Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is come back to earth.
Spend even a small amount of time in spiritual spaces, and you’ll likely hear the term “grounding” being thrown around.
You might hear people say you need to ground after a tarot reading, a meditation, or even after a stressful day. Somewhere along the way, it started to sound like another item on a checklist. Cast your spell. Pull your cards. Ground. Move on.
But grounding isn’t another task to check off a list, it’s a state of being.
At its core, grounding is simply the practice of reconnecting with the present moment. It’s finding your way back to your body, your surroundings, and your own sense of stability and calm.
Normal reactions like anxiety, stress, grief, or even excitement may pull us away from our more centered perspective, meaning we may need to intentionally work our way back through grounding techniques.
Why Does It Matter?
Have you ever finished a ritual and felt a little off or anxious? That’s a common side effect of needing to ground. There’s nothing wrong with imagination, intuition, or deep reflection; each has an important place and is part of a well-rounded practice.
Eventually, though, we need to be able to come back down to earth.
Magic still happens in the real world. More than that, your relationships happen here. Your body lives here. Grounding gives us the capacity to hold the spiritual and the mundane at the same time.
Signs You May Need to Ground
Each individual may notice different indicators, but there are a few signs I notice in myself that can give you a starting point as you build your own awareness.
Inability to focus for more than a few moments is a big one, and it’s usually due to losing the ability to be still.
Spiraling thoughts or sudden inability to make decisions is also a red flag for me, as is an unwarranted sense of urgency or catastrophizing.
I’m also prone to sudden bouts of insomnia if I’ve floated away for too long.
You may share some, all, or none of these signs. Stay curious and you’ll learn your own tells in time.
Finding What Works for You
The first step is to abandon any notions that there’s a right or wrong way to ground. If it works for you, it’s right for you.
Some people feel most grounded walking barefoot through the grass.
Others by meditating, lifting weights, baking bread, organizing their kitchen, taking a hot shower, gardening, knitting, or sitting quietly with a cup of coffee before the day begins.
If it brings you back to your body, slows your thoughts down enough for you to engage with them intentionally, and soothes the backlog of panic you’ve been carrying, it’s perfect.
A Practice of Self-Knowledge
For a lot of us, an important part of deconstructing is turning away from the desire to do everything “the right way.” There are far fewer rules on this path than you may be used to, and it can feel scary to take the training wheels off and follow your intuition. Learning to ground effectively is a perfect opportunity to practice trusting your own guidance.
Pay attention to what actually helps you and go with it. The more you begin to understand your own rhythms and needs, the easier it becomes to recognize when you’ve drifted too far from yourself.
You won’t benefit from perfectly copying someone else’s practice, you’ll need to build your own out of the things that work for you.
A Few Questions Worth Sitting With
- When do I feel most like myself?
- What activities leave me feeling energized rather than drained?
- How does my body tell me I’m overwhelmed?
- What helps me reconnect with the present moment?
