In my forever pursuit of mindful living, I am always in search of ways to stay grounded and to keep my head in times of difficulties. Mindful living and being “grounded” basically go hand in hand like PB & J or mac n cheese, you truly can not have one without the other. But what does staying “grounded” really mean? In its simplest form being grounded is all about “Control”. Not control over all the outside stuff going on around us, like traffic, things not going as planned etc, but control over yourself, your emotions and the things you personally believe. To “stay grounded” means you have the ability to just be in times of difficulties, without wavering from the core of who you are as a person.
When I was a kid, like most children I’m sure, I lived a life all fueled by emotions. Whatever I felt, I acted on and sadly that same behavior followed me through most of my adult life. Looking back at that time in my life of being so very “reactive” I can see now how much time and energy I wasted on allowing so many outside elements to control my behavior + how I viewed my life. I allowed myself to be controlled by the chaos that comes with life. The older I became, the more exhausted I was by my own mind and behaviors.
Finding ways to stay grounded became an essential + a non negotiable aspect of my life. I wanted to make decisions not off of fleeting emotions or external factors, instead I wanted to make decisions based on my true heart + values. So how does one do that? Grounding and remaining grounded takes effort, it’s one of those things that need to be practiced. It is also one of those things that you must give yourself GRACE on. Not a single person is perfect and it is very much so human nature to have the urge to be reactive. That being said, take it one day at a time. There are countless ways to practice mindfulness and to stay grounded when things happen while honoring + loving yourself through the experience. There are 4 things that I do daily when faced with chaos.
- Remembering there are Options: So there are always options in every single situation, even the option to complain. In this beautiful thing called life, we are very much in control of our own experiences and how we choose to react or lack there of. Remembering that you have options, gives you your power back + takes the control from the chaos, placing it back in your hands.
- Perspectives can Adjust: Challenges and life chaos are givens. Actually they are the only givens (outside of taxes lol). Life comes at you fast and it always brings its friend chaos along with it. We all have the ability to choose how we view those challenges. Challenges can be viewed as an opportunity for growth or it can be viewed as a turning point where everything comes crashing down. Empower yourself and remember, you have the option to change YOUR perspective + rise to the occasion.
- Body Scan: Taking inventory of your body (physically + emotionally). Really checking in with yourself and noticing how you are feeling. What emotions are there? Is there any discomfort? Tension? Body scans can be used as a self evaluation tool and can be done several times a day as needed. Acknowledge what comes up for you, give yourself compassion, love and grace. Stay with the emotion and then let it go. Surrendering to difficulties as they come up with the mindset that each situation is momentary and will have an ending.
- Choose Yourself: One of the biggest parts of being grounded is doing what you need to do for yourself to stay connected to the core of who you are. Choosing you can look however it needs to look for you. If that means setting up boundaries, routines, or whatever, do what makes you a priority to you.
Practicing Mindfulness isn’t a quick fix and I don’t proclaim that using these tools will eliminate the chaos that can come up in life. Instead taking a mindful approach to remain grounded provides an environment that allows you to co-exist + continue to function as your true self in times of difficulties.
Because we have options, the ability to change our perspective and the right to choose ourselves, we take ownership of our own experiences. The beauty in that is we can be influenced by life but we are not obligated to be controlled by it. Having that unwavering commitment to remain grounded provides endless opportunities of growth.
For the month of November “Operation Grounded” is in full affect for me. Over the next 30 days I will share tips, tools and essentials to stay grounded on my Instagram, if you haven’t checked it out, you can do so here. I would love to hear from you, what things do you do to stay grounded? Comment below, send me an email (info@sittincrooked.com) or comment on Instagram! Let’s connect!!