Grounding is a concept that can be very helpful when we are not coping well. It is a pleasant activity to do whenever you feel like it, but it is particularly helpful when we are facing a struggle. Grounding is as it sounds – getting grounded, being present, being in our body not in our head thinking, not overthinking or potentially spiraling out of control.
Grounding in this sense is about connection. Connecting to the ground, to the present, to self. You can do it by merely feeling the ground beneath you, walking on grass or sand bare foot, standing in water, wiggling your toes be as creative as you can but it is about connection.
When we are facing an adversity challenge or change and we feel stressed, worried, anxious or fearful, grounding is a wonderful way to gain back control of our thoughts. For example, when we begin to fly down the unhelpful thinking path of…
“Oh no, I can’t do this”
“I am losing it”
“This is awful”
“I cannot cope”
Whatever we are thinking becomes our reality.
As you can see the statements above are not particularly useful for us in a crisis.
As Henry Ford famously said
“If you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.”
Grounding is like putting on the brakes and getting back control. Then we can breathe some life changing deep relaxing breaths and get control over our thoughts. In doing this we can assess what is it we are saying to ourselves.
When grounded and gaining back control we can choose a more helpful statement like
“I may not know how to do this but I can ask for help” or “This feels impossible, but I know I am not alone”
As you may agree these are much more helpful statements when facing adversity.
Facing change, challenge and struggle is already hard enough, when we add on top of this unhelpful thinking or self-talk it is like doubling the weight of the burden we carry. You deserve better!
Once again this is a simple idea do not dismiss its power. Try it out, grounding is very relaxing so don’t feel you need to wait for a crisis to try this, in fact I encourage my clients to try all of these concepts in good times first. You do not need to pressure of adversity while learning a new skill. Do it in the time of peace so that you can use it well in the storm.
I challenge you, 21 days of grounding, just see what happens
You can read the first two blogs in this series on resilience
Resilience is a skill that all of us can build, if you would like to know more about how we can help you grow your resilience or would like to be kept update date with new online initiatives planned for early 2020, then make sure you are subscribed to our email mailing list. Alternatively, you can email admin@purpleco.com.au with a request for more information.
Who is Kylie Warry?
Kylie is all about helping people to overcome barriers in their lives. She is a Consultant Rehabilitation Counsellor author and trainer with a specific interest in resilience and improving communication.
Kylie graduated from the University of New England with an Honours degree Behavioural Science (1993), and a Post Graduate in Psychology (1995). She has been a practicing Rehabilitation Counsellor and Mental Health Clinician for more than 20 years
Kylie is passionate about the health benefits of work and truly believes that everyone has the right to meaningful and rewarding employment. She believes that with the right tools and supports we can all live our best life, regardless of our circumstances.
How to contact Kylie:
admin@purpleco.com.au
www.purpleco.com.au
https://www.linkedin.com/in/purpleco/
Leave a Reply