How to Get Grounded
This morning, I took my Mom’s chubby little rescue dog, Annie, for a walk.
The temperature was already into the triple digits (#texasinjuly) and it wasn’t even quite 8am yet.
Can I just state here for the record that while I’ve never found wearing a mask to be comfortable per se, wearing one in 100-degree-very-humid-heat is a special kind of hell.
But.
We walked a few blocks nonetheless.
I didn’t cut it short for a few reasons.
Aside from Annie-Bananie needing to lose a few pounds, I needed the time.
This trip to Texas is a tough one as I transition my Mom into a living situation better suited to her increasing dementia. It’s emotional and hard and there is grief involved.
And that 25-minute walk helped me get grounded again.
As I mentioned last week, throughout the remainder of July (and into August), I’ll be talking about what self-care looks like in our real lives.
I’m also inviting you to join me as we incorporate each practice into our day-to-day.
And this week is all about grounding practices.
What do I mean by “grounding practices”?
A grounding practice is anything that pulls us back into our own body, our own mind, the present moment.
It might help us feel connected, to the earth or perhaps just to what really matters to us.
There may be a more formal definition out there, but I think of grounding practices as almost anything that brings me back home to myself.
Here’s why I chose to begin this self-care conversation here:
If we are making decisions, big or small, from a place of panic, fear, anger, frustration, exhaustion, etc, we’re simply less likely to make decisions that truly serve us and what we really want for our lives.
Or, to put it in a more positive light: if we begin almost anything from a place of groundedness, we are far more likely to make decisions that serve us.
It’s really that simple.
When we're grounded, we're connected to ourselves, our values, our priorities.
We’re able to more calmly and objectively choose what we want to do or say, how we show up in our world.
So what does a grounding practice look like?
Well, it can really be anything that does what I said above— if it roots you, connects you back to yourself, it’s likely a grounding practice.
Here are some ways it looks for me:
a walk— ideally out in nature, but definitely outside (yes, even neighborhood sidewalks in 100-degree heat) and paying attention to my surroundings
taking note— pausing for a few intentional minutes and simply noticing: what do I hear and see? What does my body feel like? How am I breathing? What can I slow down or ease up on (clenched jaw, or tongue pressed to the roof of mouth, or furrowed brows, or tensed shoulders…)— I especially love doing this when I can sit outside for it
putting my hand flat on the center of my chest, closing my eyes, and taking 5-10 long, slow breaths
listening to a guided meditation (I’m a particular fan of Sarah Blondin’s meditations on the Insight Timer app)
movement— not necessarily for fitness, but simply for the joy of being in my body…maybe this is a run in the woods or a yoga practice of some sort, or maybe it’s a 5-minute dance party all by myself
a shower done with intention— savoring the feel of the water, visualizing it washing away negative energy or feelings, imagining following a droplet of water all the way down my body and focusing on relaxing each muscle that it slides over
writing— free-writing a few pages…just dumping whatever’s clogging me up onto paper without regard to form or quality— just keep the pen moving for 5 or 10 or 15 minutes
digging in a garden— I haven’t had a real garden since we left Maine, but messing with my houseplants has a similar effect…being engaged with a growing thing is centering for me
really engaging with my dog— my dog teaches me daily lessons on enthusiasm, comfort, authenticity, and delight and something magical happens when I actually focus in on him for a few minutes, petting his soft fur and giving him my undivided attention
This morning was a triple-header: I walked outside and spent the first 10 minutes or so listening to a meditation, before drawing my attention to what I noticed around me.
It was hot, yes, but also, a few homes I passed had the most beautiful flowers blooming in their landscaping. A hawk passed overhead. There were a pair of squirrels chasing one another in a live oak tree and along a fence top. There was a rogue prickly pear cactus pushing out between some kind of electrical boxes and had a yellow flower bud about to bloom. Annie, who is skittish and fearful, loosens up on these walks and gets the funniest little bounce to her step, which makes me smile every time.
And after that 25 minutes, I felt like myself again. My compassion and patience were restored. I found my creativity and problem-solving ability again.
I remembered that I can do hard things. And that I can do them with love.
So.
Your “homework” for this week is to engage in some sort of grounding practice every single day for the next 7 days.
I don’t care what you do.
Try them all. Make up your own. Whatever.
Just do something every single day between now and my next email that brings you home to yourself.
And tell me about it if you can— I want to know what grounds you, what roots you when the sands beneath your feet feel like they are ever-shifting.
Tell me what works for you, or what doesn’t. Or tell me if you need a suggestion or two.
One week. Just try it. What do you have to lose?
Stay curious out there, my friend.