How to Ground Yourself Anytime Anywhere

The definition of someone being grounded is described as stable, sincere, practical, and reacts calmly in a crisis. With the frenzy of holiday activities starting to happen amidst the already stressful challenges of our day, I thought this topic may support you in keeping yourself grounded and have an effect on the teams you lead.

How does one ground themselves? First and foremost, when you are grounded, you are connected to your body and listening to what it is telling you. When you are feeling stress and tension, you are more than likely going around with negative thinking in your head. This is a sign to get out of your head and make a choice to do something that gets you back in your body. Anything that gets you moving works well, such as taking a walk around the building, doing 25 jumping jacks at your desk, dancing to a song on YouTube, attending a Noon yoga class, stretching and breathing at your desk. Once you are back in your body, then you can think more clearly in reference to what you were feeling ungrounded about.

When we allow our thinking to create the tension in our bodies, it begins to affect our nervous system, which, in turn, starts supporting the negative thoughts or worry. The key is getting out of your head to shift thoughts through movement of the body and using our breath. Then clarity and solutions are given the space to present themselves.

Once this shift occurs, you begin to listen to your positive mind and your inner knowing, and this creates more self-trust, confidence and stability.

There are multiple times to practice this during this month with emotions running high and time feeling like it is running out with the end of the year upon us. Stop where you are in the line at a store – breathe, shrug your shoulders, roll your neck, focus your thoughts on being patient. In your car, put on a song that makes you feel good and sing with it, move your body to the beat of the song in the seat of your car. This automatically makes you feel good. At work, if the pressure is on for a project, take time at lunch to step away from your desk, watch a funny YouTube video, do some stretches in your chair with deep breathing and see how different you feel.

If you feel comfortable, support others that are also feeling the frenzy by sharing your practices to help get through the craziness the end of year may bring at work. You being grounded impacts those around you and reduces a stressful environment.

Feeling frenzy or grounded – the choice is yours.
Katie