GET GROUNDED
Springtime makes me think of flying kites. The snow and ice are gone, the sun is shining and I’m ready for the outdoors.
Its exhilarating to fly a kite - like a conversation with the wind. It pulls and tugs, and I respond by letting the line out and pulling it back in. The colors fly, and there is beauty and excitement and joy.
But, at some point, its time to reel it all in for the day - to get that kite back to the ground, in good shape and ready to fly another day.
The same is true for our emotional world. It’s healing, freeing, and important to feel and experience our emotions. Like the kite, sometimes we need to let the line out and allow our emotions to be.
And, as much as that is a healthy course of action, at some point, its time to reel it in too. We want to get to a place where we can not only enter into our emotions and memories, but that we can also step out of them and back into the present moment.
Thats where grounding practices come in to play. Although grounding is something we can do throughout our day, its especially necessary when the winds of strong emotions, unwanted memories or emotional flashbacks threaten to pull us out past what we can tolerate.
Incorporating grounding techniques can help to reel us back in to being mindfully aware of the present.
Here are 12 grounding practices to try…
The Art of Noticing
Simply noticing your body and how it is supported brings you into the here and now. It gives your brain a chance to slow down, observe, and turn on its safety settings.
Begin by noticing your feet on the ground. What does it feel like to have the floor support you? If you are sitting, can you notice the back of the chair holding you up?
2. Breathing
When doing breath practice, slow down on the exhale and take a pause after you release all of your breath. It sends a calming message to your brain and body, especially on the exhale and pause.
Try it this way: Breathe in for a count of two, hold it for a count of two, out for a count of four, and rest for a count of two. Repeat.
3. Listen to music
There is a difference between listening to music and hearing music. Hearing music is when it is on in the background, which can be life-giving in its own way. But, listening to music - when you focus in and pay attention to the lyrics, the rhythms, the flow of the notes - this can help to ground you. Close your eyes, and notice how your body feels while you are listening.
4. Engage your senses
Your brain is receiving input all day, filtering out what is especially important and discarding most. Using your senses as a grounding practice involves noticing and honoring the setting all around you. There are no wrong answers, its just a time to notice.
Try this simple 5-4-3-2-1 exercise:
Notice 5 things you can see. Try looking near, looking far, scanning the landscape around you, looking down at the space around your feet.
Notice 4 things you can hear.
Notice 3 things you can feel. It might be the wind on your skin, the feel of your hands when you rub them together, the sun landing on you, or the temperature around you. Tune into any sensation happening to you, or reach out and touch the ground you are standing upon.
Notice 2 things you can smell.
Notice 1 things you can taste.
5. Create a sound map
Take a pause, close your eyes and simply listen. Pay attention to all the sounds happening around you right in the here and now. With your eyes closed, make a mental map of where the sounds are coming from.
6. Move your body
Movement is necessary for our brains to calm down. It’s part of our biology and the way we were made. Using gentle motion or vigorous exercise can both be part of a grounding routine. Doing a set of jumping jacks, pausing for simple stretching, running around the block, or lifting weights for even just a few minutes can help reboot our minds.
7. Hold onto an ice cube
I know. It sounds crazy and too simple. But, holding an ice cube in your hand for a few seconds can bring you out of an emotional flashback or intruding memory, and back into the present moment.
8. Attend to yourself
Gaining awareness of your body can help to reel you in and provide a calm sense of grounding and being. Notice your body, the weight of your shirt on your skin. Notice your legs - are they resting or crossed? Notice your arms - are they loose at your sides, crossed at your waist, or holding tension? Is your stomach full or empty?
9. Humming
Engaging the vocal chords tunes into your body’s built-in relaxation system. Hum a tune, hum a single tone, or make up a hum to your hearts content. It will help you shift into a grounded, mindful state.
10. Take a short walk
As you walk, concentrate on each step and the way your feet work together to move you forward. Try counting the steps as you go. Taking a very short walk of less than a minute counts with this one! Short or long walk, respond to what your body needs.
11. Savor a flavor
Mindful eating is a grounding experience. Notice the little things as you take in some food or drink. How does your drink taste - what flavors can you experience? Eat or drink slowly, savoring the experience.
12. Try a weighted blanket
Using a weighted blanket can communicate safety to your body, and can help to lessen the experience of anxiety. Try incorporating a breathing routine (see above) with the weighted blanket to help your body settle in to relaxation.
These grounding practices are simple. So simple, its tempting not to try them. But little by little, growing in our ability for grounding is a tool you can grab onto when needed.
Ultimately, we want to become people who can enter into our emotions without being pulled away to the skies. And we want to be able to come back into our present experience with ease.
