Center yourself with a simple grounding exercise

When you are feeling hopeless, frightened, lost or any other combination of negative feelings due to the new reality created by COVID-19 or even in more normal times, it can be hard to center yourself.

For this week’s self-care series installment, I will walk you through a simple grounding exercise that can be done in almost any environment and can be done quickly or slowly depending on how intense your feelings may be. The idea is to bring your mind back to the here and now by taking inventory of the way our body rests in a seated or standing position.

Grounding Exercise:

1. Sit comfortably on a chair and place your feet on the ground. If a chair is unavailable, you can do this standing up.
2. Close your eyes or keep them open — whatever makes you most comfortable.
3. Take notice of how your feet feel placed on the floor. Press each toe into the floor, one at a time for several seconds. Feel the resistance and sensation of being connected to the ground, the foundation of the building you’re in, the dirt and Earth’s gravity.
4. Once finished with your toes, repeat Step 3 with the heels of your feet.
5. For even more grounding, you can bring the focus to your ankles and legs, paying attention to the way your muscles shift and tense as you press your toes and heels into the ground beneath you.

This grounding exercise can be used in conjunction with previous exercises for belly breathing and progression muscle relaxation or as a standalone skill.

Need further help for managing big life transitions? We are accepting new clients of all ages from Iowa and Nebraska for telehealth sessions. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.