I wrote a post about this a couple of weeks ago: My Top 3 Stress Relievers That Aren’t Sex
1. Guided meditations on the InsightTimer app: Sarah Blondin is a new favorite, especially her Self-Love Dialogue: 15 Minutes To Inner Peace
2. Reading and listening to Letters From Love with @elizabethgilbert every Sunday (new posts drop at 11 a.m. Eastern Time). It really is the “kindest corner of the Internet” where members can share their own letters from unconditional love or just read others’ letters. Over the last year, this community has encouraged and supported me through some of my darkest days, and provided a space where I can give back to others along our journeys in Earth School.
3. Listening to Brainspotting: BioLateral Sound Healing – David Grand PhD: • 2014 • 17 songs, 2 hr 5 minutes.
For extra credit:
If you just want to feel better about your stress levels and what it’s doing to your body, check out this Stanford Report: Embracing stress is more important than reducing stress, Stanford psychologist says:
"The three most protective beliefs about stress are: 1) to view your body’s stress response as helpful, not debilitating – for example, to view stress as energy you can use; 2) to view yourself as able to handle, and even learn and grow from, the stress in your life; and 3) to view stress as something that everyone deals with, and not something that proves how uniquely screwed up you or your life is."
Visualizing yourself as a tree is helpful. Going outside and walking barefoot on the grass or sand is a practice called Earthing, and is also very grounding. Reconnecting with Nature, and remembering you're part of something bigger than human nonsense is also good.
Indoor stuff I do:
I ground every night by getting into the shower and shaking myself, not so hard that I lose my balance, but enough to dislodge stuck energy. Vocalizing is a bonus (something simple like "bla bla bla" repeated very fast). Then I brush the dross off of my body with my hands and into the drain. I brush down each arm, then rub my hands together and clap them to end.
Then, one big sweep from head to toe with a "whoosh!" followed by raising my arms above my head and snapping my fingers, then bringing my arms down in front of my body while crisscrossing them scissors style, snapping my fingers until I reach my feet, then putting my hands in the bottom of the shower to finish.
We form connections with others through our chakras every day, but are rarely taught to disconnect at day's end! You can get rid of a lot of heaviness with cord-cutting techniques like this one...and the connections that matter most will reconnect in the morning, no worries.
Also, my puppy just had surgery so I've been forced to walk her a ton, which is great. We live on a dirt road and although I'm not barefoot (too cold), I can feel the earth under my feet. I think about earthing a lot. It's so restorative. Thanks, puppy! (Her name is Rumi.)
I use EFT tapping a lot. It keeps my busy mind busy enough to not spin out and keeps me in my body. I also have a practice with a group where we hold space for each other - either in person or via phone. And I tutor kids... Helping empower young people keeps me present and out of my head. I also heard this that I love - You can't be both afraid and hopeful at the same time. Same with joy and fear. You can't feel them simultaneously... So the idea is - when afraid, text 5 friends and tell them why or what you're grateful for and find small moments of joy and stay focused on them as long as possible. And I need to do all of these even more!
Summer, though we’ve never met, I’m grateful for you. I’ve felt a kind of kinship with you through your writing and the back and forths we’ve exchanged. My brother in law lives in Haines and my ex his other brother were up there last week to watch our niece play her final high school basketball game - passing through Juneau to get the ferry. One of my daughter’s best friends from grad school lives there too - just out of town - so your world isn’t so remote as it might seem to some. If we were neighbors I’m sure we’d be friends. 😊
Oh wow! Haines is our sister city! I've been there many times and have thought about moving there, as friends have done the same. I feel a kinship as well, Camille <3
I love that, Summer! Being a tree lover myself I can easily see the grounding, calming effects from it.
I pull my breath up my spine to the crown of my head and then slowly exhale it down through my head, neck, shoulders and back as I visualize melting. But I also look at the big picture, through Evolutionary Astrology, that shows cosmic/earthly movement through large epochs of time (and some very short term as well). I always come away with the feeling that we are exactly where we need to be to accomplish the universes’ intent for Planet Earth.
For me, it's me and my guitar. Jimmy Buffett, James Taylor, CDrosby Stills and Nash, Eagles, or my own songs, I escape to a place of serenity and peace and timeless calm. At least for a few moments.
I like this a lot, Summer. I turn to metaphor and nature all the time in my writing. I can't think of anything more grounding. It's a wonderful thing to realize that we are just as much a part of the universe vs something we control. It's liberating! I used the "tree" to lean on in a recent post when I, too, was looking for a more worldly support system. You can read it here. I think you will enjoy it! ❤️ https://gerryhebert.com/blog/acceptance-vs-surrender
I like to imagine the strength of trees as a grounding exercise too. When I am in a forest, I like to pick out a tree that "speaks to me", throw my arms around it and give it a big hug, look up at the branches dancing in the wind and enjoy the peace and calm.
I wrote a post about this a couple of weeks ago: My Top 3 Stress Relievers That Aren’t Sex
1. Guided meditations on the InsightTimer app: Sarah Blondin is a new favorite, especially her Self-Love Dialogue: 15 Minutes To Inner Peace
2. Reading and listening to Letters From Love with @elizabethgilbert every Sunday (new posts drop at 11 a.m. Eastern Time). It really is the “kindest corner of the Internet” where members can share their own letters from unconditional love or just read others’ letters. Over the last year, this community has encouraged and supported me through some of my darkest days, and provided a space where I can give back to others along our journeys in Earth School.
3. Listening to Brainspotting: BioLateral Sound Healing – David Grand PhD: • 2014 • 17 songs, 2 hr 5 minutes.
For extra credit:
If you just want to feel better about your stress levels and what it’s doing to your body, check out this Stanford Report: Embracing stress is more important than reducing stress, Stanford psychologist says:
"The three most protective beliefs about stress are: 1) to view your body’s stress response as helpful, not debilitating – for example, to view stress as energy you can use; 2) to view yourself as able to handle, and even learn and grow from, the stress in your life; and 3) to view stress as something that everyone deals with, and not something that proves how uniquely screwed up you or your life is."
I LOVE ALL OF THIS SO MUCH. Thank you. Gunalcheesh, Amy!
I'll try not to be overly long here...
Visualizing yourself as a tree is helpful. Going outside and walking barefoot on the grass or sand is a practice called Earthing, and is also very grounding. Reconnecting with Nature, and remembering you're part of something bigger than human nonsense is also good.
Indoor stuff I do:
I ground every night by getting into the shower and shaking myself, not so hard that I lose my balance, but enough to dislodge stuck energy. Vocalizing is a bonus (something simple like "bla bla bla" repeated very fast). Then I brush the dross off of my body with my hands and into the drain. I brush down each arm, then rub my hands together and clap them to end.
Then, one big sweep from head to toe with a "whoosh!" followed by raising my arms above my head and snapping my fingers, then bringing my arms down in front of my body while crisscrossing them scissors style, snapping my fingers until I reach my feet, then putting my hands in the bottom of the shower to finish.
We form connections with others through our chakras every day, but are rarely taught to disconnect at day's end! You can get rid of a lot of heaviness with cord-cutting techniques like this one...and the connections that matter most will reconnect in the morning, no worries.
Also, my puppy just had surgery so I've been forced to walk her a ton, which is great. We live on a dirt road and although I'm not barefoot (too cold), I can feel the earth under my feet. I think about earthing a lot. It's so restorative. Thanks, puppy! (Her name is Rumi.)
THIS IS AMAZING. I need to do this after teaching! Thank you so much!
I use EFT tapping a lot. It keeps my busy mind busy enough to not spin out and keeps me in my body. I also have a practice with a group where we hold space for each other - either in person or via phone. And I tutor kids... Helping empower young people keeps me present and out of my head. I also heard this that I love - You can't be both afraid and hopeful at the same time. Same with joy and fear. You can't feel them simultaneously... So the idea is - when afraid, text 5 friends and tell them why or what you're grateful for and find small moments of joy and stay focused on them as long as possible. And I need to do all of these even more!
I love this so much! I really love your idea about texting friends what I'm grateful for about them. Thank you!
Summer, though we’ve never met, I’m grateful for you. I’ve felt a kind of kinship with you through your writing and the back and forths we’ve exchanged. My brother in law lives in Haines and my ex his other brother were up there last week to watch our niece play her final high school basketball game - passing through Juneau to get the ferry. One of my daughter’s best friends from grad school lives there too - just out of town - so your world isn’t so remote as it might seem to some. If we were neighbors I’m sure we’d be friends. 😊
Oh wow! Haines is our sister city! I've been there many times and have thought about moving there, as friends have done the same. I feel a kinship as well, Camille <3
I love that, Summer! Being a tree lover myself I can easily see the grounding, calming effects from it.
I pull my breath up my spine to the crown of my head and then slowly exhale it down through my head, neck, shoulders and back as I visualize melting. But I also look at the big picture, through Evolutionary Astrology, that shows cosmic/earthly movement through large epochs of time (and some very short term as well). I always come away with the feeling that we are exactly where we need to be to accomplish the universes’ intent for Planet Earth.
Love that. Talk about BIG picture. Zoom out. Then out some more. Breathe into it. YES
For me, it's me and my guitar. Jimmy Buffett, James Taylor, CDrosby Stills and Nash, Eagles, or my own songs, I escape to a place of serenity and peace and timeless calm. At least for a few moments.
And I'm so grateful you have passed that down to me. (Is that too cringe?) One day I'll pick up my guitar again :-)
I like this a lot, Summer. I turn to metaphor and nature all the time in my writing. I can't think of anything more grounding. It's a wonderful thing to realize that we are just as much a part of the universe vs something we control. It's liberating! I used the "tree" to lean on in a recent post when I, too, was looking for a more worldly support system. You can read it here. I think you will enjoy it! ❤️ https://gerryhebert.com/blog/acceptance-vs-surrender
I like to imagine the strength of trees as a grounding exercise too. When I am in a forest, I like to pick out a tree that "speaks to me", throw my arms around it and give it a big hug, look up at the branches dancing in the wind and enjoy the peace and calm.