I need to ground right now.
Okay,
You're here.
And if you've pressed play,
Because everything feels like a bit much right now,
We're not going to try and work everything out.
Not yet.
We're going to do something much simpler.
We're going to get you there,
Into this room,
Into this moment,
Into your body.
You don't need to close your eyes.
In fact,
If it feels okay,
I'd like you to keep them open.
First,
Look around you.
Actually move your eyes around the space you are in.
Don't just stare at one spot,
Let your eyes travel.
Look to your left.
Look to your right.
Look slightly above you.
And then down towards the floor.
Now find three things you can see.
Anything,
A chair,
A window,
A mark on the wall,
A tree,
A cup.
A ridiculous pair of socks,
It doesn't matter.
Just let your eyes land on three actual things that exist around you right now.
Take your time.
Now choose one of them.
And notice everything about it.
Every detail.
Find it.
It's color,
It's shape.
Its texture.
It's Ed Sheerans.
Take your time.
Finding every detail.
You can.
You don't have to like it.
We're just giving your brain something current to notice,
Something that is happening here in the now.
Rather than everything happening in your head.
Take in all the detail.
Well done.
Now feel your feet.
If they're not already on the floor,
Place them there if you can now.
And press them down.
Gently not hard.
Just enough to feel some pressure pushing back.
Again,
Press.
And release.
Press.
And release.
One more time.
Press?
And release.
There you are.
Now notice what is supporting the rest of your body.
A chair,
A sofa,
A bed,
A wall,
The ground,
Whatever it is,
Allow yourself to notice something is underneath me.
Something is supporting me.
Notice.
You do not have to hold your entire body up right now.
Let some of your weight be taken.
Allow yourself to be supported,
Even if it's 5% more than it is now.
Now bring your hands together.
You can rub your palms slowly,
Or press one palm into the other,
Or hold one hand with the other.
Choose whatever feels most natural.
Rubbing the palms,
Pressing your palms together,
Or holding one hand with the other.
Notice the pressure.
Notice the pressure.
Notice the warmth.
Notice the movement if there is any.
This is your hand.
Or should I say these are your hands?
This is your body.
And this is now.
And if your mind immediately disappears back into whatever happened,
That's okay.
Just come back.
Not because the thing doesn't matter,
It may matter enormously.
We're simply not dealing with all of it in this exact second.
Right now,
Feet.
Hands.
Room.
Now listen to the further sound you can hear.
Maybe something outside,
Traffic,
A bird,
Voices,
The wind.
Something in another room.
And now find a sound closer to you.
And finally,
Notice the sound of my voice.
Right here with you.
You may notice your breathing.
You don't need to change it.
If it's fast,
It's fast.
If it's shallow,
It's shallow.
Your body is doing what bodies do when something feels like a lot.
We're not going to fight it.
Just see if you can feel one breath arrive.
And leave.
And another.
And that's enough.
You don't need to perform calmness.
Feel into yourself being breathed,
Following the inhale.
Following the exhale.
And now I'd like you to gently turn your head and look around the space again,
A slow sweep.
Let your eyes show your brain where you actually are.
Let your eyes show your brain where you actually are.
And quietly name where you are.
I am in my bedroom.
I am sitting in my car.
I am at work.
I'm in my kitchen.
I'm in an aeroplane.
I am outside,
Whatever is true.
And now remind yourself what day it is.
Not because we're testing you,
Just orienting.
This day.
This place.
This body.
This moment.
Whatever happened before you pressed play,
And whatever needs to happen afterwards,
For these few minutes,
You are here.
Feel your feet again.
Press them gently into the ground.
And then release.
Feel your hands.
Rubbing,
Pressing.
Or holding.
Feel your hands.
Notice one thing you can see.
One thing you can hear.
And one place your body is making contact with something solid.
Now here's the important bit.
You don't have to decide anything yet.
You don't have to send the message yet.
You don't have to solve the problem yet.
You don't have to understand exactly what you're feeling yet.
And you certainly don't have to sort your entire life out in the next five minutes.
You've created a little bit of space between.
Something is happening.
And I have to do something about it immediately.
And sometimes that little bit of space is everything.
So before you move on.
.
.
Ask yourself one very simple question.
What do I need for the next 10 minutes?
Not tomorrow.
Not forever.
The next 10 minutes.
Maybe it's water.
Fresh air.
Movement,
Quiet,
Food,
A shower,
To sit here a little longer.
To speak to somebody,
To listen to this again.
To have a hug.
Or perhaps you don't know yet,
And that's okay too.
Feel your feet,
One last time.
Press.
And release.
Notice the room around you.
And when you're ready.
Carry on.
From here.
Not because everything has suddenly disappeared.
But because you are a little more here to meet it.
