Learning how to ground yourself is incredibly important in our fast-moving world. Especially if you’re an empath or highly sensitive, being grounded is essential for your well-being. When you are grounded, you can thrive and engage with life.
But if you’re not grounded, you can get easily swept away by emotions and feelings.
As an empath myself, I know how important it is to ground yourself. Especially when life gets busy and your stress levels rise, it is essential to prioritize your self-care and make sure you are grounded.
Fortunately, there are many beautiful ways how you can ground yourself. And today I will share my 10 favorite practices and techniques to help you get grounded.
But first of all, what does it actually mean to ground yourself?
Ground yourself: What does it mean?
Grounding yourself can be described as connecting energetically to Mother Earth, or, in other words, your roots, your core. It means coming back to who you are rather than who society (or anyone) might expect you to be.
When you’re feeling grounded, you’re aligned with your values and purpose.
Your body, mind, and soul are balanced and in harmony with one another. Your cup is full and you are able to face challenges without feeling completely depleted.
As a result, your energy is flowing as it should, passing through your chakras in balance. Your thoughts are sharp, meaning that you’re focused and able to think clearly. Your nervous system is regulated and you perceive an overall feeling of calmness and peace.
Each of us was born with a purpose to fulfill on our beautiful Earth. When you know how to ground yourself, you can tap into this fundamental and divine part of yourself. Further, you are able to connect directly with your soul, your higher self. You’re also becoming receptive to more feelings of joy, love, and gratitude.
How to know if you are not grounded
Ideally, you want to be grounded so you can live a fulfilling and purpose-driven life in tune with Pachamama. But how do you actually know if you are not grounded?
Being ungrounded can show up in many different ways in your life and can be different for everyone. Personally, when I am ungrounded my heart can beat faster, I feel rushed and sometimes even out of breath. My belly feels funky and my mind can be all over the place.
When you are ungrounded and you’re faced with a challenge, it can feel way heavier than normal. Instead of being able to think clearly, your thoughts are stuck in a loop.
But being ungrounded can also show up in social situations.
Suddenly, you are shape-shifting or feeling someone else’s emotions, even though they are not yours.
This can be very draining and exhausting. Especially, if you are an empath, experiencing a sudden change of feelings can be a good indicator that you’re ungrounded and your energetic boundaries are not in place.
Further, feeling ungrounded could trigger anxiety, restlessness, and feelings of being out of control. So it is very important to be balanced emotionally, mentally, and energetically.
10 ways how to ground yourself
Luckily, there are many different grounding techniques that you can try. Today I will share 10 practices you can try to help ground yourself. I suggest even trying a combination of them as they can complement each other nicely!
We’re all different, so please always listen to your physical, emotional, energetic, and spiritual responses. Your body is your best friend here! It’s an incredible messenger, and I strongly encourage you to create and sustain a loving relationship with it.
Spend time in nature (rain or sunshine)
As human beings, we’ve evolved to thrive in spacious natural settings. We are meant to be surrounded by landscapes, so getting close to them will have soothing effects. Making sure to spend time in nature weekly will do wonders for your mood and energy system.
You could take a walk or hike on a dedicated weekday to make it easier to stick to, for example. If you can, walk barefoot to feel the soil and roots under your feet to feel your connection with the earth.
And if you live in the city, why not organize a picnic, or spend time in a park reading your book?
You may ask – how can you do that when you live in an area where it rains 350 days a year? Please don’t let that convince you to stay tucked inside all day long! You can dress accordingly to the weather and go for a short walk. Even if it’s just 10 minutes, if you do it daily it will offer many benefits to your mind, body, and soul.
I would also suggest getting a few plants for your home to feel the presence of Mother Earth all day long.
Set energetical boundaries
When we’re not grounded, it becomes easy to get swept up in the energies and emotions of people around us. When this happens, we can inadvertently take what’s not ours, mistakenly thinking that it is. Since we have no control over how others are feeling, it can quickly become very messy!
This is why energetic boundaries are essential to protect yourself from low-frequency or negative energies.
While love and compassion are limitless, your energy isn’t. It deserves to be treated with care.
And please know, a lot of people, especially empaths, struggle with energetical boundaries. But if you would like to strengthen your energetic field and gain more power, check out my energy healing offers here. Energy healing can really help you to shift your energy and return to your authentic and unique vibration to live from a place of inner wisdom and thrive in life.
