Become more centred and happier FAST
Being grounded is an energetic term meaning to feel and be centred. It’s about giving your body a sense of steadiness, unflappability, and a strong base. I manage to maintain this state most of the time, but I also actively have to work at it through practices like yoga and meditation.
Growing up and throughout my twenties, I wasn’t very grounded. I would rush around desperately trying to get everything done, but the to-do list never seemed to get smaller. I was clumsy, often stubbing my toe as I ran into things and dropping things.
One of the fantastic benefits of growing older is more life experience and self-knowledge. I didn’t realise back then that I was an empath – I viewed my sensitivity as a weakness, a hindrance. I felt misunderstood often and would get upset (but learned how not to show it because showing my emotions would lead to even more lack of understanding for my feelings and thus put me even farther away from the people I was trying to connect to)! Had I been grounded, I could have coped better with both my own emotions and those of others swirling around me which often had the impact of draining me of energy. I often heard the phrase “Calm down!” I wasn’t hysterical, but I have such a lust for life that I burst with enthusiasm as I loved to connect to people and have fun – I didn’t know how to ‘contain myself’ and again, often felt like I was a problem to those who wanted to maintain order (teachers, bosses etc). I’ve heard the word “shush” more times than I care to remember and once even The Sunday Times described me as like an ‘Andrex puppy with boundless enthusiasm’ when I was on a TV show and they were preparing the weeks’ listings!
These days, I have none of this. My energy is calm and centred for the most part, and I believe that it is because I am grounded—firmly rooted. What has helped is movement—being active, getting out of my head and into my body. Movement is medicine.
For me movement could be running (I put my headphones on and crank up the beats!), spinning or my particular favourite – dance aerobics. I do that class twice a week, and I can’t be anywhere other than in my body as I concentrate on the steps and flow – twirling and spinning around the dance floor. It’s better than a night out! I also love yoga, but I go barefoot for it.
When you are not grounded, you are emotionally vulnerable. You are not present in the ‘now’ of your life. You could be off in your head, daydreaming or just emotionally detached – a step removed from ‘everyone else’. I make being grounded a priority for me now. Ensuring that my energy is firmly planted in my body so that I can be both more productive in my activities and also feel a sense of peace and control as I go about my day. I take a holistic approach to guide my mind and body to connect and this also helps me tap into and trust my own intuition.
Stillness facilitates that.
If you are affected by your emotions, don’t worry too much about moulding yourself into what you think you ‘should’ be or how you ‘should’ act. Ask yourself each day – ‘how do you want to feel?’ and allow yourself to be guided by that.