Here we are at the end of December. I’m not sure about you, but I’m feeling a lot of conflicting things all at once. While it’s exciting to see this year coming to an end, there’s a lot to wrap up. From what I’ve been reading, there seem to be two strong feelings about 2020. Either it stretched out endlessly, or it felt like there were three years crammed into a single calendar rotation. Whichever end of that spectrum you land on, 2020 has been a lot, hasn’t it? At the end of this year, it may be helpful to practice some grounding exercises. Our senses can go a long way toward helping us re-calibrate. So, when the to-do list feels too long, or when everything hits at once, choose a sense and spend a little time noticing it.

Touch: Notice the texture of something nearby. Are you sitting on a chair? Is it fabric? Metal? Soft? Hard? Stiff?

Smell: Light a candle or smell a flower. If you have a little extra time, what about cooking something that you love the smell of?

Taste: Drink a cup of peppermint tea. You could also eat a sour candy.

Sight: What’s around you? Look for something close by and another thing farther away.

Sound: Turn on a favorite song. Or, focus on whatever sounds are going on around you.

Whatever you choose to re-ground, try some new things. New times call for new strategies.  Simply noticing what is around us often goes a long way toward regrounding!