In Episode 3, we talked with John Kruth of the Rhine Research Center about how people’s emotional energy can affect technology. Tonight, we’ll talk about how to take back control when it feels like our emotions are spiraling.

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Welcome to the PEEP Podcast! I’m your host Nicolle Morock, and on this episode, I’ll share some tips and tricks to quickly ground yourself when you feel like your stress, anxiety, or imagination are getting out of control.

But first, I want to ask for your help. I’m always looking for people to interview who would like to share their own experiences of the paranormal, near-death experiences, miraculous healing, or other metaphysical stories. By sharing, we help prove that the paranormal is more normal than most people think. Whether it’s witnessing the welcoming  committee during someone’s passing, precognitive dreams, ghosts, cryptids, or a UFO sighting, I’m all ears! And I’d love to give you a safe platform to share your stories because this podcast is meant to connect how scientists, researchers, and academics study psi and paranormal topics to how people experience the paranormal in everyday life, and that means we need stories from everyday people. You can be as anonymous as you’d like!

The best way to get in touch is through the contact form at peeppodcast.com. That's P-E-E-P Podcast.com. Remember that stands for People Experiencing Everyday Paranormal.

Thanks in advance!

Now on to our topic – ways to ground yourself quickly.

We’ve all had moments when we feel our emotions are about to get away from us. A heated debate, an angry customer, a coworker that pushes our buttons… Or maybe it’s more along the lines of too much negative self-talk, our imagination playing out everything that could possibly go wrong in a situation, or a computer that is asking to be thrown out the window because it just won’t work the way it should… All of these things can trigger a downward spiral.

I’m just as guilty of having those moments as anyone because I’m just as human as anyone, but most of the time, I am self-aware enough to recognize when I’m heading toward the dark side. I wasn’t always quick to catch myself, though. It’s taken a lot of work to be able to objectively see when it’s starting to happen. But if I can do it, anyone can. Let’s look at a few ways to stop the spiral and reclaim control.

• Take a deep breath… or two… or four. I know it sounds cliché, but there’s a reason people tell you to breathe when you’re showing signs of stress. It’s the simplest way to hit the reset button on your brain. Most of us are not deep breathers to begin with. Think about it, when was the last time you just took a deep breath through your nose and felt your whole core fill with life-giving oxygen? Take a moment and do it right now.
   
  Try this: Breathe in for the count of four, pause at the top of your breath, and then exhale for a count of four. That’s the simplest way to shift your focus from whatever has you stressed.
• To take it a step further, you can try box breathing. Special forces in the military are said to use this to slow their anxious response when they need to calm their minds. Basically, you inhale for a count of four, pause for a count of four, exhale for a count of four, and pause for another count of four before doing it all again. Just a few cycles of that will clear my head every time. Between getting more air into my body and focusing on counting, my perspective shifts enough to settle my brain right down.

• Feel your feet on the ground. Whether you’re sitting or standing, this one is as simple as it sounds. Concentrate on the bottom of your feet making contact with the floor, grass, dirt, whatever. Think about that connection with the earth. Even if you’re on the fourth floor of a downtown building, this works. You can even think about how you’re connected to the earth through the building’s structure. It doesn’t matter because it’s your focus on that feeling that will help you literally ground quickly.

• If you are outside and anxiety has you in its grips, focus on the nature around you. Whether it’s the ants on the sidewalk, flowers in the garden, the birds singing in the trees, the warmth of the sun on your face, or the breeze through your hair, nature is soothing. It reminds you that whatever has you worried right now will pass just like all things do, and that gives you a chance to decide how important that stressor will feel a few years from now. In most cases, the answer is that you’ll barely remember it. And if it is truly a big deal, then you can face it with a stronger sense of calm, which is empowering.

• Talk to yourself and ask questions. I’ve had to practice this one a bit more than usual lately. I tend to be naturally optimistic and give most people the benefit of the doubt. (People who seem to exude negative energy are the exceptions to that rule, but I won’t go into that in this episode.) Recently, a situation at work had me feeling really grumpy. While it was easy to make dark jokes and complain with dry sarcasm, I knew it wasn’t right. And it certainly didn’t feel right, so I had a conversation with myself. I asked me, “What is it about this that’s so irritating to you?” And the answer came immediately and surprised me. Compared to other work I was doing, that one thing just felt frivolous and unimportant, so it felt like a waste of my time.
  
