Using Mindfulness for Grounding

Mindfulness

Practicing meditation is a powerful way to take a break from the “monkey mind” — that endless swirl of thoughts — and to gently check in with ourselves. Many people find that meditating in the morning offers a peaceful way to begin the day. Others enjoy meditating at night as a way to unwind and ease into rest.

That said, it’s important to remember that while meditation may sometimes lead to sleep, its true purpose is to wake us up — to help us become more present and aware. If we fall asleep during meditation, we may be missing out on its core benefit: training our attention and deepening our presence in the moment. Rather than using meditation as an escape, we can approach it as a way to fully arrive.

Make it stand out

For mental and emotional well-being, the real power of mindfulness lies in weaving it into our daily lives.

Mindful Moments

For mental and emotional well-being, the real power of mindfulness lies in weaving it into our daily lives. This is where mindfulness becomes grounding — a way to bring ourselves back to the here and now, and to live with greater intention.

When we dissociate, we disconnect from the present. While dissociation can sometimes be harmless (like daydreaming), it becomes more problematic when it happens outside of our awareness — pulling us away from our sense of agency and connection. The good news is that the more we practice returning to the moment, the more choice we have in how we respond to life.

One way to do this is by creating “mindful moments” — small pauses throughout the day that invite us back to ourselves. These moments can be prompted by what we call Mindfulness Bells — cues that gently remind us to stop, breathe, and reconnect. They can be actual sounds, like a chime from an app, or natural sounds like a clock tower or bell on campus.

You can also create your own bells by linking mindfulness to everyday sights or experiences. For example, every time you see your keys, take the stairs, or notice your child’s smile, you might pause for a breath and a moment of presence. These tiny practices accumulate, grounding us gently and consistently throughout the day.

Trauma and Mindful Grounding

For those who’ve experienced trauma, especially trauma involving the body, grounding can be more complex. Dissociating from the body is often a survival response, and returning to it might feel unfamiliar or even uncomfortable at first.

If this is true for you, it’s okay to begin with external cues rather than internal ones. Instead of focusing on the breath or internal sensations, try anchoring yourself through your five senses. Slowly savor a strawberry. Listen to the sound of water flowing in a nearby creek. Smell the fresh air on a walk. These are all valid and powerful ways to ground yourself in the present moment — no need to rush the process.

Internal and External Grounding

While most of us are familiar with the five senses, we also have internal senses, like interoception — the ability to feel what’s happening inside our bodies. Focusing on the breath is one of the most common interoceptive mindfulness practices. As we follow the breath — in through the nose, rising through the chest and diaphragm, and out again — we become more attuned to our inner landscape.

Breathwork not only keeps us present, it also engages the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps us calm down, rest, and restore. However, for people with body-based trauma, this internal focus may feel overwhelming. In such cases, using external grounding through the senses is not just acceptable — it’s encouraged. The key is to meet yourself where you are.

Integrating the Mind

The beloved Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh helped many in the West understand mindfulness as a way of living. One of his most enduring teachings involves pairing a phrase with the breath, such as: “Breathing in, I calm my body. Breathing out, I smile.” This simple practice can harmonize different parts of the brain, supporting deep integration of mind, body, and emotion.

To understand how this works, it helps to look at the brain in three parts:

• The upper brain (the prefrontal cortex) is responsible for thinking, reasoning, and planning. It’s where most of us tend to spend a lot of time — especially in Western cultures that prize logic and productivity. While it’s a powerful tool, too much time in this space can lead to disconnection from the body and emotions. When we add a mindful phrase to our grounding practice, we reengage this thinking brain in a purposeful way — helping it support, rather than override, our emotional experience.

• The midbrain, which includes the limbic system, is the emotional center. It helps us process feelings and links current experiences to past memories. This is why trauma can cause seemingly disproportionate reactions — we’re often reacting not just to now, but to then. By combining breath with a grounding phrase, we can help the emotional brain settle, gently linking feeling and safety.

• The lower brain, sometimes called the reptilian brain, governs our survival responses. It holds patterns related to stress and safety, including hypervigilance, tension, and other somatic memories. This is where trauma often lives — in the body’s responses, not just in thoughts. Grounding through touch, breath, and posture helps bring this part of the brain back into balance.

When we engage all three brain regions — thinking, feeling, and sensing — we’re more likely to stay grounded, present, and able to respond rather than react. A simple phrase like “Breathing in grace” paired with a full-body breath down to the feet and back out again can call the whole system into alignment.

With regular practice, these mindful moments become second nature — quick, simple ways to reconnect with ourselves and our environment. In just a few breaths, we can shift from reactive to responsive, from scattered to centered.