Hypomania & Grounding

I had this whole post set up in my head for today about Leonardo da Vinci (oooooo look at me getting all academic). That plan has had a temporary spanner put in the works by a sudden hypomanic spurt brought on yesterday evening by a social event.

I’ve been in a fairly anxious state for a week or two now with a bit of unsteadiness on my feet, which could be prodromal hypomania symptoms for me.

During the social event yesterday I found myself becoming more and more excitable, confident, grandiose and quick to spout out jokes. Afterwards I actually slept fine. But this morning my thoughts have been racing a-mile-a-minute round and round, making me giddy! I’ve been having all these ideas for posts that I can’t keep up with. I’ve felt an intense pressure to do things as quickly as possible in the most effective way- it almost becomes like a game where I challenge myself to do a certain task in a certain amount of time. I also felt a strong pressure coming from my solar plexus- almost to the point of a stomach ache.

I tried a few different methods to try to calm myself down as I couldn’t concentrate sufficiently to write my intended post. But nothing seemed to be working. So I rang my spiritual development teacher Dawn (she’s the one who prescribes me Bach Flower Remedies and is a total life saver!). She immediately recognised I wasn’t grounded. Grounding is a term used to describe the practice of directing the energy coursing in and around our bodies down to our feet and through the ground, often in the manner of roots growing out of our feet into the earth. Once grounded your body feels weighted to the ground and brings a feeling of security and steadiness.

I told her I’d repeatedly tried these grounding visualizations, but today they didn’t seem to be having an effect. She suggested trying out different methods to ground myself- and that sometimes we have to use a bit of trial and error to work out what is most effective for us.

So far I have been hoovering, listening to music, using grounding aromatherapy oils like patchouli, sitting crossed-legged on the floor and drawing. I’ve also taken Bach Flower Remedies Vervain and White Chestnut, as well as Rescue Remedy. It only took about 15-20 minutes for me to feel calmer and more rooted to the ground. My thoughts are still a little fast, but nowhere near as speedy as before- I can concentrate now. Only trouble is I’ve tried so much all at once that I don’t know which ones have worked the best!! :).

By taking the time to ground ourselves a few times everyday, we are putting ourselves in a strong position where it is much less likely that we will become hypomanic or plagued with anxiety and panic. So it really is worth trying out different activities to see what works for you!

For details on what it feels like to be ungrounded, and tips on how to ground yourself, please see the following fabulously informative article:

What is Grounding/Earthing?

 

Other Interesting Articles on Grounding

Tool When You Feel Ungrounded

Staying Safe  (Grounding in relation to trauma- PTSD/BPD/Abuse)

Photo Credit: freedigitalphotos.net

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