Xero C.Sometimes, it feels like we are desperately trying to plant our feet, only for the ground beneath us to crumble and fall away. Our perception, our worldview, and our thoughts can feel like they have been pulled out from under us, leaving only uncertainty and chaos. In these situations, what we are really searching for is stability. The ability to live without feeling overwhelmed, stressed, and generally consumed by worry. This means we have the tools we need to be able to slow down, reflect, and reassess our actions in a world that seems so fast-paced and prone to change. That stability — that balance, emotional regulation, and connection with reality — is often referred to in wellness circles as “feeling grounded.” From seizing the moment to building and maintaining connections, here are 5 habits that help me feel more grounded in my day-to-day life.
Continuous Improvement
When we are stagnant in our development — whether that is professional, personal, or a mixture of both — it is easy for us to feel like we are being left behind. The last thing we want is for our perception of our abilities, and our confidence in ourselves, to suffer as a result of this stagnation. Thankfully, there are plenty of methods we can employ, and choices we can make, that can help us to form the habit of continuous professional and personal improvement.
By striving to improve ourselves, we are building upon positive choices and helping us to feel more grounded over time. There are plenty of great resources out there that can help us pick up a new skill, and improve that skill over time. Even if it’s a hobby, like carpentry, painting, or photography, increasing our capabilities can have benefits for our confidence, intelligence, and emotional health. Best of all, when we build a skill, we can employ it throughout every theater of our lives, allowing us to become better people over all. In many ways, this is one of the best habits you can possibly create: one that helps you to always be improving yourself, and never falling behind.
Seize the Moment
One of the best ways to feel grounded in any given moment is to refocus and realize your place in the present. This means, essentially, consistently practicing mindfulness to retain your position, improve your concentration, and improve your ability to focus and realize the environment around you and the breaths you take. Doing mindfulness meditation at least once a day can help you to reap benefits both physical, mental, and emotional, from reducing hypertension and improving the ability to recall memories, to reducing stress and warding off anxiety. Start with just 5-15 minutes per day, and build from there until you feel you are getting the most out of your mindfulness practices. Before long, you will notice marked improvements in multiple areas of your life.
Build and Maintain Connections
Things are easier when you are able to share the load. Having strong connections with friends and family can help us feel more grounded and stable in our emotional and mental health. Reaching out to, and maintaining consistent communication with, our connections, as well as creating new ones altogether, can help us even more.
Commit Your Thoughts to Paper
Committing your thoughts, feelings, and experiences to writing can help us to feel more grounded. Often known as “journaling,” following a writing prompt or simply breaking down any obstacle or challenge you are facing in ink can help us to reassess, reevaluate, and recommit ourselves to solving our issues rather than avoiding them. There are few things that help us feel more stable and in-control than understanding the complexities and details of what ails us, and being able to formulate a plan to solve them. Journaling once a day, even for short periods of time, can help you to form a grounding habit that will profit you in more ways than one.
Conclusion
Sometimes, we feel like we cannot find our feet. That is where habits that help us feel more grounded come in handy. Committing consistent choices to help us feel more stable and in-control of our emotional, mental, and physical health can improve our lives as a whole. If you are interested in other lifestyle, wellness, or mindfulness topics, please check out our blog for more!
