Feeling the Shift: Staying Grounded

Some of us can feel it; the almost palpable shift in our world. It leaves you on edge and you're not quite sure why. You look around you wondering why others aren't on the edge of their seat.

Maybe they are but they are just very good at hiding it. Maybe they feel nothing, being too "plugged in". Or maybe, they learned to cope.

I don't know what this change will be, or even if it will be something that does effect us directly. I only know how the change in energy has affected me and those close to me. It started affecting my day to day life as I found it increasing difficult to focus.

I started feeling what I call "pre-migraines" which are flashes of light with a light headed feeling. I mistook this for the aura before a migraine but the pain never came.

Another symptom, something that has never happened to me before, was a weightless-like feeling. I could be standing or sitting or laying and suddenly a feeling like I was floating came over me.

My dreams starting becoming intense. Very, very intense. Some disturbing, others just very real.

My hands started tingling. Its difficult to explain but its not nerve like tingling. It is the feeling I got when I practiced Reiki several years ago, but I wasn't holding the intention for healing and there was no reason for my hands to feel this way.

After a bit of research and ruling out medical stuff, I realized it was the energy shift. I have found coping mechanisms which I hope will help others like me. If you're having your own experiences, maybe these tools can help you too.

As a health care professional, people can pour their hearts out to me. As a reflex, I open myself up to connect with them and sometimes leave my energy wide open. I've learned this is not the way to go. Now I make it a habit to "zipper-up".

Theres a book by Donna Eden called "Energy Medicine". She teaches you ways to secure your energy so you don't lose it, which can make you quite literally sick.

Its pretty simple. When stepping into any situation you perceive to be an energy zapping one, you pretend like there is a zipper going from your pelvis, all the way up to the top of you head, essentially covering all the chakras. You zipper it up, either just mentally, or mentally and physically.

*Side note: Don't feel self conscious. It only takes a second and anyone who sees you and judges you is exactly the kind of lot you want to steer energetically clear from.

This simple act protects you from losing your energy. In our current state of affairs, conserving energy is essential. Don't fret! Take a breath and zipper-up!

To be blunt, it does't matter what you call it; praying, meditating, mantra-ing, ohm-ing, what have you. Just pick something that resonates with you and do it every night or every day.

Me, personally, I started expressing gratitiude to the universe for everything I am thankful for before I go to bed. I say something along the lines of "Thank you universe for giving me the will to be in the present moment at this point in time." "Thank you universe for the sustained good health of myself and those I love."

I chose gratitude because it is a very powerful feeling. It's warm and it opens your eyes to everything you do have. We can find ourselves trapped in always thinking of what we are lacking, we lose focus on all the good in our lives. Expressing gratitude serves as a nice reminder for me.

Whatever you choose, doing this exercise daily will help to ground your energies. Happy chanting!

Every once in a while throughout the day, check in with your body. Are your shoulders tense? Jaw locked? Stance unmoving? These are all signs you may be subconsciously stressed. When you are stressed it wrecks havoc on the body.

Take a good belly-breath in and release that tension. Think to yourself why do you feel that way.

Is it something you can take care of right now? Yes? Great! Do it.

No? That's ok. Write it down or ask Siri to remind you about it later. Accept that it will get done but until it does, having it rest in your shoulders and jaw won't help any. It will only distract you from being in the present moment.

...but don't let yourself get crazy. Stay calm. The more you learn about our world, the more likely it is you won't feel at ease. Ignorance is bliss, but it is also not a luxury we can afford; not if we want to embrace change.

Learning about our monetary system, politicial system, big pharma/medical mafia and how the very same groups who are supposed to protect the people really just use us to make money left me in a bad mental place. I found myself in a frenzy, needing to read more and figure out how, as a people, we let this happen. I was giving my energy into the negative aspect of it all.

Now, I meditiate on the problem. I picture positive outcomes. This is how I do my little bit from my own little corner of the world. I love quantum mechanics and through it I have learned our thoughts carry a frequency and therefore a lot of weight in shaping our universe. I know my meditations, me focusing on worldly problems and energetically injecting positivity into them will have an effect; no matter how small.

I also know if more people become aware and start doing the same thing, the effect will be accumulate and we will be unstoppable.

There's a voice inside you. It may sound a little like Jiminy Cricket. Just Kidding.. but it is there. We tend to shut that voice down until it barely becomes a whisper. As such, when first using this practice it could be hard to find your voice. Good news is this voice is like a muscle; the more you use it, the stronger it gets. Use it enough, and sooner than later, it will be the forefront of your thoughts.

Why is this voice so important? Because this is the part of you that has access to all the overwhelming amount of information your body is currently taking it and processing without your knowledge. From how many people have passed you by on the street to the way your shirt feels on your back. It sees, hears and knows all. This is the voice of all that knowledge and it is always on, telling you the best course of action for whatever situation you're in.

Somewhere along the line, we are taught that we are not the best people to make decisions for ourselves. Best leave it up to an authority figure whose reading a rule book written by someone whose never met you and knows nothing about you. Yet they are supposed to know how you should live your life. See how this doesn't make sense? Good, cause it doesn't.

Don't be afraid to listen to that voice. Let it grow strong. Solutions will come.

I could write a whole other hub on Earthing and I probably will. Until then..

Earthing is exactly what it sounds like; standing on the ground, barefoot.

I know I know, it can sound a little kooky to some but the effects of earthing are real and measureable as they have been shown through research. Little things like systemic inflammation, which many health care professionals believe to be the basis of most chronic conditions are positively affected by earthing. And it takes absolutely no effort on your part.

Just take even 10-15 minutes out of your day and stand on the ground barefoot. There are companies who have gotten pretty fancy having designed earthing mats and mattress pads and little shoe inserts. So even if you live in a concrete jungle you have no excuse!

How does it work? No one knows. But does it really matter? It won't hurt as long as you watch for twigs, so it's without a doubt worth a try.

All these tidbits of information lead to one thing; staying grounded.

Grounding means keeping a hold of your energy, allowing you to stay focused and have clarity in whatever situation comes your way. Changes happen. That's life. You may not be able to control what happens to you, but you can always control your reaction to it.

Let's say you need to take a train but you miss it by 1 minute. The next one isn't for 30 minutes. If you are a typical New Yorker, you throw your arms up, screaming "Oh Gawd!!" cursing up a storm on your way to get a "cawfee". (I can say this because I am a New Yorker).

A more grounded New Yorker will accept that everything happens for a reason, zipper-up so the screaming New Yorker 10 feet away doesn't energy zap them, while walking up to get a "cawfee". (Notice: Even grounded New Yorkers have accents).

At the coffee shop, because they are happily grounded and have already gotten over the train mishap, they notice the cute barista checking them out. They give them the "I'm completely single and I encourage you to ask for my number/twitter/whatever" smile. Within 5 years they are happily married with a kid on the way.. all because they were grounded.

Extreme example, I know. Doesn't make it any less plausible.

Forget dating. Stay grounded for your health. For your job. For your family. These are all aspects of your life that suffer when you aren't mentally and physically ready to handle life's challenges. As I mentioned before, we are in the middle of a shift. It'll be increasing difficult to stay centered. Start practicing now.

I'm fairly new to all this but if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to ask me! I'll try to help however I can.

Happy Grounding!