Grounding
Coming Home to Safety in Body, Mind, and Soul
So much of our spiraling thoughts, sudden numbness, or anxious overthinking is the mind’s way of protecting us when our body doesn’t feel safe.
If you’ve carried trauma or pain — big or small — your nervous system learns to guard you. It scans for danger, braces for what’s coming next, or shuts down what feels too much to hold. But your body also knows the way home.
Grounding is not about forcing yourself to calm down. It’s an invitation to anchor your mind and soul in a felt sense of safety — right here in your own flesh. Little by little, you remind your protective parts that they don’t have to hold it all alone.
Why It Matters
Your nervous system has built-in pathways that help you shift from fight, flight, or freeze into connection and presence.
Polyvagal Theory reminds us that when we feel safe, our breath deepens, our eyes soften, and our social engagement parts come online — we can trust, relate, and stay connected to what’s true.
These small practices help your mind and body remember: I am here. I am safe enough. I don’t have to do this alone.
Simple Ways to Ground
Try one or two of these when you feel scattered, tense, or disconnected. You don’t have to do them all. Follow what feels kind to your body.:
Feet Feet on the ground
Feel your feet pressing into the floor. Rock gently side to side or back and forth. Notice how the ground supports you.
Orient your gaze
Slowly look around the space you’re in. Name what you see — colors, shapes, textures, light. Let your eyes land on something soothing or beautiful.
Breathe with presence
Place a hand on your chest or belly — or both. Feel your breath rise and fall under your palms. Try a long, slow exhale, as if you’re blowing out a candle. Notice if your shoulders can soften.
Engage your senses
Hold a warm mug of tea or coffee. Smell an oil, candle, or favorite lotion. Splash cool water on your face. Wrap up in a soft blanket. Listen to calming music. Lie under a weighted blanket if you have one — feel its steady pressure holding you.
Self-touch and gentle movement
Rub your hands together to create warmth, then place them over your heart, neck, or cheeks. Take a warm bath or shower and notice how the water soothes you. Stretch or sway gently if it feels right.
Safe place anchor
Close your eyes and bring to mind a place or person — spiritual or real — that brings you comfort and safety. Maybe it’s a memory, a chapel, the embrace of someone you trust, or imagining resting in God’s presence. Let your body feel what it’s like to be there for just a moment.
Speak what’s true
Whisper to yourself: “Right now, I’m here. Right now, I’m breathing. I’m safe enough in this moment.”
Bless your protective parts
Gently tell them, “We don’t have to hold it all together. It’s okay to soften. I’m here with you now.”
Journal to integrate
If it feels helpful, jot down what you notice after grounding. A simple prompt: “What did I feel in my body? What did my parts want me to know?” This helps anchor the experience in your memory.
A Gentle Reminder
Grounding is not a magic fix — it’s a practice of returning. Again and again, you help your body remember that it can rest, connect, and be held by Presence.
May you come to trust that your body is not your enemy.
May you feel safety growing in your bones.
May you remember: you don’t have to white-knuckle your way through.
Your body is the threshold where you come home.
With you in safety,
Kolbe
Want more gentle practices like this? Join my letters or connect with me to walk this journey together.
