October 2023

Even when the world outside feels unstable and unpredictable, there are ways to feel that you are standing solidly. You can invite yourself to feel feet on the earth right here and now and to touch in with what is reliably you inside.

Why Land?

We are all, of course, impacted by the climate around us. There are times we connect more with the chaos or cohesion outside than what is inside, and there is benefit to that. When the earth is shaking beneath you, you seek safer ground. But when we experience consistent disruption, or when we are responding to past tremors, these are times when it is helpful to separate from external energy and find solace and trust inside.

 

Our brains do this funny thing when we worry. Instead of connecting with cues in the present moment, the brain takes charge and puts us into thoughts and stories. This is a form of dissociation.

 

Sometimes, dissociation can be helpful. When we are overwhelmed and cannot find a helpful response or action, dissociation is a valuable tool. Over time, though, as we exist more in the space of our mind – planning or ruminating – rather than in the present moment, we lose connection with our body and with our emotions. We lose ability to be present. As a result we grow less able to respond to what is in front of us or to actually plan with a clear head.

 

Internal stress has a way of creating a positive feedback loop – your brainstem responds to stress hormones with the notion that there must be danger present, and it continues the stress response. One thing that happens is a kind of hyper-focus that shuts out peripheral details. Sometimes that is helpful, like when you need to run away or act quickly. Over time, though, it deteriorates your ability to take in a fuller picture, and to be responsive to acute events. Living in a stress state can wear you down, and lead to generalized brain fog and inability to clearly identify immediate danger.

 

So, how do you stop the cycle? You may be able to make the decision to come into the present and stop spinning. Even if the break is momentary, it is significant. Shifting from external to internal awareness, and the spectrum of what lies in between can happen in any moment. You can resource using tools that you build internally, or lean on reliable external supports. Sometimes drawing on both is vital. In a world where much lies outside of our control, here is one way to gain agency.

 

Let’s Check In

Take a moment now to check in with yourself. You can close your eyes or leave them open. Allow yourself just a moment to really be here, with your own being. Let yourself feel your feet on the ground and your seat in your chair.  Notice the boundary of your skin. As you breathe in, notice the way the air meets you and provides oxygen. How far does it go? Can your inhale or exhale deepen a bit if you adjust your posture?

 

What else do you notice?

 

Maybe you feel first discomfort. And as you stay with it and allow your awareness to broaden, perhaps there is something that feels more present, solid or spacious. As you take it in, where does your breath feel just a bit easier, and can you linger there?

 

Grounding and Centering

Grounding can mean different things, but ultimately it is a way to feel more settled inside. Instead of existing within an anxiety spiral in your mind, you can literally feel your body, feel your feet on the ground.

 

Grounding invites us into the present moment, and it allows for an internal conversation of mind and body. You get to show up as more of a whole person.

 

Centering is another way of bringing your energy back into the present, and to check in with yourself. Can you think of a time recently when you were with another person, and you felt in your body the agitation of the person you were communicating with? That’s a form of empathy. It is truly important in our society that people have empathy, that we care about one another and can recognize each other’s experiences. Centering others allows for mutual exchange and respect. For some, though, too much time is spent in other people’s experiences, which makes your own experience difficult to know.

 

When you center, you put in a boundary and intentionally choose to recognize your own experience in the moment. This can be helpful when you are able to bring a grounded perspective or you are taking on too much. And it is essential at times to preserve and sustain your own wellbeing.

 

Ways to ground and to center

There are many ways to invite in grounding and centering. Notice where the energy is in your body now, and perhaps engage intentionally to shift if it feels helpful. Below are some suggestions. See what lands for you, and add your own to the list.

 

• First, find your feet. That’s right, locate your feet. Look at them, touch them, smell them. Let your feet feel the ground, press them into the ground, or give a few small bounces. Let your body receive the feedback of the earth beneath you, almost like it’s saying ‘You are here, and I’ve got you.’
• Let the awareness travel up from your feet, into your legs, hips, belly, chest, arms, all the way up to your face. Then zoom out and hold all of those sensations together. Or, if that is too much, let yourself feel the solidness of your seat, legs, and feet. You might even think to yourself, ‘here I am’ and then allow all of you to really feel that.
• Connect with nature. As the saying goes, ‘touch grass’. Hug a tree. Lay on the ground. If you can’t get outside, perhaps there is a plant around that you can admire, a bird singing outside, or the feel of sunlight on your skin. If not, can you imagine a natural space that feels comforting? Can you imagine the smell of a salty beach or the terrestrial mud? You might even imagine that your feet have roots and you also are a part of the world.
• Hug your pet or child. Pets and children can really show us how to be here now.
• Notice how it feels when you experience something that less bad. Maybe wrapping up in a cozy blanket or playing a song you like.
• To help with centering, create an intentional psychic space around you. You could do this in just a moment, imagining yourself as a separate being. You might take a half hour to meditate, or you might just take 30 seconds to bring your awareness into yourself. Notice your breath moving in and out. Notice your heart and your belly. As you touch your center, acknowledge your hand and your presence. Maybe you even think or say ‘hello’ to your core. You could do a little sit up or press on your belly, again, just giving a light pressure and feedback to let yourself know that you are here now. It may be helpful to imagine that the people around you each have their own centers.
• Pay attention to what else comes, an image, a word, a color or shape, a thought or an emotion. That may help you access that grounded or centered place in the future.

 

We all become ungrounded at times, and that’s okay. When we process big things, it can be helpful to have ways of shifting between feeling it and not feeling it. During acute stress, that can be protective. Yet, when we can identify the present moment, particularly in a physical context, that helps us to sort out responses to past events from present ones and to deal with what is in front of us now.

Taking the opportunity to land benefits us by not only helping us feel better in the moment, but also to be more resilient and adaptive to present reality.

 

https://medium.com/@rootedresilient/grounding-when-the-earth-feels-shaky-f0bf6182b720