Skip to content

Feeling Grounded : Meaning, Importance and 4 Grounding Techniques

    feeling-grounded-illustration

    Let’s start with the basics and let’s explore first the definition of feeling grounded.

    What does Being Grounded Mean?

    Being or Feeling grounded is one of those things that most people can’t really explain and yet they somehow “know” what it is.

    Psychologists often state that feeling grounded means being conscious in the present moment. It means that you are living moment by moment and you don’t let your thoughts wander off to the past or the future. Sometimes, this is also called being mindful.

    You may have heard the timeless advice of being “grounded in reality”. Have you ever wondered why it is worded that way?

    The answer is really simple.

    When you live in the present moment, you are not troubled by anything that happened in your past and you are also not worried about what may happen in the future.

    You have this zen-like ability to just exist in the present. And as we all know, the present moment is the only reality we can really experience.

    womand feeling grounded with flowers around her

    Why Is Grounding Important ?

    If you have come to believe that life is getting more and more fast-paced with each passing year, you are not the only one.

    For some reason, human life has become “accelerated”, for lack of a better word. In times like these, it is more important than ever to remain grounded.

    To examine why this is so, let’s take a look at some of the reasons.

    1. Important For Your Sanity

    Let’s face it.

    When you dwell on the countless “what-ifs” of the future or when you’re going over all your past mistakes, there comes a point where you feel like you’re going insane.

    Sadly, this is not a joke. It is a living reality for most people. We are so tormented by “what was” and “whay may be”, that it is starting to affect our mental health.

    It is no coincidence that there has been an uncontrolled rise in mental disorders in recent times.

    However, when you’re feeling grounded, you are at peace. You experience a calm state of mind most of the time and obviously, this is good for your sanity!

    2. Important For Your Work

    What is the most important resource when it comes to doing your work?

    I tend to think that it is time.

    That’s because unlike other resources, once time is lost, you cannot get it back.

    So, if you’re not grounded in reality, you will keep wasting time day after day.

    How do you think this will affect your work?

    Well, you will fall behind on your goals and you might delay achieving your dreams.

    But consider what happens when you’re being grounded. You become aware of what is important in the present moment and so, you spend your time more consciously and judiciously.

    Do this over and over again, and you will definitely see better results in your work.

    3. Important For Your Relationships

    Have you ever wondered about the most glaring reason people fight or get into conflict with one another?

    I think it’s because they like to bring up matters of the past whenever something goes wrong. This is especially seen in couples.

    The moment things start heating up, one of the two people starts talking about the other person’s past mistakes and it only escalates the situation from thereon.

    If you practice being more mindful and grounding yourself to the present moment, all the stuff of the past won’t matter much to you.

    You will realize that bygones should be bygones; that each moment is a new opportunity to grow your relationships instead of creating conflicts.

    get yourself grounded and you can navigate event the stormiest roads in peace

    Signs You Are Not Grounded

    If you want to gauge whether or not you are grounded, you can notice a handful of things about you.

    These are signs you will most likely notice about your behaviour or the general way in which you conduct your life.

    Let’s take a look at four of these signs in brief.

    1. You Can’t Seem To Focus

    Focus is perhaps one of the first things that gets affected when you don’t feel grounded.

    And it only makes sense, doesn’t it?

    Focus happens in the present moment and you can’t do that if your thoughts are dwelling in other places.

    So, if you are not able to focus even on the menial tasks, consider it a sign that you need to realign yourself with your inner being and anchor yourself to the present.

    2. You Are Extra Emotional

    It is normal for a human being if their emotions fluctuate from day to day.

    Heck, they might even fluctuate from hour to hour!

    However, if you think you have been feeling extra emotional lately, this might be a sign that you need to be more centered.

    Our emotions often tell a story of how we are feeling on the inside. So, if something from the past or the future is troubling you, that might come out in the form of some extra emotions.

    3. You Are Easily Overwhelmed

    We are usually overwhelmed when we have too much to do, in too little time and we just can’t muster up the energy or the will to do it.

    But it can also happen if your mind is not at peace. Obviously, when something is eating at you, even the easier tasks of life will become extremely difficult to take care of.

    If you have been feeling this way for upwards of a week, consider it as a definite sign that you’re not grounded.

    4. You Are Extra Forgetful

    Your mind is like a hard drive. It can only fit so much information in its limited space.

    So, if there is something that is occupying a lot of this valuable storage space, you will most likely forget other things of importance.

