MAKING MY PEACE … with what it means to be grounded
I often write about “feeling grounded” and “gaining ground” – but what do I really mean? And why is being grounded one of the most important inner skills we can learn?
Grounding is a therapeutic term meaning a return to the present moment. People talk about “coming back into yourself” such as being aware of your own breath and body, and all your senses: sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste. It is the opposite of feeling scattered, anxious, overwhelmed, or feeling out of control. When you are grounded, you are “here” and not drifting into past regrets or future fears.
Grounding is not a mood. It is a state of being, of feeling steady, centred, and connected. In psycho-social work, grounding is the feeling of safety. In mental health and trauma-informed practice, grounding has a specific purpose: to help a person return from emotional overwhelm back into a place of safety and regulation.
Why does it matter whether you are grounded or not?
Therapeutic professionals use grounding to help individuals stay present during difficult conversations, emotional triggers, or heavy memories. Being grounded is not about suppressing emotions, but to ensure that you do not drown in them. Grounding creates a feeling that you can explore your own emotions without being engulfed by them.
When we’re overwhelmed, our nervous system goes into survival mode. Grounding reminds our body that it is safe and things will be okay. It helps restore internal balance and clarity.
There are many techniques to help us feel grounded. Grounding techniques or rituals include breathing slowly, noticing sensations, tapping parts of your body, listening to natural sounds, being creative, or even placing your hands on a page or object. All these techniques are intentional.
Grounding isn’t only a therapeutic tool. It is a life tool and a way to return to your true self in any moment of stress or uncertainty. It helps when you are overwhelmed by some news, emotionally triggered, caught in spiralling thoughts, feeling disconnected from yourself, rushing, multi-tasking, overstimulated, grieving, or adjusting to change.
What does being grounded feel like?
It is different for different people, depending on the situation. To be grounded is to feel like your thoughts have slowed to the pace of slow breathing instead of hyper-ventilating. It feels like you are in your body rather than hovering above it. You feel as if life situations are “manageable” again.
Grounding is not escaping or avoiding. It is often described as “returning to body” or “returning home.” It simply creates the inner stability needed to face difficulties without collapsing under their weight, or by their overwhelming presence. Think of grounding as the earth beneath you: steady enough so that you can walk through anything, and soft enough so that you can rest.
I particularly love the phrase “gaining ground” because it suggests progress, strength, and movement forward, even if it is not in big leaps, but in gradual steps.
To “gain ground” in your life, in your healing, is to rebuild your relationship with yourself, with your body, your heart, and your breath. Grounding is the first step. Every time you slow down and reconnect with your own breath, you reclaim a little more of yourself.
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Making my peace with what it means to be grounded, I use these seven ways:
I feel my feet by pressing them into the floor, ground, or beach sand, and noticing my own weight, the contact of feet to floor, and the solid ground beneath me.
I take slow breaths and long exhales by inhaling slowly for four counts and exhaling slowly for six counts and noticing that the longer exhalations calm my nerves.
I name five things I can see by sitting still and noticing the world around me to feel present in the situation right now and to prevent myself from drifting into past regrets or future fears.
I hold something by picking up something near me, such as a stone, a leaf, a cup, a child’s soft toy, a crystal – anything small – and letting my senses feel it and concentrate on it while thinking positive thoughts or remembering someone special.
I place a hand on my body by softly placing a hand on my chest to feel my heartbeat, or on my arm to feel its warmth, or on my wrist to feel my pulse, or on a scar to feel its indentation, ridge, or memory, while focusing on myself.
I draw or doodle by letting my mind doodle slowly and randomly on a page or by returning to my art lessons and drawing a mandala, an intentional circular shape of geometric patterns and symbols that centres my mind.
I speak the day, date, and time by saying it slowly and quietly as a simple act to reorient my mind to the present.
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Rainy Day Healing blogs: “This kind of quiet, honest reflection is exactly what makes Rainy Day Healing such a special space.” Chaz. T., USA
In a world of sensory overload, Tranquility Mapping offers a gentle, creative way to reconnect with peace and calm, and recreate restorative spaces. Whether you’re seeking stillness in a busy home, serenity in a classroom, or relief in a hectic office, this guide gives you the tools to map and reshape your environment to support your well-being. Whether you have a garden, one room or an entire building to work with, this guide helps you transform your everyday spaces into sanctuaries of stillness.
Includes: Tranquility Mapping templates and examples (for home, classroom, school, and office); A Tranquility Toolkit checklist (sound, scent, sight, and texture tools); A teacher’s guide to mapping calm with students; A list of workshop questions and techniques for working with groups; Real-life inspiration based on research on peace and tranquility.
Ideal for: Anyone seeking a sensory-friendly space and a place of quietude; Teachers and educators designing calm corners for students in classrooms and learning spaces; Families, parents, and caregivers wanting to create calm for children, seniors, and all members; Therapists, coaches, and wellness professionals; Human resource personnel, office planners, and office workers reclaiming restorative spaces.
Map your way back to tranquility. Map emotional geography in real life. Feel the benefits of restorative spaces. If you have a notebook, blank paper, pencils, crayons or highlighters, and optional stickers and sticky notes, you can begin. You don’t have to wait for peace to find you. You can find it, design it, and return to it anytime. You can design the tranquility you want to feel.
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