Feeling ‘grounded’ has become synonymous with feeling good, or safe, or calm. But is that what grounding is really about?
At the moment many of us may be feeling very “ungrounded”. Anxious, depressed, confused, fearful, angry, exhausted, bored, as if ‘the world has turned upside down’ or the ‘ground has been pulled from beneath our feet’.
Grounding in holistic, therapeutic terms means connecting with the ground. Bringing the charge of your attention and energy downwards, away from your head, towards the ground.
That’s it.
Putting your feet on the ground, bare earth, or even the floor of your high rise apartment. 
Allowing energy and attention that has been caught in a loop in the head and torso by constant overthinking to gently sink downwards. 
Bringing the charge of your energy closer to the Ground.
Shaking, stretching, unlocking the knees and deep breathing are often needed to help the process.
Try it!
Once our energy flows downwards, Space is created within the body to start feeling calm or safe and to give our hearts and attention over to what really matters.
Staying grounded, feeling supported by our own two feet can stop us spiraling back into anxious states. It is the beginnings of staying present. Staying grounded is also vital for making other therapeutic activities effective.

Grounding activities can include: mindful walking, yoga, tai chi, prostrating, working on having an aligned standing or sitting posture, gardening, farming, hiking, dance, full body breathing exercises.
In a ‘lockdown’, you may find, like I have, that there is no easy access to your favorite grounding activity. All the more reason to take time to find other ways to ground.

There are many therapeutic activities, which though beneficial and calming are not particularly ‘grounding’, despite many claiming that they are. Journaling, talk therapy, essential oils, to name a few. These might help clear the mind temporarily and ease emotional expression, which are very important outcomes. But certainly don’t release our charge into the ground or build up the sense of rooted connection that so many desperately need right now.