Grounding is a technique that is utilized by individuals to find stability in situations of chaos or distress. For example, an individual suffering from anxiety may count from one to twenty in order to find peace in a stressful moment. An activity like counting can tether an individual to reality and help them to remember that they are in control of every possible response that they provide to an external stimulus. Grounding, however, does not necessarily have to be a technique that is used only when needed. It can also be adopted as a part of life.
Life, by its nature, tends to be filled with much turmoil. Sometimes, life feels like a relaxing journey through a gentle stream of water. Then, suddenly, we are tipped over the edge of a cliff and we find ourselves falling off the edge with no way to understand where we are going or how to ensure that we survive the fall.
Our transition from childhood to adulthood is one of those unexpected falls. Regardless of whether we are ready or not, adulthood brings many responsibilities that we must face along with several choices we must make. This is a period when we fully form an independent identity – when the combination of the things we have been taught, and the things we have learned by experience brings us to who we choose to be. In a period like this, we must determine the core piece that is so crucial to our identity that we must never change, regardless of what we experience during the course of our lives.
Recently, I discovered that Tulips grow from bulbs. Bulbs are the parts of plants that are used to store food and other materials needed for them to grow. In the case of Tulips, the bulbs are first grown from seedlings that sprout from seeds. When the bulbs mature, they can be harvested and stored for as long as twelve months. They can be dried or refrigerated. Regardless of how they are stored, when they are planted and cared for, they will give rise to Tulip flowers that are genetically identical to the parent plant from which the bulb was harvested.
So, regardless of how long the Tulips are placed into dormancy, and regardless of the distance between the parent plant and the bulb, as long as the conditions are right, the Tulip will have retained its genetic composition.
We too must prepare our own ‘bulbs’. That is, we must find a medium by which we can preserve the most important parts of us. This may be a diary which we can write in and refer to whenever we would like to remember who we are. Our ‘bulb’ can also be a friend or family member who can help us remember our identity whenever it feels like we are beginning to forget it. Eventually, being firm in who we are will become a habit so that no pressure or changes can lead us into paths that do not represent our individual selves.
Grounding yourself is a habit that brings balance to the strange but beautiful process of growing up.
