As my much-needed rest week concluded and my mind naturally turned to this week's "to-dos," I began receiving clear messages from Divinity. They came as recurring themes in my social media feed: "Stay present in the moment," "Ground yourself." I knew these weren't mere coincidences—I don't believe in those anyway—but direct guidance. This was the undeniable start of a new journey, laid out for me by the Creator, a first step to truly slow down, breathe, and realign. This message is crucial for all of us to heed: we must ground ourselves in the moment, because the present moment is all we truly possess. The past has already unfolded, and the future is never guaranteed.

The Un-Grounded State: Why We Drift and Its Costs

We’ve all been there: running around with our heads chopped off, no sense of direction, no consistency, and not a single moment of calm. Every day feels accompanied by a low, anxious roar, like an unsupportive side character constantly whispering negativity. You’re either dwelling on something you said five years ago, worrying about the next five, or perhaps fearing your past will somehow derail your future, causing unforeseen catastrophes. These moments are often attributed to our "Monkey Minds," desperately trying to keep us safe from fears and worries, and rejecting anything new in hopes of simply keeping us alive. While this served our ancestors well, our rapidly changing world often makes these patterns feel out of control—immeasurable, unpredictable, and profoundly confusing. It can be overwhelming, causing deep unease and forcing a choice: either live the life we truly desire, or endlessly run the 'rat race' laid before us by generations past. This means either complying with others' expectations, or being unapologetically you—free to forge your own path, even if it means failing spectacularly.

But what if that wasn’t the truth?

When we live in any time other than the here and now, we literally rob ourselves of our potential. We abandon our present moment for a more favorable or unfavorable past or future. Our bodies exist only now, in this moment. We must acknowledge the past and learn from our experiences, but what good does it do us now to live there? I can tell you, it's not rent-free. Our minds, unfortunately, can't always tell the difference between something imagined and something real, especially when intense emotions, images, and thoughts are tied to it. So, the stories we tell ourselves can work us into a tizzy, pulling our minds off track and causing us to live outside our own bodies, outside the moment. Living outside our present moment means missing vital information, rich experiences, the nuances of our relationships, the growth of our children, and ultimately, our very own lives. Who truly wants to miss all that? I, for one, want to be present for every single moment, even if it hurts, because that pain often encourages different actions and helps me improve my life. I want to be here for my life, myself, and my loved ones. Don’t you?

The Spiritual Roots of Grounding

There are many reasons to ground, but for me, the top reason is spirituality. I consistently find the Creator in moments of presence, openness, and receptivity. I very rarely find the Divine in the past or future; while I may see divine orchestrations laid out before me, the direct connection is always in the now. When I open my mind beyond limitations, center myself within my body, and truly exist in the moment, I find answers, direction, clarity, and an overwhelming peace. This is a peace I cannot obtain by living outside the present, by constantly worrying about "what could be" or "what may be." The Creator, once again, showed me the critical importance of being present through my dreams. Each one exposed my persistent lack of trust in the ultimate surrender I seek. I need to ground and remain present in each moment, even as my subconscious fights it, despite having experienced extended periods of presence before.

When I am present, I feel as though I’ve entered a flow state, and everything works out for the better. This holds true even if, in the moment, a situation seems unfortunate or doesn't go according to plan. The ability to let things happen without judging them enhances our capacity to be in the moment and prevents us from spiraling down a never-ending rabbit hole of thought. I also receive stronger pangs of insight from my intuition, which will quite literally tell me if the current situation is truly worth the initial emotional reaction that surged to the surface. This allows me to handle each situation more calmly and with my full attention. This deeper connection helps me feel more attuned to my innermost needs and desires, free from the overwhelming emotions of my "Monkey Mind."

Ultimately, we are spiritual beings experiencing being human. Here, life is slower, simplified, and clearer, so we may truly benefit from our experiences. It is not about rushing quickly through life, racing to our inevitable fate, but rather about experiencing our lives fully. When we ground and become present, we connect that spiritual side of ourselves directly to our physical bodies. This significantly benefits our intuition, our overall experience, and our entire lives. This practice is so profoundly important that many ancient and present-day people have found it to be a crucial part of their spiritual and religious journeys. Whether achieved through prayer, meditation, mindfulness in daily tasks, or simply by living "in the now" and countless other ways, they have discovered that by being present through grounding, they unlock new levels of spirituality and consciousness.

Practices for Grounding in the Moment (Spiritually Rooted)

As I just stated, grounding is a practice humanity has engaged in for thousands of years, crucial not only for our spiritual lives but for our everyday well-being. There are countless ways to ground, and an abundance of resources to guide you. Here, I’ll share seven techniques, their connection to spirituality, and how you might weave them into your own life.

1.Conscious Breath

Our breath is remarkable. It's one of the few automatic bodily systems—linked to our circulatory, nervous, and muscular systems—that we can consciously control. Many spiritual traditions consider breath the very life force of the human body. It possesses an incredible power to both calm and energize us.

To achieve a truly present state, cultivate deep, deliberate belly breaths. A powerful technique that comes to mind is Okinaga breathing. Known to calm the body and mind, it fosters a relaxed state by emphasizing a deep inhale into the belly, followed by an intentional exhale from the abdomen through tightly pursed lips. Visualizing that you’re blowing through a tiny straw can help with the mechanics. I often use this technique for three to five minutes when I'm feeling very upset and my breath becomes frantic.

Another favorite is box breathing: inhale for 4 counts, hold for 4, exhale completely for 4, and hold for 4, repeating for at least 30 seconds to a minute. You can certainly extend the counts beyond four; I typically use six to eight. Even simpler, taking deep breaths with slightly prolonged exhales signals safety to your body.

The essence of conscious breathing is to continue until you feel calm, and your mind is no longer in fight-or-flight mode. This simple act brings you back from an emotional high, rooting you physically in your body so you feel the breath's tangible presence. Sometimes, placing a hand on your stomach or identifying where you feel your breath strongest can enhance the effect. For me, I usually feel it most in my chest, and a hand on my stomach helps me calm down even quicker.

2.Engaging the Senses (Mindful Awareness)

Engaging your senses immediately unlocks a profound level of mindfulness, pulling you directly back into your body and helping you ground in the moment. The 5-4-3-2-1 technique is a powerful tool: identify five things you can see, four things you can touch (or that are touching you), three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. This instantly recalibrates your brain and your primary senses, helping you perceive the world around you anew. This technique is perfect when your mind wanders to past or future events, or even when you're simply trying to fully savor the present, like during a hike, a party, or on vacation. I find it most helpful when I catch my mind spiraling into familiar, unhelpful territories.

3.Body Scan/Body Awareness

Much like engaging the senses, a body scan involves taking an internal inventory of your physical self. You can start wherever you like, but I prefer working from the top of my head down to the soles of my feet. As I mentally identify each part, I note any sensations: tingling, heat, coolness, tightness, or even the absence of sensation. This comprehensive awareness provides a full picture of your internal state in that very moment, helping you understand your body's immediate needs and training you to be more attuned to subtle shifts, like your breath quickening. Becoming aware of your body might seem simplistic, but it's a crucial cornerstone of your relationship with your vessel.

As mentioned earlier, your body exists entirely in the here and now—never in the past or the future. It is your fundamental link to this earthly experience, your anchor for your soul. It's here to keep you alive, to buffer your spirit's experience of the world, and to act as your compass, guiding you toward your highest good and alerting you to areas needing your intervention. Your body is not your enemy; in fact, you should treat it with the utmost respect and care, just as it tirelessly cares for you.

4.Connecting with Nature

Connecting with nature is one of my absolute favorite ways to ground, as hinted by my logo! This technique requires you to physically immerse yourself in natural surroundings, whether it's a neighborhood park, your own backyard, or a sprawling nature trail. Crucially, you must actively interact with your environment: touch grass, trees, soil, rocks, water, or any other natural feature to gain its full benefit. I personally love Earth walking (barefoot), peeling apart blades of grass, digging in the soil, breaking fallen sticks, or simply playing and standing in water. These simple acts immediately spark my creativity and curiosity. I also love running around in rainstorms; the thunder calms me and reminds me to be courageous. Playing in the snow equally triggers my creativity and excites me. All these activities powerfully force me into the present moment, fully embodying my actions and my physical self.

Beyond these personal practices, you can also garden, exercise outdoors, watch wildlife, or camp. Scientific research consistently shows that being outside significantly improves mental health. The more frequently you can immerse yourself for prolonged periods, the greater the benefits you'll experience. While in nature, you're open to experiencing the wonders of the world: the profound interconnectedness of everything, how plants instinctively reach towards the sun, or the undeniable impact of non-organic matter (like rocks, wind, and water) on organic matter (trees, grasses, animals). This connection always feels profound to me, encouraging me to be more unapologetically myself in my own growth and development.

5.Mindful Movement

Mindful movement is another one of my absolute favorite grounding techniques. This includes walking, dancing, gentle yoga, or any activity where I can be truly specific and deliberate in my motions. I try to incorporate mindful movement into as many situations as I can. I remember reading years ago that Zen monks are essentially always in meditation, practicing thorough, intentional movements throughout their day. This fascinated me, and I decided to try it. Now, it forms the basis of nearly all my task completion processes. When you can truly lock into a task with mindful movement, it becomes easier to see the necessary steps, and you're able to fully immerse yourself, becoming completely aware and attuned to what is happening.

The act of intentional movement powerfully strengthens the mind-body connection and significantly improves your ability to focus on a task for prolonged periods.

6.Rituals & Intentions

Rituals, in this context, are akin to personal ceremonies. You can achieve this by creating small, intentional daily rituals like morning gratitude, evening reflection, and mindful eating. I particularly enjoy evening reflections and setting intentions in the morning as I begin to understand my feelings for the day. Setting intentions helps me clarify my boundaries for the day, recognizing that each day is unique. Evening reflections allow me to recall the day’s events, identify areas for improvement, or discern any lessons that presented themselves. They also help quiet racing thoughts, calming my mind for sleep. You can practice these through journaling or pure mental focus, though physically writing them out often creates a deeper impact on the brain than merely thinking or typing.

