The Personality Trait That The Strongest People Have Mastered
And how to get it for yourself.
Nadya Korobkova / Shutterstock.com Are you grounded? If you are, you probably feel capable, secure, and confident.
Grounded people can comfortably anchor and expand their potential — even in the face of uncertainty.
If, on the other hand, these qualities don't resonate with you, you may be ungrounded. You likely feel indecisive, fearful, lacking confidence, or easily swayed and distracted.
You might also let others cross your boundaries, consciously or unconsciously. If this hits home, you might want to learn how to get grounded.
The good news is, you can find your way to being a grounded person. You can set and maintain clear personal and professional boundaries. You can feel capable and confident.
Get grounded to build roots and expand your potential
At this moment, you're probably wondering what "grounded" means. Some people use "grounded" and "centered" interchangeably. Others link the two together suggesting a kind of joint effect as in "grounded and centered."
In my experience as an energy healer, embodied practitioner, meditator, and life coach I've noted some differences as well as some important complementarities. For example, grounding facilitates centering and vice versa. They do naturally go together.
But being grounded means you possess the deep roots to anchor and expand your potential as well as steady yourself through change. Being centered, on the other hand, means you have a great navigational system to conquer your life's challenges and get what you want.
Consider the classic metaphor of a tree as a helpful illustration.
All trees balance what's above with what's below. The above-ground structure — the central trunk and wandering boughs — depends upon and mirrors its root system.
Its roots provide nutrients and a steadfast anchor. A deep and expansive subterranean living network fosters a tall broad habit and helps the tree withstand the challenge of stormy weather and high winds.
Meanwhile, its verdant aboveground mass captures the solar energy necessary to support and grow its root network.
This is how grounding and centering complement each other.
Actually, you can use either word or both. What's important is to understand and appreciate what each can contribute to your state of being, and by extension, your ability to select and create the types of relationships and life experiences you want for yourself.
What is grounding?
According to Merriam-Webster, grounded means "mentally and emotionally stable as in admirably sensible, realistic, and unpretentious." Other sources include words such as rooted, sturdy, and stable.
From an energy healer's perspective, grounding relates primarily to the lower dantian and root chakra, and secondarily to the sacral chakra. Like these centers, it engenders the personal and energetic power, confidence, and stability critical to successfully expanding and managing your personal and spiritual potential.
Strong and adequately concentrated energy in your first and second chakra will help you maintain your boundaries and hold your ground. This includes personal and professional interactions as well as social media engagement.
In the modern world that is constantly changing and at an ever faster pace, a solid point of reference goes a long way toward enabling you to stay focused on what's important to you. It also offers a safe and secure anchor against whatever uncertainty arises or is associated with intended personal growth and transformation.
Embrace the benefits of getting grounded
The benefits of grounding are significant and often under-appreciated. This is partly because many are not readily noticeable or measurable.
Nevertheless, some notable benefits include:
- Connection to your body externally and internally
- Breath work with or without accompanying guided meditation that connects you to your root chakra and the earth energy, and/or gathers energy in the lower dantian
- Stabilization of your mind and restless thoughts
- Confidence and conviction
- Courage and resolve
- Stability and calm under pressure or challenges
- Capacity to raise your vibration, energetic expression, and spiritual connection (e.g., the tree metaphor)
- Promote centering and presence (i.e., being in the now)
- Supports creativity and flow
- Sense of safety and security
- Ability to cultivate a mindset of abundance and optimism
Most people can become grounded relatively easily. Maintaining the state is another issue.
This is because when you're ungrounded, your inability to focus obstructs your ability to notice and take action. Regularly practicing grounding techniques is a good insurance policy against this reciprocating trap.
How to get grounded
- Meditations geared to grounding
- Walks outside, particularly in nature and barefoot
- Bathing or wading in a lake, river, ocean, or bathtub
- Energy healing sessions
- Toning the root chakra using its mantra Lam
- Body movement practices such as dance, Tai Chi, Qi-Gong, or yoga
- Diffusion of high-quality essential oils for grounding. Many derive from trees: their roots, rhizomes, bark, needles, and resins
- Work with crystals and rocks appropriate for grounding such as granite, Shiva lingam, tiger's eye, and petrified wood
Get grounded through centering
No doubt, you recognize at least a few of the above practices. You might already happily partake in a couple.
Or, maybe you experimented with and rejected a few others. Most definitely, grounding needs to be maintained and regularly restored.
This is where centering comes in. The clarity and alignment generated through centering practices reduce distraction, the nemesis of grounding.
Patricia Bonnard, PhD, ACC Master energy healer, embodied practitioner, and spiritual life, blending her modalities in ways that suit clients' unique needs and preferences. She shares more information at her website, Starchaser Integrated Coaching and Energy Healing.