It Started with a Sleepless Night

The other night was a restless one. I’m not sure if it was the jolt of caffeine late in the day or if I simply wasn’t tired enough. I turned from one side to another and couldn’t get comfortable.

Eventually, I gave up on sleep. I climbed out of the bed and made my way to the kitchen to make some soothing tea. The teakettle was soon whistling. I watched the brewing tea grow stronger and stronger. I was careful not to let it brew too long. Just as I was aware of the time that called me to bed, I was keenly aware that the clock would soon be speaking to me. This time it would designate a new day whether I was ready or not.

The tea did its job and I finally relaxed enough to doze off. As it turned out, I slept too well! In a flash, my alarm called me back from the land of Nod. Even then, my body declined the invitation.

I hit the snooze button once, twice, and on the third round of buzzing, I struggled to step back into the physical world. After two cups of strong coffee, I still felt out of sync with my body.

If I didn’t have plans with someone, I would have surrendered to the siren call of my bed. The room was cool. My bed was warm. No. Going back to bed was not an option.

I fussed a bit with myself. I advise people about such things as self-care, and, suddenly, I was wrestling with my own basic principles.

I got dressed and carefully made my way down the icy steps to the car. The windshield was frosted over and the thought of scraping it clean made me groan. My mind was like an old cranky school bus that decided to be a little stubborn on this cold morning.

I started the engine to warm the car and set the defrost to full blast. If I sat there long enough, would the frost clear itself? Some may call it magical thinking, but at that moment it was the best I could negotiate with myself.

I let out a heavy yawn. If I didn’t wake up and grasp the moment, what lay ahead of me was a very long day.

How can I fully wake up? How can I align my mind and my body?

Then understanding flooded over me. This is what it means to ground oneself. I had awoken in the middle of a dream, and it was as if a part of me was still there. I needed to bring the real, physical me and my dream me back together.

Common Knowledge, Essential Wisdom

In the weeks leading up to this sleepless night, I came across a notebook from a long-ago workshop. In the margin, I’d drawn an arrow to advice that was by now long forgotten.

“Grounding is remembering who you are in your physical space. It is getting out of the whirling mind and refocusing on the body.” A Google search reveals this idea to be common knowledge, but on a morning like this, I needed to remember this basic wisdom.

One way I like to ground myself when I’m feeling out of sorts is to stop and stand in my space. It might be my physical space or maybe just a quiet mind. When I do, I imagine my feet first as standing solid on the ground. Then, in my mind’s eye, my feet become like tree roots growing deeper and deeper. When I feel solid in my attachment to the Earth, I know I can take whatever storms may blow my way.

A Method of Grounding

I sat in the slowly warming car with my eyes closed. When I opened them, there was a clear patch on the windshield.

I wasn’t ready to get back out of the car and try the ice scraper. I would wait a bit longer.

I closed my eyes again as something else came to mind. I read another piece of classic advice on grounding. This memory at that moment was a gift. A method of grounding.

To start, open your eyes and begin and think of the descending numbers 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

     5. Look around at five physical things you can see:

• •  I looked at the car’s dashboard, the frosted windshield, the bush beside my car, my cup in the holder, and the pink pen on the floor beside my feet.

     4. Touch 4 things:

• • I touched the cold steering wheel, my scarf, the dashboard clock, and my glasses on the seat beside me.

     3. Listen for three things outside of yourself:

• • The motor hummed. The defroster blew air against the windshield. The back windshield wiper swooshed.

     2. Smell 2 Smells:

• • I smelled my coffee and then realized that my car still had just a hint of its new car smell.

     1. Taste 1 thing:

• • I lifted my cup and tasted the still warm coffee.

By now, the clear patch on the windshield was almost complete, and what was left would easily be swept away by the wipers. Just those few moments not only brought me peace but helped me dodge the dreaded ice scraper.

It was still cold outside but somehow, I felt connected with myself. I felt fully in my body and my mind felt clearer.

There was no big dramatic change for me in just those few moments, but I felt better. I no longer felt that a part of me was still cozily wrapped in flannel sheets in a dream world. I was in the moment. Even though the shift was slight, those few moments changed the rest of the day.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1 made for an easy liftoff.