The core purpose here is to become more aware of your thoughts and how you perform seemingly mundane tasks, much like the practice of mindful movement.

7."Return to Love" / Compassion

This grounding technique is one I'm relatively new at consistently implementing, but it has proven to be an absolute game-changer. It's a profound form of self-love that builds a deeper, more loving bond with yourself and dramatically boosts your self-confidence through self-trust. It might feel strange at first, especially if you’re accustomed to being hard on yourself or prioritizing love for others over self-love. But you deserve the most profound compassion and care from yourself, always. This technique is most effective when you start to spiral down the path of harsh self-criticism or have a less-than-ideal reaction to a situation. Instead of negativity, you offer yourself love. For example: If you get angry at your child for a mistake, instead of telling yourself you’re a horrible parent, you gently affirm that even though your reaction wasn't ideal, you were doing the best you could in that moment. Or, if you trip and drop your best friend's birthday cake on the way to the party and feel incredibly remorseful, instead of beating yourself up, you check in on yourself first to ensure you're not injured, recognizing your body's well-being is more important than a cake.

Basically, instead of barraging yourself with negativity, you approach yourself with love and compassion, with the intention to do better next time, if possible and within reason. This practice forms an unbreakable bond with yourself and powerfully demonstrates that you are lovable, regardless of external circumstances. The truth is, we are all inherently lovable and deserve an unwavering love.

Overcoming Challenges to Staying Grounded

I never claimed this journey was easy; in fact, it's incredibly difficult, perhaps even more so than for generations past. With computer technology integrated into nearly every aspect of life, and a seemingly never-ending flow of short-form content designed for instant gratification, truly bringing our attention to the present moment can feel like an uphill battle. Even I struggle with the black hole of social media, to the point where my higher self told me just this morning that I needed to turn off 70% of my phone notifications.

Life inevitably throws curveballs: things come up, go wrong, people trigger you, and on top of that, you have your own internal landscape to navigate. How, then, do we manage to stay present when our external world seems to be calling us to do anything but stay in the moment? This question was the bane of my existence until just a few days ago, when I had a powerful realization: I was letting my reality walk all over me without even attempting to reclaim my space. This is precisely when the grounding techniques I mentioned become invaluable.

For the worried mind, we must offer ourselves abundant love and compassion for slipping out of the present moment. We are humans, not robots, and we will "fail"—it's impossible to never make a "mistake." When we feel we've messed up, we should genuinely take a page from Bob Ross's book: "There are no mistakes, only happy accidents." We cannot be so critical of ourselves that we lose our fundamental capacity for self-love. When we learn to offer ourselves this love, we become an unstoppable force, organically uplifting others around us as a byproduct of our own efforts.

If extending self-love feels difficult (and I get it, it’s easier said than done), then we must at least prioritize calming ourselves enough to achieve stillness. To do so, we need to learn to let our thoughts come and go without labeling them 'good' or 'bad.' This, again, is easier said than done, but it is the true key to allowing ourselves to simply be. Our thoughts are often what cause us to become misaligned with the moment. While we are not our thoughts, our reality is a byproduct of them—and that might be a tough pill to swallow, but don't worry, it gets easier. When we allow our thoughts to pass without judgment, we can then live in the present moment, despite the constant mental swirl. This doesn't mean we never examine our thoughts or identify what's going on; we absolutely do, but we set dedicated time for that, not when we're in the thick of an emotional response. I don't know about you, but my ability to think clearly when I’m stressed is severely dampened. I find it much wiser to deal with what’s directly in front of me and then address other issues later, because they aren't going anywhere.

Your Grounded, Present Life

When we consistently take steps to love ourselves, calm our internal world, and tackle tasks from most urgent to least urgent, the process of returning to the moment becomes simpler and more manageable. Understand that this is a practice, not a state you can master overnight; dismiss any such expectation when you begin. But you must begin, for without that first step, nothing will shift. You need to stay consistent through each challenge and tribulation, viewing them as opportunities to demonstrate your ability to realign. This unwavering dedication dramatically improves confidence and deepens self-trust.

Even I, despite my insights, still struggle with staying fully in the moment. The Creator and my higher self have both recently shown me, in no uncertain terms, that presence is the key to all forward movement. Yet, what I don't do is berate myself for slipping. Instead, I choose to affirm that I am loved, cared for, and the most lovable, loveliest person to ever walk this planet, and my very existence is a blessing. This profound shift to self-love was the most difficult, taking me years to integrate until it became second nature. But I can say with absolute confidence: the ability to love yourself is paramount, and it is a step that should never, ever be skipped.

That's all for this post, dear Adventurers. If this message brought you value or enjoyment, please consider sharing it with someone who might benefit. Remember, we're all on this journey together, and the more companions we help guide, the brighter our collective future will be.

I encourage you to share your thoughts in the comments below or reach out directly via my Contact Me page or social media accounts (linked in the site’s footer). If you feel called to support this work, I'd also deeply appreciate any monetary donation to help keep this site alive and improving. You can find the donation page linked in the site's footer. I truly look forward to connecting with you and reading your insights as I prepare for next week's adventure.

With Love,

Jamelah Luckett