When the Grounded One Feels Untethered

Recently I’ve been feeling anxious. Not the kind that shows up screaming, but the kind that hums just under the surface. The kind that makes your chest feel tight, your thoughts race, and your presence disappear even when your body is still in the room. It crept in slowly, like a fog I didn’t notice until I was already in it.

What’s hard is that I’m the one people come to when they feel like this. I help kids regulate their emotions every day. I hold space for people in their most chaotic moments. I offer calm, grounding, validation, and support. I do this work because I believe in it deeply. But in the middle of being that anchor for everyone else, I forgot to be one for myself.

I was moving through the motions of my days, showing up to everything and everyone, but I felt disconnected. My brain was noisy. My body was tense. My heart felt heavy and unsure. And even though I knew it would pass, it still felt really uncomfortable while I was in it.

So I decided to do what I always tell others to do. I slowed down and asked myself what I actually needed. I tuned back into the tools that I know work for me. Not as a fix, but as a way to return home to myself.

I went to the gym. I didn’t go to crush a workout or to prove anything. I went because movement helps me feel like I’m back in my body. It helps me release the energy that anxiety traps inside. I didn’t overthink it. I just moved. And with every step, every stretch, every breath, I felt a little more grounded.

I prayed. I sat quietly and talked to God. I didn’t have any rehearsed lines or polished thoughts. I just said what was real. I asked for peace. I asked for clarity. I asked for help. I let myself be seen in that raw, unfiltered way. And I reminded myself that I don’t have to carry everything alone.

I ate food that made me feel nourished. Not perfect meals. Not strict rules. Just good, grounding food that reminded my body it was safe. I drank more water. I paid attention to how things made me feel. I chose to care for myself instead of criticize myself. That alone was healing.

I meditated. Only for a few minutes, but I gave myself that stillness. I let my thoughts come and go. I breathed deeply. I softened the tension I had been ignoring. I didn’t try to reach enlightenment. I just let myself be present. And it helped.

After doing all of that, I felt better. Not completely changed. Not magically fixed. Just more like me again. And that was enough.

Here’s what I want to say if you’re in that place too. Even the strong one gets overwhelmed. Even the person who supports everyone else needs support. Even the grounded one forgets to ground themselves. That doesn’t make you weak. It makes you human.

If you are feeling anxious, start small. Move your body. Sit quietly and check in with your spirit. Feed yourself something that feels like care. Breathe deeper than you usually do. Reach for the tools that reconnect you to who you are underneath the noise.

You do not have to earn rest. You do not have to be falling apart to deserve care. You do not have to have it all together to be worthy of compassion.

I am learning to catch myself earlier. To listen more closely. To offer myself the same gentleness I give to everyone else. This is what it looks like to grow. This is what it means to become.