Internalized Groundedness
Everyone needs a safe haven to enter when life appears to be quickly moving in a downward spiral. During such uncertain times it’s quite natural to feel insecure and confused, unsteady and directionless. We rush to other people who we believe can get us grounded again in a way that makes our problem feel less intensely noticeable and further away from the center of our mind. The momentary retrieval of groundedness received from someone or something else does not last, and in fact, can further deepen feelings of instability and anxiety.
Focus
How do we, ourselves, return to the grounded space within? And, how do we retrieve it when it has been lost? Begin by focusing attention on your breathing rhythm. Is it smooth and calm or unsteady and quick? Notice how your body relaxes as you deliberately calm your breathing rhythm down when problems and strife arrive. When attention is given to the moment of each breath, a stable sense of presence enters the brain, the nervous system immediately becomes regulated, and the body begins to do its work with serenity. Immediately you will feel your body release held tension. Pointing attention inward to our “home ground” when negative thoughts are present, we reassure ourselves that we know what is best and can trust our instincts and intuition to challenge negative, anxious thinking. The breath is the entrance to our “home ground;” that place within where we can go to readjust, refurbish, resolve, and re-enter our lives with clearer intention and courage.
Build
Training the mind to “float” rather than sink when the river of life overtakes us will save our sanity and build self-encouragement. When we know how to ground ourselves internally we gain mental stability and emotional sturdiness, and in this way we can allow the workings of life to play out in front of us with the secure knowledge that we are capable of remarkable things when we are connected to our inner ground structure.
“The lives we live will become advantageously more favorable when we reconnect to “home” ground. ”