What does it mean to be grounded?

coregulatecoregulate
in General

My friend is always saying things like 'I'm feeling a little ungrounded" or "I meditated for a bit so I'm feeling pretty grounded'

I realized I had no clue what he means (thought he meant something like relaxed or calm or something)

But when I asked what he meant by that this is what he said...

"Grounded-ness is when all the parts and layers of you are tuned into the ultimate reality which is love. And knowing that the only objective reality is love"

We talked for a long time and I shared that I do worry that it isn't love. That maybe the universe is just a cruel malicious joke or... Idk something equally horrible.

He looked at me and said "you know that's not true. You know this"

And now I am having trouble sleeping and I feel ... Really buzzed up. Uncomfortable and also do incredibly relaxed. Somehow both. So that's where I'm at today. How grounded are you feeling?

I do believe in love as ultimate reality. I forget that I believe it a lot though. I think most of my life I don't remember.

Comments

  • starrynitecudsstarrynitecuds

    I don't understand "love as ultimate reality"? Not a clue, but I'd love to read the responses.

  • CuddleDuncanCuddleDuncan

    I'm not sure I'd entirely agree with your friend's definition, although I do appreciate what he is getting at. And I do agree with his underying concept. Being grounded is about being connected to reality.

    An example of feeling un-grounded is worrying excessively about things which might - or might not - happen.

    I don't believe the universe is a cruel malicious joke, although the possibility does occur to be from time to time. I console myself with the thought that, if it is, at least I've made somebody somewhere laugh.

    grounded, adj
    Of a person: having his or her feet on the ground; realistic, sensible, well-balanced.
    Oxford English Dictionary

  • TheFunCartelTheFunCartel
    edited April 18

    If it makes him happy and he believes it, then it’s true in his reality and the same applies to you if you believe it. I am all for anything that doesn’t hurt others and brings people peace.

    As for me, I believe he has a “Namaste” plaque hanging up at his place next to the “Eat Pray Love” sign. Guessing games like this make me happy.

  • MorpheusMorpheus

    Whenever I hear the term grounded, although I don’t know the origins, I think about it in terms of electricity. I do deal with electricity at work but I’m not an electrician so feel free to correct me if I’m wrong. We ground our facilities by sticking a rod in the ground and bonding our facility to the rod with ground wire. Electricity looks for the shortest path to ground so if our facility gets zapped somehow and it’s properly grounded, the zap will safely go to ground hopefully minimizing damage. So when people say they feel grounded, to me, it means that they’ve put in some work whether it be mental, physical, spiritual etc, to put themselves in a position should they metaphorically get zapped, the damage in their lives will be minimized.

    That’s mistake on it 🤷🏻‍♂️

  • carrieannecarrieanne

    I know the use of “being” or “feeling” grounded as discussed here, as basically having it together, grounded in reality, etc.
    In that way, I know I am very grounded.
    But my first thought was the past use as in:
    1. When my daughter was a teenager and didn’t clean her room, she was….
    2. When she had her boyfriend over after school while I was at work, she was…

  • CuddleHugs01234CuddleHugs01234
    edited April 18

    Here’s a concept that is pretty new to me and came to mind.

    Here’s the full article:
    https://www.healthline.com/health/grounding


  • JubalJubal

    @coregulate I don't know if this will help you or not, but I've always viewed the universe in the way described by Douglas Adams: “In the beginning the Universe was created. This had made many people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move.”

    Sometimes I can't help but think that the little guys in Time Bandits really were the ones who did the contract labor in celestial creation. It would explain so much!

  • SkweezerSkweezer

    I've been told by a friend that they use that term to describe a state of calm which comes from feeling secure in their understanding of how the universe works.

  • HollydollhugsHollydollhugs

    I have read a lot on “being grounded”. For me I think it is to bring balance to excessive things we have come at us in our daily routines. I like to go out in the yard and stand in the grass or lay a blanket down and have my feet and hands touching the ground. It feels like it helps. I work at a computer weekdays a lot and around wifi and I always feel better out in nature. Just my 2 cents. 🙂

  • pmvinespmvines

    A friend has some sheets and pillow cases she ordered that are allegedly for grounding . You plug them in and they are supposed to send some kind of ions or something . Grounding from my understanding refers to a state of being closer to the earth . Like the theory being that back in the day before we all wore shoes and slept on floors and lower bases and outside we were closer to the ground which gave us some kind of orbital earthly stuff that helped with our sleep , immune systems , mental health etc. and by using grounding pillows and sheets and mats etc it is supposed to mimic this , or you can simply go outside and not wear shoes abd lie down on the earth etc. I personally don't believe any of that myself anymore than I believe crystals have magical powers or that we can cure heart disease and clinical SMI through cuddling. It's all a bit new agey for me . But she does seem to really abide by it and swears it has benefits so its worth looking into if you're interested .

