rooted & rising.

How do you stay grounded?

The mind can be a scary place if you haven't learned tools yet to stay grounded when life gets busy. Or if you've experienced something traumatic that you haven't been able to shake. Sometimes the mind runs circles of worry and doubt, or plays re-runs of our trauma and worst moments making it hard to sleep and seek out distractions.

So what do you do? Numbing out is a temporary "solution". Whether you numb out with social media, Netflix, food, alcohol, drugs, or with work; it will catch up to you. Even if it takes a decade, those coping mechanisms are not sustainable and will eventually falter.

Tips to re-ground & take back your mental health:

1. Yoga.

Yoga is an amazing tool to help re-pattern your mind and rewire your brain so that you actually start to think differently. Depression and anxiety can be debilitating - AND getting out of the house and going to yoga can be some of the most beneficial things you can do if you suffer from depression or anxiety. It may take all the strength you have. But it will give you that strength back.

2. Meditate.

AKA how to train your dragon mind. Your mind may contain your worst nightmares - but it also contains your most brilliant ideas. Don't kill the beast - tame it.

When we are overwhelmed or have gone through trauma, the brain's alarm system (the amygdala) may be working over time. So even when there's no reason to freak out, you might be freaking out...because your brain thinks there's a reason to. Those alarm bells are very useful when being chased by a dragon, but not so useful when you're doing the dishes.

Meditation helps you to become an observer of your thoughts, so that you don't get carried away by them so easily. The goal is not to turn your whole brain off, but to watch what goes on inside your mind like you might watch tv instead. Become aware of what kinds of thoughts trigger you and what those triggers feel like in your body. Then breathe deeply and let the next thought come up without attachment to that triggering thought. Easier said than done. This practice takes time - but it is so worth it. Meditation = mental resilience.

3. Take it down a notch.

And by that, I mean your baseline level of stress. You've probably heard of someone going from 0-60 real quick. The problem with that saying is that they are soooo not at 0 to begin with. 0 is like the chillest of the chill. And that is probably not what you're starting with. Some people wake up already at 55. It doesn't take much to get from 55 to 60.

So how do you bring down your baseline, everyday level of stress? Yoga & meditation are a good start. Getting outside and soaking up the sun is another great way to take it down a notch. Limiting caffeine and other stimulants, and processed foods can also be helpful. Adding magnesium to your diet can immensely help with bringing down your baseline. I take a magnesium & calcium powder in water every night and I swear by it.

4. Orient yourself.

This is probably the simplest tool to add to your toolbox but it is so effective. When you notice your mind starting to take you into some dark corners or hectic worst-case potential future scenarios - stop. Look around you. Notice 5 things. Textures, shapes, colors, etc. Describe the furniture you see. Listen to sounds around you. Do something that brings you back to here & now. This one has helped me so much.