Getting Grounded

I got grounded regularly as a child.

Did this ever happen to you?

Mostly I would get grounded because I didn’t come home when I was supposed to.  Oblivious to time passing and so caught up in whatever activity I was doing, I would look up to see that all my friends had gone, or it was dark and then I knew I was in trouble!

I was not a fan of schedules back then (I’m still not) so being further restricted to staying home for a week or two was such a blow to my desire for freedom.  But my parents were teaching me the value of ‘coming home’ on more than one level.  As a child, getting grounded was frustrating but now, as an adult I regularly ground myself!  Not the restricted, stay at home grounding but the grounding that brings me back to my center, my true home, my connection with the Divine. 

Getting grounded now means coming back to calm and clarity, softening the tension in my body and dissolving stress.  When life is challenging and I start feeling overwhelmed, I know its time to get grounded.  Rather than being a punishment, it’s a way to navigate change and upheaval and stay connected to calm. 

Here are two ways that you can ground yourself when life gets overwhelming:

1. Get your feet on the ground. Take a few moments to really feel your feet.Press them gently into the floor or the earth and notice what it feels like to make contact through your feet.Focus on your feet and imagine roots growing from your feet, deep into the earth.Let any tension in your body flow down through your feet into the earth.
2. Lengthen your exhale.Take a regular inhale and then mindfully make your exhale a little bit longer.Do this several times, gradually making the exhale longer than the inhale.Notice how your body softens.This awareness of your breath will not only relax your body, but it will also bring more clarity and focus to an overwhelmed and anxious mind.

Just like most skills, getting grounded takes some practice.  As a child, when I was released from my perceived captivity, I was more aware of minding the time and my curfews but gradually I would begin to slip until I was grounded again!  I needed the regular reminder to ‘come home’ and so when you find yourself feeling anxious, worried or overwhelmed do yourself a favor and ground yourself.  Then freedom will be yours once again!

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