In a crazy world, it’s easy to feel out of sorts or ungrounded. Have you felt this way before? It may manifest itself in many thoughts racing through your mind and being unable to choose what to do next. Or it can be a feeling of anxiety when you are expected to perform like before a presentation or job interview. It’s easy to find yourself ungrounded when you have too many commitments or when you are overcome by emotion. So, basically just being a human! Here are some things you can do if you are feeling this way.

Pay attention to your feet. Oftentimes, your feet are usually the closest thing connected to the earth so focus on how they are feeling. Put your intention into feeling them rooted into the earth. Perhaps even pamper your feet with some foot reflexology or massage. 

Do a tree pose. This yoga pose is particularly grounding, again, because of its connection to the earth. When we extend our legs as the core of the tree and our arms as the branches, we gather the energy of the earth into our bodies. It is also a healthy pose in that it is weight-bearing and strengthens our bones.

Get in a cold shower. If you’re feeling particularly anxious and lose a sense of grounding, a cold shower can help a lot. These showers provide multiple benefits like lowering your body temperature, returning your heart rate to normal, increasing oxygen to your brain, and moving blood flow away from the core of your body.

Play music. Music is found to be centering for many people. You can affect your energy and connect yourself more to the earth just by playing your favorite song and dancing to it. The dopamine your body releases also helps calm any anxiety you may be feeling.

Do something with your hands. Using your hands to do things like gardening or knitting engages different parts of your brain. This in turn self-soothes and causes relaxation, both of which are grounding. Just about anything you do can cause this action secondarily, like petting your dog, painting, or even cutting up vegetables when making dinner.

Connect with someone. Finding a level at which you can connect with someone and share who you are, your concerns, and your worries, grounds you. Especially if you get hugs from this person and they allow you to cry and vent. Friendships like these allow you to feel stability in an otherwise chaotic situation.

Enjoy nature. Think about stepping outside on a really clear night and looking up at a dark sky full of stars. It makes you feel like you are a part of a large, connected universe and that is a simple and easy way to ground yourself. Doing the same with walking barefoot through grass or sand also makes you feel more connected to the earth. While doing this, notice things like the temperature of the ground, the textures on the trees and plants you see, and the sound of the wind through their leaves.

Breathe. Most simply, you can ground yourself through the connection of your breath. Taking deep breaths while feeling the support of the chair that holds you up is one way to do it. You can also implement techniques like doing body scans and performing box breathing or mindful breathing. What you’re really doing is allowing your mind to focus on the life force of your breath rather than having your thoughts spiral out of control.