Grounded.

Grounded

Thus far, I’ve had the pleasure of writing about gratitude, presence, and icebaths with this paper. When I was asked, though, to write more directly about Nature—with respect to Earth Day—it felt like the most appropriate and exciting topic yet! The key question immediate became clear: 

“What does it actually mean to be grounded?” 

You’ve heard the phrase before, right? Even used it? “He just doesn’t seem grounded.” “I am not feeling grounded today.”

Although the meaning is certainly open to interpretation, let’s try to come up with a foundation for how to approach the idea. It’s helped me to do so. In fact, I remember in 2009, when I first really heard this phrase. It was actually from another contributing writer here.

At the time, when I was 23, I was definitely a bit ungrounded. This person thought so too, and she was not afraid to tell me. She suggested, in fact, that I walk around with a rock in my pocket. Not a fancy one. Just a bland, nondescript chunk of carbon.

Am I about to suggest that this trick is the key practice for our understanding here? No. I assure you, though, it’s relevant; being grounded does not require anything flashy, or special. It’s not shiny. If anything, it may even be a bit dirty. In fact, on that note…

1. Put your barefeet on Earth: Pretend it’s nighttime, and you want to fall asleep. Your mind is still busy, though. Assuming you’ve put away the devices, what if you simply went outside, and stood on the ground? Without shoes, or socks. You’re just standing quietly, looking at the sky, feeling the air. Eventually, something will shift, and you know your ready to go back inside, and sleep. 

Why? There are a lot of reasons, more than we can touch upon here, but there’s no question: your mind will calm down if simply stand on the ground, quietly, and breathe. In fact…

2. Breathe deeply. This is the simplest aspect of being grounded. Not only can everyone breath, we all have to. If you don’t normally breath deeply, though, try. Deep, slow and nasal, or, “low, slow, and through the nose,” as my friend Campbell says. 

As often as you can, breathe deeply. To be clear, try to make your breaths 24 seconds long; in other words, a 6 second inhale, 6 second pause, 6 second exhale, 6 second pause. If that’s not currently easy for you, make it a goal. One thing which will help is to…

3. Hydrate from the inside out, as well as from the outside in. Shortly after you wake up, go drink at least two cups of water. Ideally room temperature. You’ve woken up a little dehydrated. Drinking water will start to change that. This is the first step; the second one is to take a shower; hydrating from the inside-out, and outside in. 

We recommend cold showers, but any shower will help. The goal here is to simply wake up. In short, showering can help increase circulation, which is necessary for feeling awake. You’ll also likely clear out some of the cobwebs from the night before. 

Being grounded and being awake go hand-in-hand. Hydrate, for the sake of, quite simply, waking up and getting into a flow. Actually, on that note…

4. Mind your waste. One of the most overrated things you can do to be more grounded is to pay attention to the waste you produce. Consider composting (to be clear, just your food waste). It’s shockingly easy to do, and there are people around here who are literally willing to collect it. Shout out to Brian Schneider BCS Compost.

By minding your waste, you’re respecting the rules. We know there is cause and effect. Consume, and create something new. Composting is an easy way to become more aware of this. You’ll also better see the link, if you will, between waste and waist. 

On that note, regarding respect…

5. Observe gravity. The need for air is constant, as is the reality of movement, and cause and effect. Gravity is no different. It constantly effects us. It too levels the playing field, because we have to respect it. 

Doing so with awareness, however, makes all the difference. In my experience, learning to literally organize your body in relationship to gravity is the most grounding practice of all.

In the end, maybe it’s just a phrase. Probably. Whatever the case, with this foundation, you won’t need anything extra in your pocket. You’re owning what it means to be on Earth. Earth is your rock. It always has been, and it might as well always be. Perhaps allowing this is all it really takes to be grounded.