This Blog Is Asking You to Pause. Politely.

Hello hi hey there! I’m popping into your feed just to gently (and politely) remind you to put your screen away for a little while and breathe! And once you’re done, come back here because I want to tell you why I asked you to do that haha!

Do you remember the last time you were in a situation and didn’t immediately think about the future? Or the last time you went on a vacation without worrying about all the work waiting for you once you returned? Or when you ate something delicious (that wasn’t “healthy”) and didn’t instantly think about the extra calories you’d have to burn at the gym? Relate much?

I honestly don’t remember the last time any of us truly lived in the present moment just enjoying what’s in front of us without jumping ahead. We’re so wrapped up in the screens around us that we’ve forgotten what it feels like to just be without them. And yes, as I’m writing this blog on my laptop, I’m also telling you that I took a nice, no-device walk before this.

Take a deep breath with me here: inhaaaale; exhaaaale! I want you to try to be here at this moment and notice how you feel right now. Is your body relaxed or tense? Is your jaw clenched? Unclench it. Are your eyebrows frowned? Relax them. Is your back stiff? Release the pressure. And just be here with me now.

What we just did is what we call being in the present moment, and the psychological term for it is grounding. It’s simply reconnecting our body with the environment around us using our senses.

With the kind of lifestyles we have today; and let’s be honest, we don’t really have the option to function without devices, most of us end up living in our minds more than in our bodies. You must have seen those Instagram psychology posts saying things like “listen to your body”, “reset your nervous system,” etc. While all of this can sound complicated, the simplest meaning behind it is: be in this moment. It brings clarity into our everyday lives and helps us feel calmer.

Modern living has pulled us away from grounding, while in earlier times, grounding was naturally woven into daily life. It didn’t need to be scheduled or planned. Gardening or tending to plants, washing clothes by hand, walking barefoot, sitting outside in the verandah, etc., all of these created a slower pace of life that naturally brought attention back to our senses. Today, with the huge shift from physical chores to automated appliances, a lot of these grounding moments have disappeared. On top of that, capitalist ideas have sold us the belief that self-care must be fancy, aesthetic, or bought. Our lifestyles are faster than ever, leaving almost no natural pauses to breathe or even notice what’s happening within and around us. I really want to emphasize here that you don’t need anything fancy to ground yourself, nature is enough! Grounding doesn’t require crystals, candles, journaling kits or expensive retreats. Our body is such a marvelous thing, and yet it needs the simplest cues - touch, breath, sunlight, air, different textures, earth, etc,. We just need to show up, and our bodies will do it for us.

Here are some ordinary, no-cost ways to come back to your self, pick what feels easy

• Watch the sky, the clouds, the colours, the sunsets. Notice the different shapes the clouds form. Pay attention to how the colours blend into each other.

• Listen to the sounds around you -  the birds, the rustling leaves, the wind.

• Sit down on the floor or on the ground and feel its support beneath you.

• Step out into the sunlight and feel the warmth on your skin.

• Touch or hold a leaf, a stone, a flower, or any natural surface around you. Notice its texture and temperature -  is it cold, warm, soft, rough?

• Knead dough by hand instead of using a food processor. Feel the movement and the texture under your palms.

• Instead of ordering from instant delivery apps, take a walk to the grocery store and notice your surroundings along the way.

• Pick different coloured flowers that you find on the ground during your walk.

• Run your hands under cold or warm water and focus only on the sensation.

• Lightly stretch your body - pay attention to how your muscles lengthen and relax.

• Hold a cup of warm tea or water and notice the heat in your hands.

• Take a slow, mindful sip of a drink and notice the taste and temperature.

• Sit by a window and observe the movement outside - trees swaying, people walking, vehicles passing.

• Gently trace the outline of an object with your finger - a mug, a book, a plant pot.

• Smell something natural -  flowers, spices in your kitchen, the earth after watering plants.

• Put your feet flat on the floor, take three slow breaths, and actively notice how supported your body feels.

• Spend a minute observing a plant closely: its leaves, colours, patterns, and small details you usually miss.

  

So that’s your tiny reminder for today, to slow down just a little, breathe a little deeper, and come back to the world around you. You don’t have to do all of this every day, or do it perfectly. Just pick one small thing and let yourself be in it. The moment you pause long enough to notice the sunlight, or the air on your skin, or the ground under your feet, you’re already grounding.

If you made it till here, take this as your gentle sign to look up from the screen one more time… just for a few seconds… and enjoy something real around you.

Okay, now go do that. I’ll wait right here :)

About the Author:

Shriya Kulkarni is a psychologist with an MSc in Clinical Psychology from Christ University, Bangalore. She has worked with individuals across the lifespan including children, young adults, and middle-aged adult; supporting them through a wide range of emotional and psychological challenges. Her practice is primarily grounded in humanistic and existential principles, with an integrative, clientcentered approach. Shriya believes that meaningful growth emerges through connection and brings a culturally sensitive, inclusive lens to all her work. Outside of her professional life, Shriya enjoys spending time with friends, exploring poetry and theatre, and engaging in deep, meaningful conversations. She is endlessly curious about the natural world and believes that quiet moments in nature can offer profound reflection, complementing the work she does in therapy and creative sessions.