• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • Schedule an Appointment
  • 502.509.9307
The Mindfulness Center
  • Home
  • Our Team
    • Our Team
    • Client Reviews
    • In the Press
    • Join Our Team!
    • Rent Office Space!
  • Specialties
    • All Specialties
    • Entrepreneurs
    • Couples & Marriage Therapy
    • Anxiety Reduction
    • Addiction and Recovery
    • Anger Management
    • Chronic Illness
    • Compassion Fatigue
    • EMDR & Trauma
    • Ending a Relationship Well
    • Grief & Loss
    • Kids & Teens
    • Life Transitions
    • Religious & Spiritual Identity
    • Sexual Identity
    • Telehealth Appointments
  • Services
    • All Services
    • One-On-One
    • Classes
    • Mindfulness for Organizations
    • Customized Trainings
    • Continuing Education for Therapists
    • MFT Supervision Opportunities
  • Tools
    • Blog
    • Podcast & Guided Meditations
    • Online Courses
    • Recommended Reading
    • Videos
  • Start Now
    • Contact
    • Rates, Insurance, and Free Consultations
  • Locations
    • Kentucky
      • Louisville
      • Lexington
    • Indiana
    • Florida
    • California
    • Online
  • LGBTQ
  • Menu Menu
ground yourself

How to Physically Ground Yourself In the Present Moment

12 December 2021/in Holidays, Mindfulness, Self Love, Stress/by The Mindfulness Center

Anyone else DONE?! Over it? Fried? Frazzled?! We sure are! The holidays have come and are almost gone, leaving many of us reeling from too much “stuff,” too many “people,” and too many “things” to do. This is especially true if you are a Highly Sensitive Person or an Empath…

How can we best take care of ourselves when we’re in this space?

Perhaps getting grounded and centered in the present moment!

Here are a few physical activities we can do to direct our mind back to the here and now:

1. Savor a food or drink

While most of us rush through our meals to get back to a task or event, try to savor your next bite to eat. You can do this by taking small bites or sips. Pretend you are trying your food or beverage for the first time, letting yourself fully taste every flavor. Think about the temperature, texture, smell, and presentation of your food as well.

2. Take a short walk

What do you see? Focus on the texture, movement, and color of each item. Challenge yourself to think of specific colors, such as crimson, burgundy, indigo, or turquoise, instead of simply red or blue. How fast is that squirrel darting from the tree? Can you see your reflection in the puddle of water on the sidewalk? Are the trees bare or still full of leaves, do they move with the wind or simply stay still?

3. Hold a Piece of Ice

What does it feel like at first? How long does it take to start melting? How does the sensation change when the ice begins to melt?

4. Savor a Scent?

What are some of your favorite smells? Maybe you enjoy the wafts of a baked good rising in the oven, coffee brewing, onion or garlic cooking on the stove, laundry fresh from the dryer, or a candle. Whatever it is, inhale the fragrance slowly and deeply.  What are its qualities?

5. Listen to your surroundings

Take a few moments to listen to the noises around you. Do you hear birds? Dogs barking? The hum of your computer, or the dryer running? If you hear people talking, what are they saying? Put on some music. Let the sounds wash over you and remind you where you are.

6. Try the 5-4-3-2-1 method

You can rely on your 5 senses to bring you back to reality anytime you are starting to “spin out.” Counting backward from 5, use your senses to list the things you notice around you. 5 things you hear, four things you see, three things you can touch nearby, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste.

Make an effort to notice the little things you might not always pay attention to, and remember which of them brings you joy. Then you can incorporate these little rituals into your day to help keep you centered.

https://mindfulness-center.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/melanie-dijkstra-xDEqKXSZ3ZI-unsplash-scaled.jpg 1707 2560 The Mindfulness Center https://mindfulness-center.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/logo-small.png The Mindfulness Center2021-12-30 18:00:072021-12-30 18:12:46How to Physically Ground Yourself In the Present Moment
choose happiness

Choose Happiness

12 December 2021/in Self Love, Stress/by The Mindfulness Center

Written by Megan Bayles Bartley, MAMFT, LMFT

It’s not always easy or even possible to “choose happiness.”

With that said, when you surround yourself with people, environments, activities, and animals that you love it helps “lighten” your mood and “lift your spirits” so happiness doesn’t feel so far away.

Lately, I’m finding that that bringing Lemon Drop into the office seems to be just what people need to brighten their days. For me, his presence helps me get out of my own head and remember the carefree life of a dog.

After all, if you pay close attention, your dog will share with you the most important things in life: a good meal, playfulness, rest, curiosity, companionship, and the wonders of the great outdoors. When all else fails, taking the time to slow down and enjoy these daily rituals with them can help pave the way to happiness even in the darkest of times.

Remember, Dog spelled backward is God. Just sayin….

What are some ways you help yourself feel “lighter” emotionally?

How can you incorporate them more into your day?

https://mindfulness-center.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/257413277_4621090694671275_7920366097139728371_n.jpeg 1440 1440 The Mindfulness Center https://mindfulness-center.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/logo-small.png The Mindfulness Center2021-12-15 22:15:252021-12-15 22:15:25Choose Happiness
why mindfulness

Why Mindfulness?

12 December 2021/in Mindfulness, Self Love, Stress/by The Mindfulness Center

Written by Megan Bayles Bartley, MAMFT, LMFT

Why Mindfulness? Why is it so important? This quote sums it up wonderfully:

Mindfulness is the Gateway to Peace.

So many of us feel chaotic and worried, pulled in many directions…feeling like a hamster on a hamster wheel, spinning and stuck, wasting away our energy without purpose or direction. I’ve been there. I know what that feels like. And then I was done with feeling that way. I wanted to feel grounded, centered, and at peace.

Peace felt weird at first. The first time I felt it I really didn’t know what it was.. it felt very odd, and different. Finally, it dawned on me and I said to myself, “So this is what it feels like to feel content.” I was used to mood swings… highs and lows. I was always irritable,  frustrated with myself or others and I felt constantly overwhelmed. My body went into “fight, flight, or freeze” mode daily.

Now, my body and mind are used to feeling grounded, centered, and at peace.

I practice practical mindfulness constantly throughout the day by noticing my 5 senses when doing tasks. This means I allow myself to become aware of what I’m doing, thinking, and feeling and check in with myself to see if there is a better option for me at that moment.

I stopped asking, “Why?”

I realized the “Why” is a bottomless pit. We don’t really need to know “why.” “Why” focuses on the past. I’m not going in that direction. I’m moving forward. Instead, I ask, “How?” “What?” Or “Where?”

As in: How do I want to feel differently? How can I get there? What do I need at this moment to best take care of myself? What do I want out of life and what is meaningful to me? Where do I want my life to go?

I also have a flexible morning and evening mindfulness meditation routine. Every day I focus on what I’m grateful for. I also visualize where I’m headed, what I am intending for my day, my year, my life. And I spend time wondering and listening. I’m not formal or rigid with my practice. Rigidity hurts me more than it helps. Instead, I am gentle, kind, and forgiving with myself and subsequently others. I am at peace. And that feels wonderful!

https://mindfulness-center.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/jon-tyson-hhq1Lxtuwd8-unsplash-scaled.jpg 2560 2560 The Mindfulness Center https://mindfulness-center.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/logo-small.png The Mindfulness Center2021-12-10 14:59:192021-12-10 15:04:27Why Mindfulness?

Recent Posts

  • Boundaries, Balance, and Being the Parent You Need to Be
  • When Emotions Run High While Parenting Teens: Communicating Through the Storm
  • Lowering Expectations
  • Parenting Adolescents: Understanding Your Teen’s Changing Brain
  • How Negative Capability can make us Better Humans

Categories

  • 2-Minute Meditation
  • Alcohol
  • Anger
  • Blog
  • Books
  • Boundaries
  • Chronic Illness
  • COVID-19
  • Ending a Relationship Well
  • Holidays
  • Meditation
  • Mindfulness
  • Online Courses
  • Parenting
  • Podcast
  • Relationships
  • Self Love
  • Strengthening Your Relationship
  • Stress
  • Therapy
  • Trauma

Archives

  • June 2025
  • May 2025
  • April 2025
  • March 2025
  • February 2025
  • January 2025
  • December 2024
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • July 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • June 2018
  • January 2018
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • September 2014
  • August 2014

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

stay updated

new on the blog.

Boundaries, Balance, and Being the Parent You Need to Be

Read More

check
out our
podcast

Scroll to top
Homepage