
11. Describe Your Surrounding
Look around you and describe your surrounding by using all your five senses with as much detail as possible. For example: “It is warm and sunny in the park that I am sitting in. I can smell the moist earth and a light scent of jasmine in the air. The breeze feels cool on my skin”.
Final Thoughts
The act of grounding yourself makes you more self-aware and bring yourself back to the present moment. This is especially important if you are living in stressful circumstances and your mind tends to wander off to the future or the past. It makes you more in control of the situation at hand by choosing your response to external stressors instead of reacting as you have been conditioned to do.
In this article, I presented before you 11 powerful techniques to train your mind to be more aware of your body. These techniques will not be easy to follow, at least not initially, but with time and practice, you will learn to take charge of your mind and your body.
Pick a few of the above mentioned techniques at first, and add them to your daily routine. As you slowly get better at pulling yourself back to the present moment, increase the number of techniques and practice them throughout the day.
The best part about most of these methods is that most of them can be practiced anywhere, in any situation and they do not require any fancy equipments. These are tried and tested methods to flood your body with calm and serenity when you are feeling anxious or panic stricken. With the help of these simple techniques, you will feel one in your mind, body, and soul.
Here’s a quick recap of 11 Powerful Grounding Techniques to ground yourself:
- Walking Barefoot
- Take Deep Breaths
- Practice Somatic Mindfulness
- Create Physical Distance
- Daily Declarations
- Read Aloud
- Imagine Walking Away
- Healthy Eating
- Exercise
- Play a Game of Memory
- Describe Your Surrounding
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