[fullwidth backgroundcolor=”” backgroundimage=”” backgroundrepeat=”no-repeat” backgroundposition=”left top” backgroundattachment=”scroll” video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” bordersize=”0px” bordercolor=”” borderstyle=”” paddingtop=”20px” paddingbottom=”20px” paddingleft=”0px” paddingright=”0px” menu_anchor=”” equal_height_columns=”no” hundred_percent=”no” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]
Mindful Grounding Techniques
[/fusion_text][one_sixth last=”no” spacing=”yes” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” class=”” id=””][/one_sixth][two_third last=”no” spacing=”yes” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” class=”” id=””][imageframe lightbox=”no” style_type=”none” bordercolor=”” bordersize=”0px” borderradius=”0″ stylecolor=”” align=”none” link=”” linktarget=”_self” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ class=”” id=””] 
[/imageframe][/two_third][one_sixth last=”yes” spacing=”yes” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” class=”” id=””][/one_sixth][one_sixth last=”no” spacing=”yes” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” class=”” id=””][/one_sixth][two_third last=”no” spacing=”yes” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]Meditation is an enlightening experience, but for those exploring this ancient technique, the concept may still seem confusing. In efforts to clear your mind and focus on your breathing, you may wonder: What is the purpose? What do deep breathing and describing your body posture accomplish? When meditating, you may not realize that you are seamlessly incorporating grounding techniques.
What Are Grounding Techniques?
Although grounding techniques are often referenced in the treatment of anxiety and similar overwhelming emotions, their basic intention is to help keep you in the present moment. When these techniques are applied, your mind is purposefully drawn to the ground beneath your feet, the wind rustling through your hair, and the pressure of your handbag on your shoulder. Grounding techniques can be especially useful for people who need prompts to regain their mental focus in times of stress, but this is a healthy exercise for everyone. Grounding is simply a tool designed to offer reminders of where you are in the exact moment.
Grounding Techniques Are Revitalizing
Our daily lives are constantly inundated with stress and negativity, and the simple act of grounding yourself in the present moment can do wonders for your well-being. Perhaps your work is stressful or your job makes you unhappy, and even the thought of returning from your lunch break causes anxiety. Spend your lunch break meditating, focusing on the drink in your hand, the taste of your meal, and the murmurs of surrounding conversations, to realign your thinking. You’ll be much more likely to return to work with positive vibes and a successful outlook for the afternoon, despite a tiring morning.
This ability to center yourself can be applied to any situation at any moment, and it is refreshing to your mind when you can focus on the present. Gone are the distractions of a future appointment, the regrets of a past mistake, or the anxiety that comes with hearing distressing news. Grounding techniques are powerful in reasserting the importance of the here and now.
Grounding Techniques Promote Mind-Body Connection
The difficulty with the mind is that our thoughts are inclined to move faster than we can truly comprehend. Without a pause, our minds easily fall into the undercurrent of negative emotions. To focus, our thoughts must be slowed. Otherwise, we engage in an exhausting battle with our own feelings. Grounding techniques are the brakes for the runaway train, as you rely on your current physical space to reconnect your emotions to reality. Grounding techniques draw away from negativity by asking you to focus on tangible items in the present moment, such as recognizing a single color in nature or the sensory experience of your toes on the carpet. It serves as a distraction, even for the briefest moment, and allows you to regain control.
Sometimes there are only a few minutes to spare to gain focus of the present moment. The great thing about using these grounding techniques is that they can be used anywhere – you don’t have to wait for a quiet, meditative moment to practice grounding. In fact, the times we need grounding the most may be the best time to try implementing the techniques: on a crowded train, during a stressful meeting, in the middle of a chaotic moment.
Grounding helps you understand where specific emotions are harnessed in your physical body, and give you the power to realign and reconnect in a healthier way. Grounding is the perfect partner to meditation and mindfulness.[/fusion_text][fusion_text]
[/fusion_text][/two_third][one_sixth last=”yes” spacing=”yes” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” class=”” id=””][/one_sixth][one_sixth last=”no” spacing=”yes” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” class=”” id=””][/one_sixth][two_third last=”no” spacing=”yes” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]Anne-Marie Duchêne[/fusion_text][/two_third][one_sixth last=”yes” spacing=”yes” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” class=”” id=””][/one_sixth][/fullwidth]
