5 Ways to Stay Grounded in Turbulent Times
At the time of speaking to you, here in the UK we’ve just had Storm Isha and are about to have Storm Jocelyn. Many people around the country with trees blown over, roof tiles flying off and disruption to travel caused by the windy, rainy weather.
Frankly, the stormy weather is a great metaphor for life in the 2020s! We are living in turbulent times, often feeling buffeted and blown from one thing happening after the other.
Thoughts are whirling about the present, anxiety about what’s to come, and difficulty seeing a clear path forward with any certainty.
More than ever, I think, it’s important to stay grounded, tethered to the ground, so to speak - mentally, physically and spiritually.
So how do we stay grounded? Or, become grounded?
Here 5 ways:
1 - Hit the Pause button and take stock. Do a scan and think, ‘how am I?’ A useful technique is to think of a word to describe each for body, mind and spirit. My body is …. My mind is … My spirit is…. Ask yourself what it would take for all three would be aligned.
2 - Breathe. Close your eyes and focus on your breath. Inhale, exhale. Try to make the exhale longer and longer. Release any tension in your belly so you can breathe into the lower part of your lungs. Imagine with each exhale you are getting heavier and heavier and more grounded.
3 - Notice your body. I find that taking your hand and looking at all the lines, the joints, the way the fingers move, and the different colours can be very grounding. It’s taking notice of your physical self rather than living in the head. If you like, you can trace a finger up and down the outside shape of your hand, breathe in for upward movement, and exhale for each downward movement.
4 - Hug a tree. Seriously, we all know spending time outdoors in nature is good for the soul but I find hugging a tree very grounding. One, you realise the tree has probably been around a lot longer than you and weathered many storms and two, it’s a great sensory experience to feel the bark and smell the natural scent of plant life.
5 - If you can’t get out, try the 5,4,3,2,1 method: name 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste.
Okay, I hope that helps. Let me know your best methods for becoming grounded.
Tracy
