BOOK NOW

Making Space

Musings about authenticity and the subconscious layers protecting it.

Build a Strong Authenticity Muscle: Part I (Grounding)

authenticity curiosity empowered grounding orienting playfulness self-awareness self-compassion self-knowledge self-trust Nov 16, 2021
Seedling in a pile of dirt

The foundation of my work is teaching self-awareness tools to increase self-knowledge, self-compassion, and self-trust for a strong authenticity muscle.

 

Grounding and orienting are powerful exercises to get into that self-awareness state and to learn about yourself. 

 

You know: what you like, what you don't like, your triggers, your knee-jerk reactions, and how you wish you could respond, dreams, and desires.

 

Stuff we typically try to not think about, and/or stuff we haven't stopped to question, to understand, or to learn about ourselves.

 

Self-awareness and self-knowledge both go a long way in healing because I believe in the power of self-empowerment and getting out of the victim trap (comfortable, but doesn't really get you anywhere).

 

Increasing self-awareness and self-knowledge can bring in curiosity and self-compassion, and those can create a bond of trust in yourself.

 

Practicing grounding is:

 

✔️ accessible

✔️ done anytime/anywhere

✔️ done in 60-120 seconds 

 

 

My definition of grounding

Some people may use grounding to describe walking barefoot on the grass. To me that's earthing and a little different.  I categorize that more as "orienting" (part II of this post).

 

 For me, it's using visualization to deeply "root" yourself into the surface you're on, feeling anchored, supported, and safe. A quick way to feel "in my body" in the moment.

 

Like a tree on a windy day - the leaves blow, the branches sway, the trunk may even sway - but it doesn't fall over.

 

It moves with the energy of the wind - not bracing, not avoiding, not blocking. Dancing with it.  Sturdy.

 

How I want to show up in my life with the energy of different emotions. I don't want them to overtake me, and I don't want to ignore them. I want to learn from them.

 

 

Isn't that woo-woo?

Admittedly, when I first learned about grounding it felt very "woo-woo", so I disregarded it. The idea of visualizing rooting myself to the center of the Earth wasn't "concrete" enough for me. I needed proof somehow. 

 

Over the years of my personal development work/journey, it kept popping up, but I continued to ignore it. I didn't believe it would help and it felt like a waste of time (the perfectionist in me needed all actions to have tangible results).

 

 

 

My practice

Every morning I ground before being around my family or checking emails, before every client session, before presentations, before being around people that zap me. I even ground before going into the grocery store. 

 

What it helped with

I felt less drained, less overwhelmed, I felt more focused, I felt empowered. I knew I had a tool at my disposal to harness my energy in a positive way. 

 

As my practice evolved, a nuance unfolded: I found I could be discerning about what I'm feeling. If I'm grounded, and I'm feeling good, then I know my baseline. If all of a sudden, I feel overwhelm, anxiety, or other emotions - I can distinguish them as not "mine".

 

Emotions that are mine need care, attention, curiosity, and observation. Emotions that are not mine are not mine to process. They can be immediately released and I can go back to my baseline.

 

This was a big shift for me. I felt lighter, and I could stay in my flow more consistently.

 

Grounding made space for me so I didn't get overtaken by other people: their agendas, their emotions. Not that they were doing it purposely, but it was happening. 

 

The more space I made for myself, the more my own emotions had space to bubble up. When I processed these emotions, limiting beliefs, layers started to peel away, making more space.

 

With more space, less clutter, less noise, I was able to learn about my own authentic nature. The more I get to know it, the more it feels natural. 

 

 

What I do

I close my eyes, take a few deep breaths and imagine my feet have roots that go to the center of the Earth, anchoring me there; and then I imagine the energy coming back up to meet me. From there I do a bubble of protection exercise - all of these practices are included in my integration module in my program Making Space.

 

What it feels like

My legs throb, my feet feel heavy, and I feel confident and focused in my thoughts and decisions. 

 

Your next steps

If you're like I was (skeptical), I invite you to try this grounding exercise one day and notice how you feel. Then, stay ungrounded the following day - and see what you notice. 

 

When I was first doing it, I wasn't going deep enough - so I started to send the roots even deeper into the Earth, and this made a change for me.

 

You may need to do some adjusting as well. Roots may not resonate - you may see golden chords, or a glowing ball of white light. Take this as an invitation to get curious about what you like, what you don't like, what works for you and what doesn't. And what part of what doesn't work.

 

Signs your ungrounded

Being distracted, unfocused, tired, irritated, and impatient. Indecisive. Easily swayed. 

 

Remember the root of why this practice is important. It gives yourself the opportunity to bring your awareness back to you. To learn about yourself. To create a foundation for stepping into your own authenticity - when it feels safe.

 

 

Let me know how this goes for you!

 

 

 

 

Listen to the Podcast

Making Space with Jen Pillipow

Themes: authenticity, goals, entrepreneurship, spirituality, self-awareness, empowerment, personal development and growth.

PODCAST

Curious what goes on behind the scenes?

Get weekly-ish updates on my personal healing story, spiritual news, entrepreneurial stories, and more.

No one likes SPAM. I'll never sell your information, for any reason.