Usha Uppal
Don’t you love that feeling after a great hike? Just being at peace in your body and in tune with your surroundings.
Pretty Zen, right? It’s great to feel grounded.
I know it can be pretty challenging to feel like that in daily life. You know how you get caught up in life and feel too much in your head.
But hold on: you might be much more grounded than you think! You might be doing things all along that have a great grounding effect.
True story: years ago, I wasn’t grounded at all. I tried everything. Finally I went to an astrologer. She told me the element of earth was lacking in my horoscope.
Great.
Now what?
Then, over the years, I discovered all these great ways of making myself feel grounded. Pretty simple stuff, but with great effects.
The best part is that you don’t need to get on a plane to the Mont Blanc to do that hike and feel grounded.
Want to know more?
Read on if you want to know which ones.
Bonus: if you’re suffering from anxiety or dealing with trauma, it’s important to be grounded as much as you can. You want to find that anchor and hold onto it. Doing these seven things will help you. Just try them.
1) Walking barefoot
Walking barefoot doesn’t mean you have to do it all the time.
If you like walking barefoot at home, that’s good as it is: you ground yourself.
Do you still need to read on?
Yes, because it get’s even better than this!
By walking barefoot, you connect with the earth, and this has excellent grounding effects.
You can extend the benefits of walking barefoot by:
2) Taking a walk in nature
Maybe you love going for a walk in the park when you take a break from work. You know, recharge your batteries.
Do you realize just how grounding this actually is?
- 5 minutes of walking in nature improves mood, self-esteem, and relaxation.
- Frequent exposure to nature reduces anxiety and depression, while promoting a sense of well-being and fulfillment.
- Physical activity in a green space can reduce stress and lowers cortisol levels by 15%.
And these are just a few benefits that I picked; there are many more.
So, keep up with this habit and stay grounded.
This is starting to be fun; nice and easy.
If you have liked it so far, check out the next one:
3) Cooking
You know how you can get into that mood of making something delicious. The mere thought of that stew that’ll be all yours, or that beautiful smoothie you’re making for your lover.
You get into that flow and feel good… there’s a rhythm to it…you are fully present in the moment.
Cooking is super grounding!
It’s like being a child: just watch them when they engage in an activity. They’re fully present in the moment and surrender to whatever they’re doing.
When you cook, you use and satisfy your senses. Furthermore, cooking and eating food means taking care of your physical needs.
Having your physical needs met is an important part of being grounded.
So don’t hold back, and keep this up!
Here’s another one: grounding yourself by sitting:
4) Sitting cross-legged
Some people don’t slouch on a couch like I do. They love to sit cross-legged wherever they are.
If you are one of those people, I have good news: you ground naturally.
Sitting cross-legged makes you sit upright, aligning your spine. Furthermore, you’re sitting on your sitting bones and keeping your hips flexible.
This activates your root chakra, located at the base of your spine. Making your root chakra flow means you’re grounding yourself. I guess yogis in India knew what they were doing all along.
If you like sitting cross-legged on the floor, you connect with the earth even more. Children sit like this naturally; they are still close to a natural way of living.
So be that child and enjoy yourself!
Alright, now back to nature again:
5) Growing plants
Do you love plants and is your house a jungle? Then you must feel grounded.
That doesn’t mean that you are never stressed out, but your plants surely contribute to your overall well-being.
When we garden, be it on a homestead or your balcony, we connect directly to the earth.
Grounding is all about connecting to the earth.
The good part is that you don’t even need a garden. You can grow plants in your house, have a vegetable patch somewhere or volunteer on a regenerative farm.
Just like cooking, you will notice that connecting to the plant world allows your thoughts to become positive and peaceful.
The watering of the plants, composting: it’s as if you’re energizing yourself by touching the soil and the plants.
The main point here is: when you garden, you are at peace with the earth and working in harmony with it. This satisfies you on a primal level and makes you feel grounded.
Some people think they can’t take care of plants. No, not if you forget to water them.
Just try, pay attention and you will get the feel for it.
6) Tidying up your house
Grounding is something that I still have to pay attention to. That’s why I naturally like tidying my house. It makes me get back in touch with the physical world and my surroundings.
In that sense, it’s like cooking or gardening. There’s rhythm and flow in it, and it involves touch.
If you enjoy tidying up your house you probably know all of this. It’s as if you empty your head when you tidy your house.
Regulating and taking care of your physical environment certainly has a grounding effect.
These days, it’s called decluttering and living the minimalist life. This means living without too many distractions. I agree this can be beneficial, it helps you to stay grounded.
So just go on tidying your house.
Alright, let’s move on to the last sign:
7) Touch
When you’re being touched, you feel safe. You feel the boundaries of your body and can relax.
A loving pat on the head of a parent, a massage, or cuddling with your lover; touch has relaxing and grounding effects.
If you love touch and are a ‘physical’ person, you probably know what I mean.
Touch nurtures us on a physical and emotional level.
And feeling nurtured is very different than feeling needy.
If you feel at peace with yourself, you don’t need anything or have to go anywhere. You feel peace in the here and now. You are grounded.
Neediness, on the other hand, means you lack something and are trying to fill that void. Which is perfectly understandable.
Just realize that it’s more effective to look at your needs, than to focus on the things that might satisfy these needs.
If you don’t have a partner, go and walk hand in hand with that friend, cuddle with your cat, or have a massage.
Oh, and don’t forget to enjoy!
Conclusion
So you have all it takes to ground yourself.
Maybe you recognize all seven things, or maybe just one or two.
That doesn’t matter. What matters is that you have at least one way at your disposal to feel grounded.
These are self-regulating enjoying practices that you can use daily in your life.
You can keep it up simply because it’s enjoyable and doesn’t require discipline.
So remember: if you just had a fight or a stressful day, just do any of these seven things that you enjoy. You’ll feel better because you are more grounded.
Being grounded means you’re better able to face challenges in life and live your life to the fullest.
I hope you are happy and stay grounded. Thank you for reading this article.
