Grounding Exercise When Feeling Stressed

Grounding Exercise When Feeling Stressed - This nurturing practice is a breath of fresh air on a stressful day. Angela will guide you through grounding techniques in this mindfulness meditation exercise. Enjoy.

Transcript

Welcome to this guided meditation.

My name is Angela,

And today I will be walking you through an exercise of grounding yourself.

We're gonna start by slowing down your thoughts,

Letting yourself get into this present moment.

And I will help you walk through this process of feeling grounded and calmer and safe and less overwhelmed.

So we're going to use your breath as that force of balance,

Redirecting your attention towards your breath when you get distracted.

Breathing in relaxation and exhaling tension.

I want you to really notice what that feels like to take in that breath.

See what it feels like as the air is passing through your nose or your mouth.

And as it enters your body,

Just notice what those sensations are like in your chest,

Your lungs.

Really pay attention to what the sensations are like as you're exhaling out that breath.

Now see if you can really slow down and tune in,

Paying attention to that in-breath one more time and this time through your mouth,

Seeing what it feels like to have that breath pass through your lips,

Past your tongue,

The coolness as it enters your body,

Down all the way into your lungs,

Just taking that in as if you can see your breath inside.

Breathing in relaxation and exhaling out all of the tension.

Really pay attention to what that feels like as the breath leaves your body,

Exits your lungs and out your mouth,

Letting your breath rise and fall naturally as you just notice and pay attention to these sensations for just a moment.

Just noticing the coolness of the breath entering and the warmth of the breath exiting.

Very good.

So as you're grounding yourself in this moment,

We're gonna notice where your thoughts and your feelings are in this very present moment.

Are you feeling overwhelmed?

Are you feeling stressed?

Are you feeling frustrated?

Just pay attention to what your feelings are in this moment.

Just pay attention to what your feelings are in this moment and notice where your thoughts go,

Expectations,

Worries,

Responsibilities,

Insecurities.

Right now,

See if in your mind's eye you can try to separate from your thoughts a bit.

Almost imagine that your thoughts are written on clouds up above,

That you don't have to be bonded with these thoughts and these feelings,

That each and every one of them are temporary.

That you can notice them as they drift by on the clouds.

They slowly fade away.

Just watch those thoughts,

Watch those feelings.

Take less and less power over you,

Noticing your breath.

Now paying attention to your physical,

Emotional,

And emotional state.

Now paying attention to your physical sensations.

Really notice what your skin is feeling,

This outer layer on the surface of your body.

Notice any of the slightest sensations.

Can you notice the air against your skin?

Can you notice the surface beneath you holding you up?

Can you notice the texture of your clothing against your body?

Getting underneath the surface,

Paying attention to what you're feeling internally,

Physically.

Do you notice restlessness,

Rapid heart rate?

Headaches,

Muscle tension?

Give your body the time and attention that it needs to be noticed.

Pay attention to what you can hear in this moment.

Really be in the space that you feel comfortable in.

And notice the air that's coming in from the surface of your body.

And notice the air that's coming in from the surface of your body.

Realize that you're becoming more and more comfortable in this moment.

Really be in the space that you're in,

Fully present,

Tune in to all the sounds around you just for the moment.

Being so present in this space,

Maybe you can hear the air conditioning.

Maybe you can hear the sounds of people in the next room.

Expand your hearing as much as possible.

Maybe you can hear the cars outside.

And if you're outside,

Let yourself notice all the sounds around you.

Do you hear the leaves rustling on the trees?

Do you hear people talking in the distance?

What do you notice that your ears are taking in?

Turning your attention to the sense of taste.

Quiet all of your other senses,

Tune them out and just focus on taste,

Noticing what you can pick up.

What you can pick up.

What is it that you notice?

What feelings do you have associated with that sensation of taste?

Is it bitter?

Is it sweet?

Is it bitter?

Is it sweet?

Turning your attention towards your sight.

Really tuning in and paying attention to what you see in your mind's eye.

That this is so powerful.

Letting yourself for just a moment to let go.

Allowing yourself to just see where your vision takes you in your mind's eye.

If you can paint a picture of that for someone,

What would you share with them that you're seeing?

Whether it's a memory,

Whether it's colors and shapes.

Just notice what's in your mind's eye and pay attention to that.

Now,

Shifting your attention back towards your breath.

Letting go of all the focus of your senses and just pulling your attention to that in breath and out breath.

Very good.

Now,

Letting yourself get grounded with this very moment in time.

Thinking about what time of year is it?

What season is it?

Thinking about what season is it?

What year is it?

What season is it?

What year is it?

What month is it?

What date is it?

What day of the week is it?

What date is it?

What day of the week is it?

What time of day is it?

What date is it?

What date is it?

Now,

Pulling your attention back towards your breath so you're helping yourself get grounded and exhaling out,

Letting yourself in this moment,

Get very grounded with this space,

This environment,

Where you are in this very present moment at this very present time.

Starting from expanding your view to a bird's eye view,

Zooming out,

Way out.

And thinking about being in this moment and thinking about being in this universe,

This beautiful universe,

And being able to see this planet Earth with its blues and greens.

Coming in a little bit closer,

Zooming in a bit,

Paying attention to what continent you're on,

Just noticing that as you take in this perspective for a moment,

Zooming in a little bit more,

Thinking about what country you're in,

Zooming in a bit more,

Thinking about what region or state or city or town or neighborhood you're in,

Zooming in a bit more,

Thinking about what building you're in,

Or what place you're in outside,

Or what place you're in in the future,

Or what building you're in or what place you're in outside,

Zooming in a bit more,

Thinking about what building you're in,

What floor you're on,

What room you're in,

Which side of the room you're on.

If you're sitting on a piece of furniture or maybe laying on the ground,

Just noticing exactly where you are in this present moment.

And if you're outside,

Noticing where you are in your environment,

Really taking in the exact place you are in this world at this very moment,

Pulling your attention back towards your breath,

Breathing in relaxation,

Breathing in relaxation,

Exhaling tension.

And if you can,

Let your feet touch the ground wherever you are,

Really touch the ground.

If you have shoes or socks on,

Remove those if you're comfortable.

And let your feet feel the sensations of the surface beneath you.

Let your toes and heel move across the surface,

Just feeling your feet ground you,

That in this moment,

You're able to use your body in this beautiful way to connect with the earth and feel so rooted to let you feel a sense of groundedness,

Balance,

Comfort of being held up.

Really feel that sensation as if your feet are so rooted to the earth,

That it's as if you're a tree standing so tall with deep roots held up so firmly,

So protected,

So strong,

That it's really safe,

Letting yourself pull your attention from your feet all the way from those roots,

All the way slowly up your body,

Through your heart,

All the way up through the very top of your head,

Pulling your attention towards the light all the way up to the sky,

Just noticing that bond and that connection with the universe in this very moment,

That you're gonna be okay,

You're gonna be okay.

Taking one more deep breath in,

Breathing in relaxation and exhaling tension.

Thank you for listening.