Let’s face it, no one in this world is perfect…ever. We all have our stuff that we are dealing with and each of us is doing the best that we possibly can. For anyone to sit in judgement of another person’s struggles says a lot more about them than it does about the person who is struggling. And now and then everyone will experience moments when their life seems to be spiralling out of control.
There are a lot of things in life that can lead one into that spiral effect. The question is “What can we do about it?”. I know that this might sound a bit trite, but I have always found that doing good grounding work helps me to get more focused and centred and, from that vantage point, I can make clearer decisions. Knowing this, whenever my life has spiralled out of control, I have incorporated grounding techniques to the max. It is one thing to do these as general maintenance, but it is quite another thing to do this in the midst of crisis.
Often in crisis moments we forget how to stay, or how to even get, grounded. But that is when we need it the most. So the thing to do is to make it a part of your day, every day, so that those techniques are hard wired into your brain and then, when crisis arises, you can fall back on them. It becomes more of a second nature.
So what are some good grounding techniques? Here are a few suggestions that I have found work for me:
- Become a tree. Yes, you read that right. So here is how to do this. In a standing position, imagine your body as the body of a tree. The roots go deep into the earth beneath your feel and your upper branches reach for the sky above your head. Think of your breath as the flow of nutrients from the earth, breathing them in through your nose, but visualizing them entering the bottom of your feet through your “roots” and moving up through your body to the uppermost branches above your head. As you exhale through your nose (Earth breath is in and out the nose), allow the tension and stress of your body to go back to the earth and back to the sky to be recycled into positive energy.
- Wearing something red. This does not mean that you have to be dressed completely in red. It could be a pair of red socks, or a red shirt, or a red pair of pants, or a red tie or scarf. Red is a very grounding color that feeds the base chakra, which is the chakra that helps us with our grounding energy.
- Eat something red. This could be a piece of red fruit, red cabbage in a coleslaw, red beets, red beans, or even red meat. I know some will lose their minds about the meat part. I don’t care. This is something that I have found to be very helpful, which is what I am sharing, and I am not a Vegetarian, nor am I or will I ever be a Vegan. So if you are either of those things, just skip the meat part.
- If you don’t have something red to eat, then if you can find a red plate or bowl out of which to eat your food, then that helps, because as you eat you are visually seeing the red dish that your food is coming out of, and this visual effect does indeed ground you.
- Carry or wear grounding crystals. These can include things like smoky quartz, hematite, obsidian, onyx, ruby, garnet, jet, or black tourmaline, to name a few. Yes, crystals and stones have energy. This is a scientific fact. That energy affects our bodies. This is also a scientific fact. So don’t think you have to go all “New Age” in order to “believe” in this stuff. You simply need to research and find the studies that have shown this. Then take a chance on yourself and try carrying some of it on your person, in a pouch or in a piece of jewelry, and see the difference. And there WILL be a difference.
- Drink water. I know that this sounds counterintuitive to being grounded, but the fact is that our physical bodies are predominantly liquid, and we need hydration in order to function well on all levels.
- Energy Balancing Treatments. It really does not matter which modality you utilize, each of them will address the grounding issue. When working with energy ALL of the energies get addressed. So if there are issues on any level with any of them, they will be corrected. Grounding is an issue that many people have, with a society that is built upon a helter skelter lifestyle and an expectation that we all must be a part of the rat race.
- Let go of the rat race. You do not need to be everything for everyone. That is not your job or your divine purpose. Give responsibilities back to those who are simply allowing you to take it on for them. And teach this to your children as well. They do not need to be involved in 15 different after school activities. That only teaches them that the rat race is something for which they must perform. One or two is fine. And you need not be the chauffer for absolutely every sports event. Let other parents also do that job. Many hands make light work. At work, learn the art of delegation. It is not all up to you and you alone to make sure that everything is accomplished. And always remember that the ad for your replacement will hit the websites faster than your obituary will, so do not live your life for your job.
- Take time to sit, relax, read a book, and meditate. These things don’t just feed your soul, but they will also help you to retain focus and insight. When that happens, one does tend to become more grounded as a natural result.
- Connect with Nature. Time with nature feeds the base chakra, the heart chakra, and the crown chakra. Thus it maintains the balance of the perfect trifecta of the chakra system.
These are just a few of the ideas that I thought I would share. In these times, with everything going on in our world, I felt it was important to offer up a wee little reminder about self-care. You can try any or all of these things at home. None of them will harm you. Remember that moderation is the key with everything in life. Boldly go where no person has ever before gone. No dangling participles in that last sentence. Star Trek could have used my assistance with the writing of that one.