Engage in creative activities
Life is meant to be fun, and it’s no exception for you! Making time to do activities that fill you with joy is a wonderful way to ground and be yourself.
Get creative, in whatever way it looks like for you. It could be through movement (dance or yoga for example), writing, drawing, painting, designing… you name it! It will help your brain to focus on an activity you love instead of engaging in fear-based and distracting thoughts.
Living creatively is spiritually powerful, as it will connect you to your divine inner state of flow – in other words, a state of deep spiritual presence.
Let your inner goddess express herself!
Practice gratitude
Numerous studies have demonstrated that practicing gratitude regularly literally rewires the brain.
In our current society, we’re often taught to focus and even fixate on the negative around us. This is also an organic result of our biology, called the negativity bias.
The good news is that beauty is all around, and it’s so ready to connect with you! Whether it’s 20 minutes a week, or 5 minutes a day, dedicating some time to write in a gratitude journal will help you notice more and more of the small but magical things everywhere.
Meditate
When feeling overwhelmed and ungrounded, meditating is a precious tool to deal with racing thoughts. With time, patience, and a lot of practice, you will learn how to be the observer rather than the feeder of your thoughts. Over time, your meditation practice will decrease the power they have over you.
Additionally, the simple act of meditating regularly shows commitment to your well-being and plants a strong seed of intention.
If you’re beginning, I recommend starting with guided meditations to help your brain focus on suggestions. If you look on Youtube or – my favorite! – InsightTimer, you’ll find a fountain of free and powerful grounding meditations. For deeper details on how to start a meditation practice, feel free to read my blog post dedicated to this topic here.
Breathwork
Breathing is such a natural act; we don’t even need to think about it. However, when you take the time to connect intently to your breath and focus on its natural rhythm, you train your brain to come back to your senses and the present moment.
When you’re anxious or stressed, your breath rhythms change without you even realizing it. This is why breathwork is so beneficial to bring balance back into your body.
These days, many apps are available for breathwork. They suggest different breathing patterns and exercises to help you focus on your breathing and re-oxygen both your brain and body.
Move your body
Body movement has many wonderful benefits for regulating your nervous system. Human beings have evolved to move regularly throughout the day as a way to release anxiety and other pent-up energies in the body.
When we spend too much time sitting and neglecting our bodies’ needs, such energies get trapped. When this happens, our energy flow becomes court-circuited, which clouds our minds and judgment.
Fortunately, you can choose to move your body in a myriad of ways; there will be something for everyone. Yoga, for example, is a highly effective practice to restore the flow of energy in your body and feel more grounded. I previously wrote a blog post about mindful yoga that will give you a good idea of how it can benefit you here.
And if it’s not your thing, dancing in your home or on the dancefloor; going for a run, or hitting the gym are all wonderful options too!
Spend time with pets (or other animals!)
Animals can have a profoundly soothing and grounding effect.
If you have a pet, spend time with them; cuddle them while focusing on the feeling of their fur on your skin. Make the time to notice intently their way of moving and expressing themselves.
But if you don’t, you can go out in nature and observe all the birds and insects around you. Alternatively, you may want to offer a friend to pet-sit for the evening, or you could even volunteer at an animal shelter. Few things in life are as rewarding as helping an animal in need!
Eat seasonally & root vegetables
Another practice of how you can ground yourself is eating seasonal and root vegetables. Eating food that comes with each season has a strong grounding effect in that it aligns you with Mother Earth’s natural rhythm.
Make time to find out what fruits and vegetables are currently in season; visit your local farmer markets, and make a conscious effort to appreciate each bite. Similarly, root vegetables growing deep in the soil can be powerful grounding sources.
Establish a morning routine
The way you start your day will have a significant impact on how it goes. Committing yourself to create – and sustaining – an intentional routine plants a seed, and it can do wonders for your motivation levels throughout your day.
“Each morning, we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.” —Buddha
How you do it is totally up to you. It can be a movement practice – yoga, stretches, a short walk outside – or writing, for example by journaling about your intentions for the day. Or perhaps you’re working on a creative project you want to dedicate some time to in the morning.
If the concept appeals to you but you’re not sure where to start, I’ve got you covered! I created a free 5-day long Blissful Mornings program to help you set a joyful morning routine and elevate the vibration of your day.
