5 Ways to Ground Yourself

Definition of Grounding:

Noun

Basic training or instruction in a subject

As we move farther into fall, we get closer to daylight savings time again. Though this time we get an extra hour of sleep, it can mess with our mental state and internal body clock. I don’t know about you but the slight change in my routine, especially sleep, can through me off balance. It can be something as small as daylight savings time or the seasons changing, to through some change into my current routine that is the foundation of keeping myself grounded.

Grounding myself just seemed like an inconvenience that would slow me down.

Finding a way to ground myself was initially hard. I didn’t have a good example of what it meant to be grounded in all sense of the word. Having to learn how to be grounded in my sense of self, values, morals and many other aspects of life took a lot of trial and error. When my trauma happened in the middle of discovering who I am, it halted all of me even thinking of wanting to be grounded. 

Trauma had me in a constant state of flight, so grounding wasn’t possible.

I always felt I had to be moving so I could never get hurt again. I was constantly moving between priorities, moving locations, and staying constantly busy. It felt like every time I would stop, my emotions would just come and slap me across the face and just overstay their welcome. I didn’t want to have to deal with my emotions and try to figure out who I was all at the same time, it seemed like it could never be done. Once I was able to deal with my emotions and ground into who I was, I found better techniques on how to re-ground myself whenever change came into my life, big or small.

5 Ways to Ground Yourself

1. Spend time in nature: I have always had a connection to being in the elements, especially during a nice fall morning when nobody is awake yet. So I always make sure to get out and walk/run and just realign myself with the earth. This can look different for you and can be as simple as just feeling your front lawn under your feet for 5 minutes to feel grounded
2. Find some stillness (Meditation and/or Yin Yang Yoga): for me, I had to get comfortable with just being still. It started for me with yoga because I couldn’t go right from moving all the time to completely still. This helped me have time to spend grounding myself and who I am without distractions. It has developed into a meditation practice when needed to spend more time with God, but that came with lots of time. Finding stillness really helps with grounding in your physical self and quieting the mind so you can get a hold of your thoughts.
3. Revisit your Roots: now this is personal to each individual. Sometimes going back to your roots of who you are can help you ground yourself in your values. This could be recalling memories, getting a reading, spending time with family, viewing old photo albums, etc. but it is all about how you return to your core. This takes a bit of discovery and works to understand the best way for you.
4. Breath Work: Sometimes taking deep breaths works as well. It allows you to focus on something physically that is moving slower than average. Try next time taking 5 deep breaths. This also works for anxiety/panic attacks as well.
5. Identify your circle of control: Understanding what you truly have control over makes such a difference. Knowing what you can control can make you more comfortable about change. You can always be confident you can decide whether you want a specific change to affect your circle of control.

As you get into the practice of grounding or you are re-grounding, just remember this is just to help you keep true to who you are. It allows you to feel confident in yourself and the decisions you make throughout life.