What Does It Mean To Stay Grounded
Imagine a closet that is in total disarray. The shelves are filled with random things that lay in big piles and the floor is cluttered with stuff, when you open the door you have no idea where anything is or where to look for something specific.
The above example is similar to being ungrounded or without a center. It is a state where you are lacking inner calm, you may feel disorganized, out of control and unable to connect with with your needs and meet them.
When you are not grounded, your internal environment is very much in disarray, just like that closet.
In our modern chaotic and very busy world, we may feel like there are just too many things vying for our attention and so we may often feel like we are being pulled in many directions at the same time.
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Work, traffic, family, financial stress, health concerns, finding time to exercise, chores, social media updates pinging, checking our email a hundred times a day can all contribute to our “losing it”.
Staying grounded means being centered, or balanced instead of imbalanced and turbulent.
During times of stress and is when being grounded can serve us the most, as we can remain firmly rooted within our self to promote balance and stability, no matter the chaos that may be occurring around us. This makes us better able to handle anything that comes our way.
No matter what situations we face in life or where we go, we take ourselves with us. It is our “self” that can ultimately save us from the effects of the chaos around us and lead to a calmer internal environment that serves both our minds and bodies.
Think about it, does stressing out, going nuts or excessive worrying help any type of negative situation in your life? Not likely. They actually make it worse and likely will result in not being able to handle any of it.
Adverse situations can result in us feeling anxious or unstable, robbing us of precious energy, but being grounded preserves that energy for better use.
When you are centered, you are better able to deal with adversity, and to maintain an optimal level of personal wellness and wellbeing.
Being grounded means maintaining our center.
The human mind loves to wander as we become stuck in dwelling on the past and worrying about the future.
When we are not in the present moment, we are not grounded, we are not centered, and we are distracted and unable to enjoy life with control, peace and clarity.
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When we are present in the moment, in the here and now, we can actually feel and truly experience of the present.
Each moment of life is precious and finding and maintaining our center allows us to be truly connected to our environment and all that happens in our lives.
Losing our center means drowning in negativity and distractions that not only prevent us from thriving in the moment, but also causes undue stress that comes from the mayham.
- Being grounded allows the body and mind to be in touch with everything that is going on inside of us and outside in the world.
- Being grounded provides a shield from the external chaos that so often leaves us feeling exhausted, despondent, unhappy, and unable to deal with life on life’s terms.
- Being grounded allows us to listen, enjoy, and truly be present in each moment of the day.
- Being grounded maintains focus, and clarity. It promotes the utmost level of health in mind, body, and spirit.
- Being grounded and having a solid center means living a more joyful, calm, balanced, abundant, and content life.
Signs of Being Ungrounded
Here are some indicators of not being grounded and having lost touch with your center.
- Lack of focus and concentration
- Anxiety and depression
- Stressful situations causing you to “lose it”
- Inability to complete tasks
- Disorganization of the mind
- Feeling scattered
- Feeling unconnected to your life or the people in your life.
- Lack of joy and happiness
- Difficulty with remembering small details
- Unexplained anger or rage
- Fumbling through the day without motivation or clarity
- Feeling drained in spirit
- Excessive worry, and fear about the future
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13 Ways To Stay Grounded
#1 Mindfulness And Staying Present
The practice of mindfulness is one of the best tools in maintaining your center and staying grounded. Mindfulness is defined as the psychological process of keeping your attention on the present moment.
Mindfulness means to focus on the present moment with intention, and also accepting it without judgment.
Take time throughout the day to just stop and observe your thoughts to make sure that you are really submerged in the moment and your current experience instead of thinking about yesterday or tomorrow.
You can practice being mindful in your daily life and also participate in more structured mindfulness meditation, which goes a long way towards honing this practice and supporting being grounded.
#2 Slow Down
If there is one word that adequately and sincerely describes the modern world, it’s rush. We rush all day, from home to work, to chores to kids; we rush, rush, and rush again.
How often do you stop to simply “be” instead of running around on autopilot? How often do you stop and savor what is going on in the moment?
In all of this rushing, we often lose the present moment, and we simply miss the day and each and every moment that has passed us by without notice. Slowing down provides the opportunity to be present, to savor and to be grounded into each and every moment of the day and consequently ourselves.
#3 Life Balance
Achieving life balance is important in keeping your center. This means allotting time for work, play, family and leisure so that there is balance among all the aspects of your life that promotes feeling grounded and centered.
#4 Time Out
Take a time out when too much stress is hitting you at once. Stress is something that can easily throw your off center, but stepping away allows you to take a deep breath and reground your mind.
#5 Let Your Feet Touch The Ground
What better way to get in touch with being grounded than by being on the ground.
Walk barefoot on dirt, and allow yourself to actually feel the ground. Stop to really feel the earth under your feet and toes. Hold your arms up to the sky and balance yourself while standing still.
#6 Sit In Silence
The world is a noisy place and all this external stimuli interferes with our inner calm, peace and ultimately our ability to maintain a safe center and feel grounded.
Take the time to sit in complete silence, and just be. No distractions, no noise, no interruption, just 10 minutes of silence each day has numerous benefits for the brain, spirit and body.
#7 Deep Breathing
Take deep breaths. Take the time to take deep relaxing breaths throughout the day. Stop and notice your breathing.
#8 Practice Grounding Meditation
There are many grounding meditation practices available in books, and online. These are specifically designed to help you maintain your center.
