Today’s our first Monday back to normal after two weeks of having Jeff home with us pretty much all the time and both of us being out of the office. To say I’ve had a case of the Monday Blues is an understatement. I told Jeff a few days ago that this Christmas was exactly what I wanted it to feel like. It’s less than a week into the New Year and instead of feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, I feel rested and ready to get back at it. Our time all together really filled my cup and I’m so grateful for it.
I say that now, and I mean it. Earlier this morning, though, not so much. With a return to “normal life” means a return to the every day responsibilities of keeping our household functioning. Jeff works 11 hour days most days so the majority of the day-to-day stuff falls to me, although he is a super star when he gets home.
This morning I woke up thinking about how I needed to go to the grocery store and meal prep and send emails and prep for a phone call with my editor at Grotto and clean the house for book club on Wednesday and finish writing a talk I’m giving in a few days and make sure we got outside because it’s gorgeous (for January in Ohio) today.
So yeah. I started my day completely in my head, wheels spinning, overthinking, trying to plan the day perfectly so as to fit it all in. The problem with this is that sometimes it works.
Krista, how is this a problem?
It’s a problem because when it works it reward my anxious overthinking my brain into making this crazy brain a habit!
Enter grounding.
Grounding is a way to reunite your mind, body and soul in the present moment instead of having one wishing you were still in bed while another rushes ahead and the third is being pulled between the two.
Here’s a simple grounding exercise you can do anywhere, anytime. Ready?
First, take 3 deep breaths.
Look around and name FIVE things you see, FOUR things you can touch, THREE things you can hear, TWO things you can smell, ONE thing you can taste.
Here’s an example.
I see my computer, my water bottle, a hole in my bedspread, my crooked rings and my typing fingers.
I can touch my leather notebook, my phone, my bedside table, and my pen.
I can hear someone playing the drums a few houses down, the toilet running in the guest bathroom, and classical music playing.
I can smell lemon from my wool dryer balls and the lingering scent of a candle that I blew out.
I can taste the aftertaste of the popcorn I just ate.
It’s that simple. Now that we’re centered, we can move forward with mindfulness and take the day as it comes. When we’re grounded, we can respond to life’s little surprises with curiosity instead of reacting with anxiety.