  • Mr_Cuddle_BearMr_Cuddle_Bear

    Just remember, everything you need is on the ground (one of my son's favorite songs)

  • cuddlefaerycuddlefaery
    edited April 18

    In therapeutic language, and dance, "grounding" is getting out of one's head and into one's body, usually by utilizing the senses. It's a helpful tool for counteracting anxiety and other conditions that lead to ruminating, spiraling thoughts.

    It can be used in meditation and yoga for the same purposes - to stop overthinking and instead focus on the sensorial experience. Our brains are frequently focused on either the past or the future, but our bodies' senses are firmly rooted in the "now". Grounding ourselves into the now can help calm the nervous system and help us focus on the present.

    There's a whole ton of methods out there, from imagery practices to breathing techniques to somatic exercises. When you search, just add qualifiers to narrow it down; i.e "grounding + anxiety" or "grounding + meditation"

  • TheFunCartelTheFunCartel

    @cuddlefaery Thank you. That was informative and it makes more sense now.

  • cuddlefaerycuddlefaery
    edited April 18

    Some of my favorite techniques:





    I teach a variation of this last one to kids, usually expanding upon it.

  • Bodhi777Bodhi777

    How grounded are you feeling?

    Right now I am feeling grounded. When I start to think about whether or not objective reality is love, I become more ungrounded. Then I get out of my head and back into my body, and I am grounded again. :blush:

  • coregulatecoregulate

    He says he hates Buddhism too lol but he's an interesting guy. He always feels safe and warm to be around ... I find it easy to be connected to love around him

  • coregulatecoregulate

    Thinking and words don't help me to be grounded thats for sure.

  • TheFunCartelTheFunCartel

    If you want to know what it’s like to be grounded just ask a pilot.

  • coregulatecoregulate

    @BoomerSpooner I'll ask my dad, hes a pilot 😅

  • BearBear

    I've been told by more than a few friends that I'm one of the most grounded people they know.

    I am not sure how to put that into words. For me, it's just being stable and able to think clearly. Also to be supported or supportive.

  • KatotaKatota
    edited April 19

    This is an interesting topic, and I enjoyed reading the comments that followed too.😊

    Aside from the saying "grounded in reality", which I tend to be most days I can't say that love keeps me grounded though. Due to my own concept of love, various life experiences doesn't always require love from (or for ) me.😊

    Like being a mother, obviously I love my son from a heartfelt (yet overprotective, I'm still working on that😉) maternal point of view. So when it comes to him, I am grounded in love as his Mother.❤️

    When it comes to friendships and relationships there is a certain amount (as well as a kind) of love that I have and will shower upon them whether it's platonic or romantic.😊
    But sadly I'm still under the impression of the saying "friendships/relationships come and go" so I try to not allow myself to be TOO
    emotionally grounded in that love during these moments nowadays. 😏
    Because, it does hurt me A LOT emotionally when friendships and relationships come to an end.😌😔

    Lol!😁 On a lighter note, I do enjoy this quote:

    Especially when at a public setting where alcohol is involved. HA!😄 There's nothing quite entertaining as being one of the few sober people (sipping on water, yep that's me😄) watching others getting drunk off their asses.😄

  • KatotaKatota

    Well...Maybe SELF LOVE does keep me grounded within myself as a person. 🤔

    I didn't think of that, still a great topic.😁👍

  • TeaCuddleTeaCuddle

    These days, self-love and feeling grounded are really aligning for me. Daily practices help me stay present…that feels grounding. It's about consistent practice.

  • TxTomTxTom

    I don't believe that the universe is a "cruel malicious joke," but Nature is impersonal and unforgiving and is evidence that there are things much bigger than us.

    Being grounded is our overall ability to deal with that, and love is a critical element of being grounded. It is the one human quality that transcends Nature's laws.

  • scottdc297scottdc297

    To me there's two definitions to being grounded. The first time I heard this word I was 13 and I was in trouble so no TV for a week. So for me the word grounded always had a negative connotation to it.

    It was a word that you never wanted to hear being uttered from your parents' mouths.

    But as I have gotten older and being able to scroll through the wonderful perspectives of everyone in this thread; being grounded can have a positive effect in one's life 😊 it's something that I believe I could benefit from by practicing.

  • TheFunCartelTheFunCartel

    @coregulate is he a commercial pilot, military or hobbyist (private)?

  • coregulatecoregulate

    He flies a tiny little plane but he used to work as an airplane mechanic in Oklahoma City. I don't think he ever flew the big ones

  • TheFunCartelTheFunCartel

    @coregulate Just curious because my dad was a bomber pilot who later became a fighter pilot. And my mom was a pilot as well as a CPA. Makes sense that I have a career where hours of my weeks are spent in the air. My ex was the daughter of a doctor who administered exams to military pilots and could ground them.

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