Grounding, centering, or feeling connected and safer in our bodies… When things are stressful or feeling shitty
Life is full of ups and downs. While we cannot stop life from happening, we can do things to help us feel a little more grounded, centered or a bit more safer and comfortable when it looks like things are falling apart around us.
When these events or things come into our lives, it is important to have a few practices in our pocket to help us feel better , to keep us from feeling overwhelmed or from doing things we’re not supposed to do.
Here are some easy skills and techniques to try to help you feel better today.
Keep in mind. If you don’t try anything, nothing will change. If you only try things once, you are not really giving things a chance. Feeling better is not meant to be complicated here. So if things seem too simple to work, that doesn’t mean they will not work.
Here are a few things you can try today to feel good and recover from stressful, shitty days.
Go outside and take a few deep breaths. While this may be obvious, it is also obvious that people don’t do it enough. When people are stressed, scared, nervous, depressed, etc. they are likely not breathing well. The tension builds up in the body and you just feel awful. Poor breathing also leads to lack of blood flow, lack of oxygen flow, change in mental clarity, etc. Taking deep, intentional breaths calms the body and nervous system and just plain feels good. Taking the time out to really take a breath really helps you feel better. Take the time to focus on the breath for at least 2 minutes a day! The more you do it the better. But also, practice it when you are feeling ok. That way you get so good at it, that when you are stressed, you know how to properly breathe.
Hum or Sing. Want to access the part of the nervous system that promotes rest and relaxation quickly? Hum or sing! Humming or singing stimulates the Vagus Nerve which helps with the rest, digest and restore functions of the nervous system. By humming or singing, the vibrations you create in your body permeates all over and promotes calm, relaxation, a feeling of release and can even lower blood pressure. A simple “MMM” or “VOO” works if your are unsure of how to hum.
Listen to sound bath meditations and audios. Liked the feeling of humming or singing? Did you notice how the vibrations felt in your body? Well, the sound bath meditations create a similar effect! Sound bath meditations are a wonderful tool for soothing stress relief, for improving your mood, enhances meditation work, promotes better sleep, calms the mind and more! Look up a simple sound bath meditation on your favorite streaming app and give it a try. Tip: If you happen to be sensitive to sounds, try this on a lower volume first. Or Click Here.
EFT( Emotional Freedom Technique)/ Tapping. Tapping is a practice that focuses on tapping on several meridian points or pressure points on the body which stimulates the nerves for relaxation, to feel better in your emotions or to help you change thoughts and beliefs. This helps to change the brain and body in a positive way.There is a long form and short form of tapping, but no matter what you try- it can help you feel better in your body pretty quickly.
Want to try it? Click here!
Engage in movement. If you have been sitting in bed or your booty all day in a state of stress or anxiety. Get up! Movement helps to remove and dissipate that anxious or stressed energy that is currently trapped in the body. Engage in something you like or engage in something gentle. Examples include simple stretching, gentle yoga, pilates, dancing , lifting weights or even shaking/rocking/bouncing to some music of your choice. Be mindful and think of releasing that energy with your body!
Orient yourself to the present moment in your body while engaging the senses. When you ground into the senses, you are no longer thinking of the past and you are no longer thinking of the future. For a moment, you are choosing to think about what is happening now with an engaging activity. You can try the 5-4-3-2-1 Method. Here is how it goes. Name 5 things you can see, name 4 things you can hear in the environment, 3 things you can touch/feel, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste. OR…Try the categories game such as naming a fruit or vegetable from A to Z. Starting with A: Apple, B: Banana, C: Cantaloup, D: Dragonfruit, etc until you reach Z. Or you can name your favorite baseball teams from A to Z! The point is: doing this activity gets you out of your moment of distress and helps to distract your mind from your worries or uncomfortable bodily sensations.
There are plenty more techniques to help your body, mind and soul feel more centered, grounded ( supported) or safer in our bodies. These are just.a few easy and simple things that you can try mostly anywhere or anytime. Things have been hard for a lot of people in the last few years and sometimes these simple things are exactly what we need to help our emotional loads from getting heavier. The more you do these practices, the more you release the stress and the better you feel.
So don’t forget to take some much needed time out and try one of these practices today!
Wishing you peace and love.