How to ground yourself during this holiday season


 

As we enter the frenzy of the holiday season, we may notice a heightened sense of anxiety and buzz mentally and physically in our bodies. There may be more planning than usual among friends and family, more items to cross off the longer than usual to-do list. If any of this resonates, you are not alone. 

Here on the east coast of the U.S., first I am thankful that COVID has taken a bit of a back seat for now, providing reprieve from isolation among my community, to partake in the festivities of the holidays. 

But regardless of whether you are requiring greater social distance or immersed in gatherings with loved ones, the notion of grounding is always a welcomed concept. 

So what does "grounding" actually mean, you may wonder? According to the Collins English Dictionary, "Grounding yourself, is the process of balancing your physical, emotional, mental and energy state and reconnecting them." It is the act of aligning your heart, mind, and body and bringing it to a level of homeostasis. Some symptoms that may indicate that feeling of 'misalignment' are physical attributes of heart racing rapidly, shaken nerves, inability to sit still, stressful thoughts, insomnia and worrying in the mind...this list can run quite long. 

As someone who can relate to these feelings and sensations in the body all too well, the regular practice of a grounding ritual is immensely helpful to soothe all these symptoms along with anchoring calming aromatic scents to accompany the experience.

Here is my personal grounding hack: 

  1. Find a quiet space to spend a few minutes alone.
  2. Reach for your Root and Resin Grounding Ritual Mist and mist 2-3 sprays around your body and breathe the essential oil base notes of Nagarmotha, Tulsi, and Clary Sage. 
  3. Close your eyes and visualize a grounding cord of light like tree roots emanating from the base of your spine planting deep into the earth. 
  4. Breathe that sensation from the earth up into your body filling up every part of you, and keep breathing with eyes closed til you feel a shift in your state of being. 
  5. Open your eyes, and mist Grounding all around you to close out your ritual practice and place your hand over your heart and offer yourself gratitude. 

This practice can be done anywhere and at anytime to bring yourself back to center and calm. The only requirement is the intention and conscious act of offering yourself this quick moment of reset.