  That was a deep thought that I’d been suppressing with bitter comments, and really, it felt good to figure it out on my own. Then I just flipped the script and told myself that for the primary stakeholder of that project, it was important and that should be good enough for me. Because after all, I can’t say I’m good at my job if I decide not to do it.
  
  Sometimes, you just have to talk it out, literally, even if it’s just with yourself, and when you reach that epiphany, you’ll feel more grounded.

• Stop what you’re doing and walk away. Of course, if it’s a life and death situation, that may not be the best course of action, but in most cases, it’s the smart thing to do. Go for a 20-minute walk, or even if all you can do is walk down the hallway and back, giving yourself a brief brain break will allow you to change your thought pattern long enough to get a fresh perspective when you return to what you’re doing. If a few minutes isn’t enough, use my favorite prioritizing quote, “That’s a tomorrow problem,” but make sure you fill in the actual day of the week with what tomorrow is, so you don’t give yourself permission to postpone dealing with it indefinitely. Procrastination usually just leads to more problems. So, for example, I might say, “That’s a Wednesday problem,” and make myself a note to return to the issue with fresh eyes on Wednesday, which as I record this is tomorrow.

• Last but not least, here’s a five-minute chakra-aligning meditation that I’ve used for over 20 years when I really feel that I need to ground myself and shift my energy toward the light:
• Sit down in a comfortable spot and make sure your feet can touch the ground. (Us shorter people may have limited options, but it’s important for this meditation.)
• Start by feeling your feet in contact with the ground or floor, and then say or think, “White light and positive energy of the universe, come up through the ground, into the structure of this building and through the floor (if you’re inside), and into the soles of my feet. Then, imagine that white light moving from your feet through your ankles, then your lower legs, your knees, your thighs, and into your hips.
• From your hips imagine it going through your root chakra, the lowest chakra around your groin and lower core. It’s associated with the color red, so you can imagine the white light turning red at that point.
• From there, imagine that light moving into your sacral chakra in your lower stomach and changing to orange, the color associated with the sacral.
• After the sacral, it moves into your solar plexus and turns yellow. This chakra is associated with personal power. Feel yourself get stronger as it moves through this area.
• Next it moves into your heart chakra, which is usually associated with green for meditations like this, but some people will associate it with pink (a more romantic color). Imagine the light filling your upper chest and shoulders.
• From your shoulders, the light moves into your neck and your throat chakra, which is symbolized by the color blue and is associated with clear communication.
• From there, it moves into the base of your skull, through your head to your third eye chakra which sits between and just above your two physical eyes. This is associated with violet and is where clairvoyance comes from.
• From your third eye, the light moves to the crown chakra at the top of your head. Think of a very light purple, lavender, or white halo. This is the highest of the seven chakras and is associated with your higher self.
• From your crown, imagine the now white-again light flowing up into the heavens, into the universe and connecting you to all that is. Say, “I am connected.”
• Give yourself a moment here, before imagining the same process but in reverse.
• Say, “White light and positive energy of the universe, come down from above and flow through me.” Then, imagine it flowing into your crown, down through your third eye, through your head and into your throat chakra, then to your heart, solar plexus, sacral, and root chakras – changing color and hitting all the major body parts as it passes through again. Then it becomes white light that moves into your hips, thighs, knees, lower legs, ankles, feet, and back into the floor, the structure of the building, and into the earth. Say, “I am grounded.”
• If you can, visualize the light throughout the process, and imagine how your soul is grounded by the earth and connected to the Universe at the same time. And if you’re more of a religious person, think of it as a connection to God instead, or the collective Consciousness or the Creator - whichever you’re most comfortable with.

That particular meditation is what I do when I’m feeling out of sorts or when I’m preparing for a paranormal investigation. It helps me to open myself up to whatever information I need to receive intuitively to help the client while reminding myself to stay grounded, so for me it’s a good meditation to balance out my hybrid self – meaning logical and science-minded but also intuitive/empathic all at once.

And now you know my personal techniques for grounding and staying calm under pressure, regaining control of your emotions, and reconnecting to your intuition when you need to. I hope this helps you, and if you know someone else who might benefit from these ideas, please share this episode with them.

Thank you for listening!