What Grounding Is, Why You Need It, and How to Get Started!
Grounding is one of those term that you might hear a lot when you start talking to people about personal development or mindfulness. But it’s also a term that can be pretty confusing – especially since it’s sometimes used to mean more than one thing.
I want to start this discussion by noting that many of my self-care and self-work practices are embodied. I’m comfortable being in my body and it feels like a safe place for me to be. But it’s important to recognize isn’t the case for everyone.
If you feel uncomfortable or unsafe being fully present in your body and with your body, please be extra gentle with yourself as you explore grounding techniques.
If you have a history of trauma which contributes to a feeling of discomfort in your body, please seek the support of a therapist or trauma specialist to help you begin to process your trauma and explore embodied tools and techniques. Research has found embodiment practices are powerful in helping heal trauma, but they’re best done – at least in the beginning – with the support of someone who can hold a safe space for you.
What grounding is
Ok, let’s start with the basics – and discuss what exactly grounding is! Put simply, grounding is the process of becoming fully present in your body and in the moment.
It’s bringing your full awareness to what’s happening in and around you in real time. And it’s pulling your attention back into the present and out of the future or the past.
Grounding can be done anywhere at any time. You can do it while standing in line at the grocery store, sitting at your desk, or laying in bed before you fall asleep. Grounding can also be done outside – but it doesn’t have to be. Which leads us to one of the biggest confusions around this term.
What grounding isn’t
Although the terms are frequently used interchangeably, Grounding is not Earthing. Earthing is the practice of actually bringing your physical body into contact with the earth – walking barefoot in the grass, hugging a tree, or sitting on a rock.
This practice is based on the energetic exchange of electrons between the planet and your body.
There’s a lot of research around earthing which indicates it helps reduce inflammation, improve sleep, and may offer a host of other physical, mental, and emotional benefits.
The key to earthing is to make sure you spend time in contact with the earth – or with something that’s embedded in the earth – think large rocks and tree roots. And to have nothing synthetic between you and that contact.
So walking barefoot through grass is earthing, but walking outdoors on a paved path in sneakers made of man-made materials isn’t. Leaning up against a tree outside in a cotton t-shirt is earthing, but tending to your indoor plants with bare hands isn’t.
Nature has incredible restorative powers and if this sounds interesting to you – please give it a try and notice how you feel both before and after spending some time in contact with the earth.
Why grounding is important
We’ve talked about what grounding is and what it isn’t, so let’s dive into why it’s important!
Grounding is a powerful mindfulness process. There’s a quote which I’ve always heard attributed to Lao Tzu but which recent research has led me to believe might be mis-credited. Regardless of the source, the quote sums up the why behind grounding quite well: “If you are depressed you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the present.”
And here’s a more detail quote this one’s from Eckhart Tolle – “Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry – all forms of fear – are caused by too much future, and not enough presence. Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, and all forms of nonforgiveness are caused by too much past, and not enough presence.”
Let’s break both of these quotes down piece by piece.
Often, when our thoughts turn to the past we often find ourselves ruminating over the coulda, shoulda, woulda. We replay conversations and loop through things we wish we had said or done differently.
And just as often, when our thoughts turn to the future we’re worried about what might happen. The future is filled with a host of fears we hope will never come true – but we still think about regularly.
Now would be a great time to download this week’s Worksheet – you can get your copy using the form above!
How are your thoughts impacting you?
Take a moment and either jot down the the last few thoughts you had about the past, and the last few thoughts you had about the future, or if you can’t remember them make a conscious note of the next few thoughts you have about both the past and the future.
Now let’s think about the present moment. Look around you – are you in imminent danger? Is there anything that is threatening to harm your mental, physical, or emotional wellbeing happening right now, where you are, in this moment? If the answer is yes – PLEASE respond to the threat and take care of yourself.
But I’m guessing the answer is no because you’re actually reading this post. The reality is that rarely are we in any clear and present danger.
And here’s why grounding is so powerful
Most of the time the biggest threats to our mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing are our own thoughts.
When we get worried – about the past or the future – it sets off a stress response. Remember the amygdala – the fear center in your brain – this stress response triggers it to jump into action in an attempt to protect you.
We dove into details on the amygdala and the stress response in Episode 8 if you need a refresh!
