Barefoot
Stand barefoot on the ground outside.
Concentrate on the feeling of being connected to the earth.
You could even imagine roots growing from your soles and embedding into the earth.
Simple Mindfulness Grounding Techniques
When we get stuck in the rush of our thoughts, grounding techniques can help us through focusing more on our inner-self and surroundings. Below are some simple techniques that can be used anytime, anywhere, and they can make a big difference to how you’re feeling in the moment.
As soon as you wake up...
20 deep breaths in through the mouth and vigorously out the nose.
This technique invigorates and grounds at the same time.
‘Drop down'
Place your hand on your belly and concentrate on what feelings arise.
This helps to shift your attention/consciousness from your mind to your body.
Into the body...
Close your eyes and feel the surface beneath your feet touching the ground or the surface you're sitting on. Feel your clothing on your skin.
The more you go into the body, the more you're taken out of your thoughts.
Breathe...
Take a nice, slow, deep breath, inhaling for six seconds. Pause for two seconds, and then exhale. Repeat until you feel more calm and grounded.
When we change our breathing, we change our emotional state. If you are anxious, your breathing is fast and shallow. We want to take deeper, slower breaths to change that state.
The sensory self
Take your thumb or a finger and run it over the underside of the fingers of your other hand. Feel the texture of your skin, feel the sensation of touch.
Because the undersides of your hands are sensitive, this is a great 'gateway' method for accessing your inner-self and taking your concentration away from your mind.
Into the moment...
If you're feeling disconnected or ungrounded, you're probably 'in your head' and not 'in the now'. The following technique is brilliant for bringing you back into the present moment. You don't have to say it out loud, which means you can do it at the bus stop or in a meeting without getting any funny looks.
Keep asking yourself these two questions and respond with the answers until you feel calm:
"Where am I?"
"Here"
"What time is it?"
"Now"
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