Best ways to keep yourself grounded
It can be a challenge trying to keep yourself grounded in this modern world. For most of us, much of our days keep us disconnected from the earth. This is especially true for those of us that do a lot of computer work. When we’re disconnected from the earth, it’s very easy to get lost in our own headspace which can lead to things such as stress and anxiety. This is why it’s so important to take the time to do things that help you to feel grounded.
I’m super excited to talk about this topic because I absolutely LOVE the earth. There are different interpretations of “grounding” out there; in this post I’m going to share with you my take on grounding and give you ways you can add this into your life today!
What is grounding?
A super simple way to explain the concept of grounding is that you’re connecting with the earth in some way. Grounding can be a really amazing tool to use to help you to get out of your own head at times when you feel lost in your thoughts; it can really help to bring your attention back to the present moment.
Grounding is all about reconnecting with the fact that we are beings of this earth and our life is connected to the earth. We often become disconnected from this fact in our modern world with all of our technology. Our technology is a blessing, but it’s important to take some time to step away from it in order to connect with the earth again. The earth provides us with our most basic needs. Think about grounding and connecting with the earth as a way to recharge yourself with fresh, new, healthy energy.
From a more scientific standpoint, grounding or “earthing” is defined as a practice where your body comes in contact with the earth’s surface electrons. This is why one of the most common grounding activities is walking outside barefoot. It’s thought that the earth’s energy transfers into your body when your bare-feet are on the earth’s surface. And it’s actually more than just a thought, there are research studies out there that show positive physiological benefits to earthing. So not only does the earth provide us with what we need for survival, it’s also possible that it can provide us with healing benefits that we never thought were possible. Mother Earth is amazing isn’t she?
What are the benefits of grounding yourself?
There are numerous benefits to incorporating a grounding practice into your life. Some benefits reported include better sleep, decreased anxiety and depression, and decreased pain in those dealing with chronic pain.
Grounding is also great for stress relief as it helps to bring about a sense of safety and stability. It’s all about being present in the physical world.
I’m not saying that grounding will cure all, but it’s definitely is a worthwhile practice to add to other forms of treatment. It’s also a great way to help people to connect with the true essence of yoga which is one of the reasons that I love it so much.
Grounding related to the root chakra
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the chakras, they are basically the energy centers in our body. The root chakra is our first energy center. This energy center is located at the base of our spine and extends down through our legs all the way to the feet. It’s element is earth so it makes sense to talk about it in relation to grounding.
The root chakra is all about being present in our physical world and in essence remaining “grounded” (connected with the earth). When we work with this energy center, we work with sending our energy down into the earth as well as receiving energy from the earth. So working with the root chakra is very closely related to working on grounding.
Tips for staying grounded
Below you’ll find 8 different activities you can use to help keep yourself grounded. These activities are based on my interpretation of grounding as a practice to connect with the earth. Find which tips resonates with you and add them into your routine anytime you feel like you need to “recharge” or feel like you need something to help you to quiet your headspace.
8 Activities to Help Keep Yourself Grounded
1. Walking outside
So as we talked about earlier, the scientific point of grounding is to absorb the Earth’s electrons. Walking outside barefoot will be the best for this but I don’t think it’s the only way to help you to “feel” grounded. If you can walk barefoot on the earth, it’s a great activity for sure, but even walking on the earth’s surface in shoes can be super grounding.
For example, I’m not walking outside barefoot in the winter but I still feel super grounded by walking on the grass in my boots. I do find it more effective personally to walk on the dirt, sand, or grass than say on concrete, but do what works for you!
2. Observing nature
I find observing nature to be a very grounding activity. Although walking connects your feet (roots) to the earth, even sitting and watching the beauty of nature can be just as powerful at helping you to feel grounded. Stopping and observing is a powerful thing.
If you have the option to sit on the earth, that’s awesome, but even observing nature from inside your home can help you ground. Maybe on a cold winter day you aren’t feeling like going outside but watching things like the snow fall or the wildlife from your window can help you to feel more grounded.
3. Manifestation
Working towards manifesting your goals is actual quite grounding. This is because manifestation is about bringing a goal you have (which starts as a thought) into the physical world. To bring about this goal, you need to be grounded in this physical world.
People who aren’t grounded will have difficulty bringing about their goals for this reason.
Keep in mind that even though manifestation work is a great way to ground, we want a balance of energy (between the root and the crown chakra). You can be too focused on material things.
To illustrate this point, let’s look at the chakras again for a quick moment. The chakras start with the root chakra at the base of our spine and go up to the crown chakra at the top of our head. When the energy flows up the chakras to the crown, this is what leads us towards enlightenment. When the energy of the chakras flows down, it’s flowing towards manifestation. We want the energy to flow in both directions. Too much energy flowing downward can cause us to become too focused on material things which can negatively impact our mental health, and too much energy flowing upward can cause us to have difficulty creating stability in our lives. It’s all about balance.
4. Garden or get some houseplants
Working to nurture life from the earth is a super grounding activity, especially when you start your plants from seeds. It’s so wonderful to watch them come to life!
Also, having house plants is a great way to ground in the winter when you can’t be outside as much. It’s like bringing a little piece of the earth into your living space which can help you to recharge in the colder months.
5. Yoga focused on the root chakra
Certain yoga poses are specifically focused on activating the root chakra and working on grounding. Many standing poses are great to work on grounding as you are connecting through your feet (roots) to the earth.
One of my personal favorite grounding yoga poses is malasana (yogi squat). I think this is because you are super low to the earth but still have the soles of your feet on the ground. Sooo good for grounding.
Discloser: Links included in this description may be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links provided I may receive a small commission.
6. Have a glass of herbal tea
Herbs seeped in water? What could be a more grounding beverage? If you can use fresh herbs, this is even better, but dried works well too! My personal favorite is fresh lemongrass but I also enjoy it dried as well.
If you’re interested in trying lemongrass tea, this brand is pure lemongrass: Lemongrass Tea Bags
While many herbal teas have health benefits, there also could be side effects depending on how much you drink or if you have other health conditions, so always do your research.
7. Care for the earth
When you love and care for the earth, it can help you stay in a grounded state more often. This doesn’t mean that you need to go out and do beach clean ups or anything extreme. If you can, that’s amazing and our earth for sure needs it, but even super simple activities like recycling can show your care for the earth.
I have a post that talks about easy ways to reduce waste which is a super simple way to show your care for the earth: Click here for post.
If you don’t care about the earth, it will be very difficult to keep yourself grounded so I do think this is important for everyone. The earth is our home and we all need to do our part to care for it.
8. Meditate with the intent to connect with the earth
The type of meditation you do determines if it’s grounding or not. If you meditate and focus on connecting with the earth or focus on feeling rooted to the earth, it will help you to feel grounded.
If you meditate and are focusing more on say the third eye or the crown of the head, this isn’t as grounding because here you are working on connecting with something greater than you or on expanding your intuition. Both ways of meditating are great, I’m just pointing out that they work on different things.
Personally when I meditate with my focus on the third eye or crown region, I always do some type of grounding after I complete my meditation in order to bring my awareness back into this physical plane.
Final thoughts on keeping yourself grounded
Are you going to remain grounded 100% of the time? I would guess not. It’s going to be something you need to come back to and work on time and time again. But honestly, it’s so worth it and grounding activities can be enjoyable! Find what you love and what resonates with you and work with that.
If you’re interested in trying a grounding focused yoga flow, I’ve linked one below.
Much love and enjoy this beautiful planet!