Why worrying won’t help
If what you’re worrying about is a conversation you had yesterday with your boss or partner, the fight, flight, or freeze response this worry triggers doesn’t have anything to offer. In fact, it causes much more harm than good.
You can’t physically run away from or fight off the conversation – it’s already happened. Freezing will only keep you locked in the past. And as we covered in Episode 8 – stress actually takes the logic and reasoning center of your brain off-line, so you won’t even be in the best position to decide what your next step is.
Plus, when we’re chronically stressed, we place our physical health at risk as we set ourselves up for adrenal fatigue, burnout, and worse.
So let’s circle back to grounding which pulls you back into the present moment. Away from the worried, fearful, or stressful thoughts of the past or the future. Which allows your amygdala to step back, and breaks you out of the stress response, reversing all of those negative physiological effects.
Finding comfort and ease in your body
Grounding also allows you to find comfort and ease in your body. I’m prone to migraines and headaches in general – it’s one of the first indicators my body sends me that I need to pay attention to something. And even once I hear and follow the message it’s sending, I usually don’t get immediate relief.
But one of the great things about grounding is you don’t need to ground into your body as a whole. You can pick and choose the part of your body you ground into.
So if you’re like me and you’re dealing with a headache, try grounding into your feet – use the form above to get a guided audio of this process. Maybe you have joint pain in your ankle, back, or knee from an old injury, try grounding into your ears or the tip of your nose.
When we’re in pain, it’s easy to want to mentally check out. And I totally understand if you do – there have been plenty of times I’ve done the same thing.
But here’s the problem with checking out
When we experience pain it’s our body’s way of letting us know something needs our attention. If we check out, we’re unable to hear those messages, understand what our body needs, and respond accordingly.
One of my favorite quotes is if you listen to your body whisper you won’t have to hear it scream.
By staying present in the moment by grounding into a part of our body that feels safe we’re able to stay alert and aware – listening for the message. If this is resonating with you, check out my Intuition 101 Course to learn how to tune into and understand those messages – podcast listeners can save 25% using code PODCAST – I’ll add a link in the show notes to learn more and register.
Additionally, when we check out it means we’re not particularly present for anything or anyone else in our lives. This impacts not only our productivity but our relationships with the important people in our lives. Grounding helps you stay in the moment so you can truly be present for the people you care about.
Techniques for grounding
Ok, so we’ve covered what grounding is, what it isn’t, and why it matters. Let’s get into how you can practice grounding. In Episode 11 we talked about the mindful moment – surprise – it’s a powerful grounding technique. When you use a mindful moment you bring your focus to all five senses, fully bringing your awareness to the sensations registered by your body in the present moment.
To quickly review the technique grab something to eat or drink. Using all five senses, explore that item in detail – get a specific as possible noting what it smells like, what it sounds like, what it feels like, what it looks like, and what it tastes like.
But the mindful moment isn’t the only grounding technique.
Let’s talk about two other grounding options the first is the non-woo option and it’s similar to the mindful moment. The second is a longer visualization which brings you mindfully back into your body while also visualizing your connection to the earth.
You can download each of these guided audios as a stand alone practice so you can jump right into them – they come along with the Worksheet for this episode which you can get using the form below.
These three different grounding techniques can help you move back into the present moment, back into your body, and into a state of calm and ease. Get curious – which one resonated most with you today? Keep in mind, you might find all three useful at different times and in different situations.
Don’t forget to grab this week’s worksheet using the form below – it’s got an exercise to help you understand the importance of grounding as well as the three grounding techniques we covered today – and you’ll also get individual recordings of both grounding visualizations so you can download them to your phone and have them ready whenever you need them!
Remember – living your best life isn’t about changing your life – it’s about changing the way you show up for your life!
Show Notes
Additional Resources
Grab the Worksheet & Guided Audio Recordings for this episode using the form below.
Get on the VIP list to have all podcast worksheets delivered to your inbox each Tuesday morning.
Learn more about the amygdala and your stress response in Episode 8.
Learn more and register for Intuition 101 (save 25% with code PODCAST).
Revisit the mindful moment in Episode 11.
Submit your question to be featured on a future episode.
[…] this happens, first, use your favorite mindfulness, self-care, or grounding technique to break the cycle of rumination and dwelling. This could be a few audible exhales, grounding […]