Have you ever looked for ways or thought about the impact of grounding in your life? It has been a huge game changer in my life just recognizing how being grounded can take me to a whole new level. And we're talking mind, body, and soul. Let's dive into these three aspects of grounding.
Grounding For Your BODY
There are all kinds of videos now about grounding and the benefits of stepping outside barefoot. We are in a disconnected society in so many ways. We can be disconnected from another's reality with so many conspiracy theories and divisive stances that close our minds to other's perspectives. We can be disconnected from the food we eat, not ever thinking about how it may have gotten on the table. We can be disconnected from our bodies, not really stopping to get to the root of what may be going on within, and simply looking at bandaids and medications to keep us going. We can be so disconnected from nature, forgetting we are all interconnected, and nature is a part of our world and greatly impacts us - as seen by the world's current natural disasters.
I love the new terms I'm hearing - silent walking, forest bathing, grounding...the focus is on being present in this natural world that is bigger than just ourselves.
Maybe the thought of being out in nature isn't your jam. Of course, if that's the case you're probably not too into my website here since bringing more nature in is always a focus for me! Another first step is simply being in the shower.
For me, taking a shower is a beautiful way to get grounded in my own skin. Water is a great channel for energy to move through your body. Nathan and I have made it a practice for years to shower off the day. When I'm working with clients and have an especially heavy day emotionally, I'll utilize my reiki practitioner skills and do reiki in the shower with the water and my eyes closed, fully immersed in the release of the day, letting all of that energy I've carried for others wash away for a clean slate before I go to bed.
It's amazing the refreshing feeling of cleansing your mind, body, and soul. Grounding can be getting barefoot outside, being fully present in the shower and washing the energy off, or simply taking 60 seconds to focus on your breath.
I encourage you to go outdoors and just "bathe" in the natural light. It doesn't even have to be sunlight - standing barefoot out in the moonlight is pretty incredible, I have to say!
Grounding For Your MIND
You have grounding for your body - physically taking your shoes off and being connected to the earth. So what about the mind? Mental grounding - if only it were as easy as taking off our shoes!
Sometimes we can get ourselves really worked up with our story. Sometimes it's a script in our head that says the same thing over and over again.
"Why does why is this always happening to me?"
"I'm so exhausted."
"I just can't deal with it."
It's easy for these to become a script. I had a client who often repeated "I just don't know" - and I questioned how or when she actually WOULD know if her mind is always sitting in what she doesn't know.
As we shared last week, Earl Nightingale says, "We become what we think about". When we repeat things over in our heads, we adopt them as our true reality. Yet it's only from our perspective. Another gem from him - "If you think in positive terms, you will achieve positive results."
When we talk about mental grounding, it's opening up beyond your own two ears to recognize the bigger picture in life. It's educating yourself, looking beyond your own perspective, scripting, and story, and seeing what other options may be out there.
The more I can educate myself beyond my own worldview, the stronger I can stand in what I believe in. Or, I may learn something new that may shift my perspective. I believe in grace for growth and the power of the pivot. When someone comes to me with a black-and-white belief/opinion, how much respect and space I give to listen is often directly related to how educated they are on their stance. We talk often about "no-thank you bites" in our family - you cannot form an opinion on something you haven't fully learned about/tasted/experienced/seen multiple sides of.
When you're getting new information, fact-check. Make sure you're looking at multiple sources confirming the same thing, not one source, opinion, perspective, or bias. Remember, one person's story is one person's perspective. If it involves anyone else, there are as many perspectives as people involved.
Think about that with these questions - what beliefs and opinions do you really want to hold onto? What is worth fighting for, and what is worth letting go of? Have you taken the opportunity to see beyond your own perspective and learn about another side? It doesn't mean you have to exhaust every option. It's just taking a more rounded approach to seeing multiple sides.
The more rigid and black-and-white you perceive this world, the more frustrated you're going to be. There are always those areas of gray, those "exceptions". And if our outer world is a reflection of our inner world, take a hard look at what you're seeing.
Again, "we become what we think about". When we are living in frustration with all the "stupid people" in the world, I guarantee you'll find confirmation of that everywhere you look.
Nathan mentioned on the podcast that, usually, the things that make us angry are the things we're ashamed of the most in ourselves. And once you start to recognize that, you realize that it's not the person selling fruit in an unconventional way that makes you angry. It goes deeper than that - where is the hatred, anger, and frustration really coming from? Oftentimes it's not the actual situation as much as it being the "straw that broke the camel's back", so to speak - about a deeper resentment or pain that was brewing within.
