When you’re disconnected from yourself and the world around you, the days seem to float by in a dreamy like haze.
As someone who has experienced denationalization symptoms in the past, I empathize with those feelings all too well.
Yet I know it’s my bodies way of telling me I need to engage in a grounding practice in order to re-connect with the beauty of life once again.
We must teach ourselves, actively remind ourselves, what being wild means. We must make room for it and invite it back.
Brian Meier
Often, our energy becomes so built up in our bodies, it begs for a release so we can experience the world in a high vibration state.
These arts grounding practice are designed with the creative spirit in mind.
They offer something different to try to welcome this “aliveness” that is conscious in all of us once again.
Body Shaking Dance
Since I introduced body shaking into my morning soul care ritual, I’ve felt happier, lighter, and most importantly, more present in my body.
Why?
Body shaking releases trapped energy that wasn’t discharged during a stressful event.
This protective mechanism is called the fight, flee, fawn or freeze response.
Perfectly designed to keep us safe from danger ( such a lion back in the day) yet now this reponse is triggered by minimal stressors such as being stuck in traffic, disagreement with co-workers, running late to a meeting, etc.
These stressors add up throughout our day, raising the stress hormone, cortisol.
All of this “survival energy” stays trapped in our bodies, which can lead to feelings of depersonalisation, and shaking allows us to release it.
Steps:
- Start by taking a few deep breaths
- Then starting from the top of your head, notice each body part
- The sensation of your feet on the ground, the tickle of your clothes, the rise and fall of your chest
- Next, start to lightly shake your whole body, ramping up the speed that feels most right for you
- Stop whenever feels right
Often after this practice, I get a fuzzy feeling of energy all around me- it’s the most amazing technique to reshuffle your energy.
Nature Inspired Art Practice
Art is one of the best creative forms of expression to promote mental-wellness.
Even if you don’t consider yourself much of an artist, you can still achieve all the benefits of this practice!
This practice helps to:
- Ground you in the present moment
- Remind you of the inter-connected of the universe
- Generate many positive emotions, such as calmness, joy, creativity & concentration
Steps:
- First,set your intention. What feelings are you hoping to gain from this nature walk?
- Then pick anywhere outside to explore ( backyard, park, forest, neighborhood, etc!)
- Pick nature pieces that resonates with you into a bag( trying not to second-guess your choices)
- Design your nature art piece ( leaf luminaries, flower book marks, nature pin wills)