One of the challenges people face ALL THE TIME is staying mentally centered. Learning how to center yourself is perhaps the most important skill most people never learn for your mental and emotional health.
Our world is incredibly stressful and busy with technology bombarding us with 24/7 news, notifications, and updates. The constant flow of information and never-ending task lists can quickly skyrocket your anxiety levels, which can throw off your whole day or even week.
For those of us who live in our own heads where it’s never quiet, taking moments to ground ourselves physically and emotionally feels wonderfully lifting.
Here are a 4 ways to help you stay mentally and emotionally grounded and centered.
1. MEDITATION
Meditation is a grounding technique that creates amazing opportunities for staying grounded. Why? It forces you to stop, breathe, focus, and reset.
It’s taken many meditation sessions to consistently stay still and concentrate as I meditate, but the benefits have been worth it. When I start my morning with a quick mediation session, it puts me in the right mindset for following my intentions for the day.
Even if I get blown way off my plan with unexpected issues coming up, I can still stay grounded because I let myself be open to what comes thanks to the morning meditation.
If meditation is new to you, start small with an easy 10-minute morning meditation. No need to jump into an hour at first! It’s okay if you need to tap your foot a bit or move your leg before that cramp gets worse.
Meditation doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s about the connection to the intention.
The important thing is to try. Taking those moments to ponder on your intentions and feelings will be an effective way to start your grounding routine.
2. UNPLUG
Right now, as many are still at home working or tucked away safely from Covid-19, we’re consuming a lot of information from our phones, computers, and TVs.
Most of the information is about virus news, the struggling economy, or the pressure of your friends posting successful homeschooling tips while you’re barely holding it together. It’s like you’re getting punched in the face with negativity and anxiety.
Not a fun way to live your life! Time to cut the cord.
When learning how to stay grounded, reducing your exposure to stressful information should be a top priority.
This is especially true if the first thing you do when you wake up is grab your phone to check your notifications and news updates. Staying grounded becomes much more difficult when your first thoughts of the day are about stressful topics.
Be kind to your mind. Give it a break in the morning and limit the amount of time you spend on social media and the news throughout the day. Set time limits if you have to. Your anxiety levels will thank you.
3. BREATHE
We’ve all seen at least one movie where a character having a panic attack is told to take deep breaths. There’s a reason for that. Your body is wired to reduce adrenaline and increase relaxation when you breathe deeply and slowly.
Breathing is about as basic as it gets. Yet its ability to powerfully change our emotional state is amazing. After learning how to stay grounded, deep breathing was a great way for me to stay centered.
Good Breathing Techniques:
- Good deep breathing should come from your diaphragm, or torso.
- Be slow, smooth and and even in duration without feeling or sounding labored.
- Inhale positivity and exhale negativity. (Just don’t close your eyes if you’re driving)!
The grounding technique of deep breathing is a fantastic way to stay grounded during times of stress to help you eliminate negative emotions.
4. CONNECT WITH NATURE
I touched on this idea briefly, but it’s worth a deeper dive because nature is amazing.
Its beauty, variety, intensity, and constancy can be exhilarating. Nature is one of the best stress-relievers available.
Many studies have shown that even having a view of nature from your office window can increase your happiness.
Many Psychiatrists are now recommending to their patients “earthing” as a form of therapy. I do it and highly recommend walking in sand, mud or grass to reconnect with the earth as a form of reconnecting with mother nature and her nurturing and healing energies.
For our practice today we are doing a breathing technique (Alternate Nostril Breathing) and a grounding with the senses meditation.
Enjoy your DAY 4 Practice here.
