BY JANE ROCKETT for WEEKLY VOLCANO 5/30/25 |
I find spring to be an exhilarating time, but also a little overwhelming. With all the light in the sky, time in the day, and flowers in bloom, it’s easy for a dreamer to get lost in the future and forget the present. Grounding is an easy and useful way to focus on and achieve your dreams.
Grounding is the practice of bringing your awareness back to the present moment—often through sensory experiences, breathwork, or simple rituals. It helps calm the nervous system, reduce stress, and reconnect your body and mind. Whether you’re walking barefoot in the grass, taking a deep breath, or sipping a warm drink, grounding techniques can gently anchor you when life feels overwhelming.
It’s especially helpful to practice grounding in high-stress or overstimulating situations. Grounding can be a great motivator when experiencing ennui or volatile moods, and even a good reminder to be careful with ourselves when drugs and alcohol are present. In social situations, these tools and tricks can help you stay focused on your goals and be less likely to be peer-pressured into distraction. Having and practicing grounding habits and rituals is as important as knowing and using grounding techniques.
Here in the Northwest, we are blessed with many places to reconnect with the earth and ourselves. Titlow at sunset is breathtaking and warming. Wright Park is perfect at sunrise and sunset, and the pull-up bars are great for a stretch. Ruston has some incredible beachcombing, and enough sand to get buried and become one with the ground!
Other fantastic ways to become more rooted in reality include enjoying local foods and businesses instead of just going to the giant chains for perceived convenience. I really enjoy the food court at Freighthouse Square, as well as some of the shops and art—it’s always a good place to find something comforting. Farmers markets are full of wondrous local arts and foods and grounding energies, and if you’re on EBT, they’re a great resource for doubling your grocery budget due to the Fresh Bucks program, which matches your EBT purchases dollar for dollar to help cover the cost of fresh produce.
Now that we’ve explored what grounding is, when to do it, and where we can go to focus on grounding, it’s time to go over a few simple techniques. Breathwork is really great for focusing our emotions and energies. There are probably over 85 million ways to do it, so I’ll share one I learned years ago. It’s called box breathing.
Box breathing is a great way to regulate the nervous system and help soothe anxiety. It’s a very simple pattern of inhaling for about four seconds, holding it for four seconds, releasing the breath slowly for four seconds, and then repeating this sequence to quiet the mind.
My new favorite exercise for mental grounding is what I call the Food ABCs. One simply has to list any foods they can think of in alphabetical order. It helps a lot with focus when in a frenzy. It’s also a great way to decide what to have for dinner!
Other grounding habits can be as small and simple as hygiene and nutrition. If you’re upset, you may need to have a snack. If you’re irritable, you may want to try brushing your teeth or washing your face to feel less frustrated. Even salty snacks and root vegetables can be spiritually and emotionally grounding—great for getting rid of nightmares.
Folks are often told that certain foods are good for you or bad for you, which is very subjective. Are we talking about the health of the soul or the health of our arteries? I believe it’s all interconnected, and that happiness is a huge key to well-being. I’m a HUGE fan of junk food! If you’re sad and distracted, go ahead and have that sugary soda—just try to balance it with some quality protein. I recently discovered the joy of Doritos dipped in tikka masala sauce. The curry in the sauce balances out the flammable qualities in the chips, I’m sure!
In closing, do remember to live for today as well as tomorrow by keeping your head on your shoulders. I’ll leave you with my favorite mantra: One thing at a time.