    If you have been experiencing this in recent times, I can’t tell you how big of a sign this is!

    woman meditating and holding a flower

    How To Be Grounded ?

    Now that we have established that feeling grounded is important and have also talked about the signs that show you might not be grounded, let’s take a look at the three major ways you can center yourself to feel more grounded and begin to live more in the present moment.

    1. Breathing Exercises

    There is this concept called “Pranayama” in yoga, which is basically the practice of breath control.

    It includes a number of different exercises that are done for various reasons and benefits. You can use these breathing exercises to be more grounded.

    They shift your attention to the present moment and your thoughts and emotions inevitably follow.

    In spirituality, these exercises are also said to influence the flow of energy in your body. This gives you a general sense of well-being and you feel more rooted and calm within yourself.

    Let’s take a look at a very simple breathing exercise that you can do whenever you feel like you are losing control.

    • Sit down in a cross-legged posture and on a comfortable surface.
    • Close your eyes and place your hands on your thighs.
    • Now, take a slow and deep breath while counting to ten at the same time.
    • Hold your breath and again, count to ten.
    • Slowly exhale through your nose and count to ten while you are doing it.
    • Keep repeating these steps for five minutes and focus on the numbers. After the session, you’ll feel much more relaxed and at peace within yourself.

    2. How To Ground Yourself Meditation

    Whenever your thoughts and emotions are misbehaving, meditation is often one of the first solutions that come to mind to bring them in line.

    Meditation clears your mind of unwanted thoughts, regulates your emotions, gives you a sense of clarity, rewires your brain to be more calm in the long run, and so much more.

    It is only natural that more people are adopting it into their daily life.

    As far as grounding is concerned, meditation really brings your consciousness to the present moment and helps keep it there.

    You could say that this is literally one of the best things about this ancient practice. Sages, spiritual gurus, and yogis are said to have understood this benefit of meditation since time unknown.

    To experience groundedness, you can do the following meditation practice:

    • Sit down in a cross-legged posture and on a comfortable surface.
    • Close your eyes and place your hands on your thighs.
    • Now, take a slow and deep breath.
    • Exhale through your nose and imagine / feel the stress leaving your body. (you can imagine a big grey cloud leaving your body)
    • Now start breathing normally and keep your focus on your breath. Notice the way the air enters your nostrils and notice how it leaves your body. You can imagine air as white light entering your body and cleansing your body.
    • Your thoughts might start wandering off. It is perfectly fine. You can gently guide them back to your breathing.
    • Do this for at least 10 minutes. (use your mobile timer)
    • At the end of the session, you will feel more rooted with the current moment and you will feel much more centered.

    3. Mindfulness In Actions/Activities

    Mindfulness is yet another powerful spiritual practice that has an immediate effect on your consciousness.

    The great thing about this practice is that you can do it any time you like and anywhere you like. You could do it while meditating or you could do it while eating, walking, running, exercising, or doing any other activities.

    Many scientific studies have shown that mindfulness trains your brain to only focus on what you are doing.

    It might take some time to get a hang of it but once you do, you will become aware of everything that’s happening at any given moment in time without any emotional judgment attached to it whatsoever.

    Let’s take a look at a very simple mindful eating practice.

    • When you are eating your food, don’t do anything else (this may include watching tv, talking to someone, etc).
    • Now, bring your entire focus to your food. Notice the color, texture, shape, size, smell, temperature, and any other aspect of your food.
    • When you’re eating, notice how the food feels in your mouth. Notice how it moves around in your mouth and what it tastes like.
    • When you’re swallowing it, notice how it goes down your food pipe.
    • Basically, what you’re doing is, you’re being totally immersed in the act of eating. It is fun, isn’t it? You can replicate the same in any other activity.

    With time, you will feel more and more grounded and relaxed.

    4. Listening To Music

    I think everyone will attest to the fact that music has a deep, emotional impact on the listener.

    It can make you jump with joy and it can also make you feel sad. In order to feel more grounded, it is said that classical music works best.

    You could sit quietly in your room and listen to some Bach, Beethoven, Schumann, or any other greats you like.

    Their music is so captivating that you just won’t be able to think or feel anything else. You will be completely immersed in the music and this will help you ground yourself in the present moment.

    Whenever you feel yourself slipping, you can immediately plug in some earphones, and listen to a few tracks of classical or relaxing music.

    So, just commit to practice at least 2 or 3 of these grounding techniques every day and after 7 days, you will definitely be more centered and considered a more grounded person. Things in general will get much easier as you will be more able to handle any issues with a calmer and more focused mindset.

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *