“The Dream was always running ahead of me. To catch up, to live for a moment in unison with it, that was the miracle.” — Anias Nin
Do you ever feel like time is moving so quickly that you can barely keep up? Your mind is racing with to-do lists, ideas, goals, people you want to see and talk to, responsibilities galore—and it’s all just happening.
In our society today, it’s quite common to feel overwhelmed in this way. We’re taught never to slow down, to keep moving, to always look for the next thing, to go and do or accomplish. We’re programmed to believe that this is normal! In the midst of the busyness, we forget to ask ourselves, “Do you actually enjoy the things you’re doing? Are you truly present for them?”
I remember observing myself at a young age, so excited for various experiences, but, once there, unable to let myself enjoy them. It was more the anticipation that made me excited; it was never the act itself. I couldn’t understand why I felt that way. Was I ungrateful? Was I bad? Now, looking back, I think it’s a societal imprint that makes it hard to be there in that moment and enjoy.
Throughout my life, I have often struggled with this, as I’m someone who likes to be busy. I like to do, learn, be social, but, at some point in the last ten years, it finally occurred to me that it’s not possible to do everything all the time. I want to be present and be in the moment and listen more intently. This started for me in a small way when I began practicing yoga. Initially, I took classes more for the physical benefits, how they made me feel afterward. But, as I became more focused and present, I began to realize that the practice was really about the breath and grounding myself, sitting with myself where I was.
I slowly tried to apply this to other areas of my life. That helped me, and I wanted to continue to delve into other ways to find that sense of grounding. Funnily enough, the first time I learned about the concept was while watching Pretty Woman. At one point, Julia Roberts makes Richard Gere take a moment, remove his shoes and socks and walk on grass. I didn’t understand the symbolism at the time, but the scene stayed with me. Connecting to the earth is the simplest form of grounding. It can quite literally make you healthier, both mentally and physically, lowering inflammation, improving sleep, reducing stress and anxiety and so much more.
As the summer ends and fall nears, the seasons ready to shift to something cooler and earthier. We’ll be turning inward, getting cozy at home, eating different foods. This is the best time of the year to reconnect to ourselves in a conscious way as float down to earth from our warm weather airiness. So, this month, I thought it would be helpful to hear from a variety of people about how they stay grounded and how we can too via energy practices, products and even spaces.
What I’ve learned personally is that it’s not necessary to rush through everything in order to get to the finish line. It’s better to slow down and really absorb, think and experience, change the process. Sometimes, that’s easier said than done. Everything is an evolution, after all.
To help me, I do a monthly check-in with my Theda healer who works to ground my energy. It’s not necessary to do it all alone. It’s always nice to be able to reach out to others, which also helps us find stability within ourselves and strengthens our connection to both the earth and our community. And, right now, that feels more important than ever.
x Robyn