The more you can ask yourself the powerful questions - "Is this always true? Do I know for a fact that it is?" The more you can uncover those false narratives and start to dig deep into where the frustration/pain/anger is coming from, the more you can take charge of it.
Your brain is a very loving and caring organ that desires to continue doing the things that keep you alive and thriving - not creating (a sometimes literal) cancer in your body due to the resentment you carry.
Grounding For Your SOUL
The first thing that I do as far as grounding the soul is inward. I was talking to a new client, and she was a little concerned about the heaviness of her story and the trauma she'd endured. Yes, I'm a coach, not a counselor, so we don't spend much time processing/dwelling on the past. That being said, I'm no stranger to trauma. I know trauma. We all have elements of trauma in our lives in different ways. And when we're looking in the past, what we're looking in the past for is only those lessons learned so that we can move forward. So my job as a coach is really walking people with where they are right now in the moment. What is the reality of where you are, where you want to go, and then we can map out how to get you there.
I can't be an effective coach if I'm simply a place for clients to offload their burdens, trauma, and pain. I choose to release that along with them, and not carry that into my own world. I mentioned above about the showers and energy work I do to care for my own soul in the process of the work I do.
I'm a listening ear, a guide, and a tools researcher to provide new ways of thinking, new scripts, and simple shifts to create the story they thrive in.
For me, it's Reiki and a shower. For Nathan, it's often a long walk and a shower. For you, it may be a religious ritual, meditation, exercise, journaling, or something else. The important thing is the ritual that allows you to release what you're carrying.
Look at what can lighten your load, not add to it.
When you take this time to ground your soul - to bring yourself out of a funk, to (maybe literally) shower your troubles away, to choose to feel and then release, it opens up so much more for you. When you can let this go, your life intention is so much clearer. When you are present - fully there in the moment and not lost in the pain of your mind, body, and soul, life flows much lighter and easier.
The next time you feel like you're facing an insurmountable mountain, start with calming your mind, body, and soul, and envision you're already there. Visualize, speak, and believe it into reality. Imagine the whole universe is conspiring with you to make this possible, and sit in the feeling of receiving it as you continue to act toward making it a reality.
The more you can sit in that space, the more likely it is to become true. It's amazing how, when we choose a direction, like choosing a word of the year, things come together. It's like the moment we get intentional, we see signs everywhere that affirm our focus.
We were loose and unsure of our direction. And once we got clear on our focus collectively, everything else fell into play. That's when you see teams working well in business. That's when you see families flowing well in personal life. It's when you see countries well together - when the community has eyes on the larger whole as they are also taking care of their own. The more space you have to get intentional about your future, and the more grounded you are in that energy, the more freedom you have to work with. It's working with an overflowing cup.
Another way we work on grounding our souls is by being very careful about what we carry with us. When we have a heavy topic to discuss, we often do it outside to literally clear the air in our home. Maybe we go for a walk and have a side-by-side conversation to really think and consider what we're saying without the pressure of face-to-face.
Soul groundedness is for ourselves as well as the ones we love who are a part of our worlds. How are you connecting with both?
The Gravitational Pull
There is a gravitational pull that connects us with time. The closer we are to the gravitational pull, the slower time is. We see evidence of this with our satellite clocks in space - they have to reset them because of the distance they are from the core of the Earth.
Take this same perspective with ourselves - the further away we are from our own truth, our own center, the faster the moments get away from us. When you are truly present, time disappears. When you are disconnected from mind, body, and soul, it seems like time is eaten that you can't get back. Have you noticed the difference between no feeling of time during a meaningful conversation or deep meditation versus running out of time due to reactive chaos?
The more you're intentional and focused on the people and things you love and care about, time stands still. Your absorption and experience of it is in a slower realm. Get grounded and feel that magnetic pull to finding your center.
Your Challenge:
Think of how you are grounded this week. How are you grounded physically? Have you been outside lately? I highly recommend making that a daily habit. Taking off your shoes and feeling the ground is possible. People have walked on ice and hot coals. You can handle a short bit barefoot in your yard!
How are you grounded in your mind? Are you learning and growing, challenging your thinking, and looking for new ways to expand?
And with your soul - are you grounding your soul in ways that recharge you and allow you to release the heavy and take in more light in your life?
Getting grounded in your mind, body, and soul isn't a one-time action. It's a daily practice of simply checking in and paying attention to that amazing thing you have the most control of - yourself. Pay attention to this powerful vessel of your body, and fuel it in a way that revitalizes you. Expand your mind to keep on growing and learning. And soften your soul to the kindness and light that is present in this world, so you can cultivate more of it in your own home, as you celebrate how the uniqueness in each of us strengthens all of us.
Namaste