#9 Balance The Root Chakra
The Root Chakra (Muladhara) is the first chakra and it is located at the base of the spine of the pelvic floor and is believed to be responsible for your general safety, and security.
The Root chakra is made up of anything that grounds you to stability in life, and may include shelter, water, food, and emotions that result in the loss of our center, such as fear. Just as fear makes us worry, letting go of that fear brings feelings of peace and safety.
The Root chakra can be viewed as the foundation of a house or any structure. In order for a house to be stable and not fall over, it needs to have the proper foundation.
When the Root chakra is healthy, strong, open, and well maintained, it creates the same type of foundation for our inner selves, conversely, when the Root chakra is blocked, it can cause us to fall off balance and become un-centered and ultimately lose our ground.
How To Open The Root Chakra
- Meditation helps to ground you and balance the Root chakra to keep you anchored in your own body.
- Mantras
- Visualizing the color red, which is the color that represents this chakra and dancing in place
- Yoga can really help, and these poses specifically are known to open and align the Root chakra:
- Pavanmuktasana, which is the knee to chest pose
- Janu Sirsasana, which is the head to knee Pose
- Padmasana, which is the lotus flexion
- Malasana, which is the squatting pose
- Bandha yoga works by tightening certain areas of the body, which brings energy to the Root Chakra.
#10 Be Grateful
Worrying about what we don’t have, or what is missing in our lives creates worry, anxiety and fear that can throw us off center. When we concentrate on the things we do have, and make a conscious effort to be grateful for all that we have, we become calm, open, and centered.
Simply reminding yourself to be grateful for being on earth and having another day to find joy is as good as it gets.
#11 Connect With Self and Others
Isolation and loneliness can quickly make us lose our ground, as we have nothing to connect to in the human world. Conversely, connecting with others instills a sense of belonging and anchors us to something real outside of ourselves.
It is also important to connect with yourself, because how can we really find our true center and feel founded when we know who we are or own needs and desires.
Many people go through life on autopilot and never stop to consider…
- Who am I really?
- What do I need?
- What fulfils me?
- Why do I behave in certain ways?
- Why do I attract negativity into my life?
A quote from Socrates, “an unexamined life is not worth living“, comes to mind, as there have never been more wiser words than these.
#12 Take a Hot Bath
Hot water, such as a tub, Jacuzzi or even a shower has a magical way of releasing negative energy and tension, both of which are often culprits in not being grounded and losing our center.
#13 Visualization
Visualization exercises can be especially helpful during times of high stress, when the tension, worry, and anxiety of any situation begin to take a toll on your mental and emotional stability.
- Stop, go somewhere quiet, close your eyes, and visualize all that stress, and anxiety literally flying off and out of your body and mind.
- Imagine these things in some physical form, whether you see these negative emotions as thunderbolts or red dots, or anything that is significant to you, picture them floating away.
This is something that you can actually do nightly to get rid of the negative energy that might have built up during the day, which will support your staying grounded and maintaining your center on a regular basis.
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9 Ways To Stay Grounded By Organizing Your Home
Being disorganized at home, in the car or in the office can throw your center off balance leaving you feeling disorganized on the inside.
Chaos is negative energy.
How many times have you pulled your hair out trying to find something because the area was in a disarray? Maybe you have come home to a messy house and it totally ruined your mood?
A cluttered home means a cluttered mind, and this is certainly not supportive of being grounded.
An organized space that is clean and well maintained is a physical manifestation of being grounded.
- Make your bed every day to create order, and peace, which supports positive energy.
- Keep an organized home, this means closets, desks, and kitchen counters, cabinets, and pantries.
- Maintain a clean kitchen with washed dishes ready to use. This is not only convenient, but also promotes a calming and comfortable energy.
- Don’t throw stuff on the floor. Floor clutter is the worst as it ruins the harmony of the entire room. This means no clothes on the bedroom floor and no wet towels on the bathroom floor.
- Practice self-care to stay centered and grounded by creating rituals you follow daily in hygiene, and taking care of your needs. Form habits that you will follow daily.
- Avoid leaving piles of papers, such as bills, mail and other stuff in a disorganized manner, this is chaotic, hardly conducive to peace of mind, and will often lead to you not being able to find something you really need causing you to become stressed and overwhelmed thereby throwing you off center. Keep all papers to one location, such as in a desk or an organizer instead of all over the house.
- Put things away in real time. This means not piling already worn clothes each day on a chair or on the bed. Hang them up, or put them in a clothes hamper for the laundry.
- Clean up in real time, each day. For example, instead of piling endless dishes into the sink, wash each one as you are done with it. When you don’t keep up with regular little cleanings, you eventually have to face a big cleaning, and thoughts of this are stressful and can fester in your mind throughout the week, ruining the present and throwing you off center.
- Keep your car tidy, especially if you spend a lot of time in it.
The above steps can take some practice and a high level of dedication, but they are well worth it in improving your quality of life.
Final Thoughts
You are the only one who can ensure your own wellness and wellbeing. A major part of being well is being centered and grounded.
The calm, peace, and ability to better deal with life on life’s terms every single day that comes from being grounded is well worth the effort.
While we may not have control over what happens in life, we do have control over how well we are prepared to deal with it.
Being grounded ultimately allows you to confront any challenges you face from a place of calm and clarity and nothing is better than that.
Stay centered and take care!
