How to Stay Grounded During Difficult Times (part 2)

In part one of this series, we began to explore the difficulty in remaining grounded during troubled times.  Today, I am listing 8 ideas that have helped me move towards a solid sense of being grounded.  I hope at the end of this piece you will share the ways you stay grounded.  My readers and I are interested!

1. Seeing what is: As difficult and painful as it can be, I have found that I must look at things just as they are.  I must make an honest assessment of the situation.  What is going on in the world, in my relationships, in my work situation, etc.?  How are things really?
2. Present with what is: Once I see, I must stay with what I see, even when it is painful.  I must not look away. This has been extremely difficult for me because my modus operandi is avoidance.  It takes great courage to stay present with what is, which is why I have to practice presence on a daily basis.
3. Support: Because staying present can be extremely difficult in the face of a world spinning out of control, I need support.  I get support from others who are willing to look courageously at life.  I get support from my spiritual practices, books, and nature.  It comes in many forms and it only asks that I receive it.
4. Acceptance of what is: After I get the support I need to remain present, I must come to a place of acceptance.  This is the way it is:  good, bad, or ugly.  Acceptance does not mean resignation; it simply means looking unflinchingly at the way things are right now instead of trying to wish them away or fight against them.
5. Gratitude: Now that I am seeing more clearly, it is important that I practice gratitude, despite the pain that I may see and feel.  Perhaps this seems a bit odd when we are looking into the face of painful, stressful situations, yet gratitude can help us put things into perspective.  It helps us become more expansive, and in so doing, we begin to see a bigger story, more options, and greater possibility.
6. We are One: As I expand through these practices, I begin to realize more deeply that we are all connected.  You and I are one.  As I sink deeply into this awareness, something begins to shift in me.  The way I approach difficult situations changes.  Instead of acting from a place of anger, despair, or fear, I can begin to act from a place of love.
7. Action: Now I am deeply grounded.  When the winds of tumult whip around me I will be able to stand because I have taken root. And now–only now–am I ready to act because I will be able to act from a place grounded in love.  Any other kind of action will be ineffective at best and destructive at worst.  From this place of love, I can begin to bring healing to myself and to the world at large.
8. Let go: And, finally, I must remember not to be attached to the outcome or even the ground!  After all, the birds in these photos don’t stay on the ground.  Eventually they soar!

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Related Posts:

• Splashing Inside My Chest
• How to Stay Grounded During Difficult Times (part 1)
• Presence Remains

Tagged as: avoidance, Birds, Courage, Depression, Encouragement, Gratitude, Grief, honest assessment, perspective, Presence, relationships, spiritual practices, stressful situations, troubled times, work situation