When I used to sing with a gospel choir (this is me solo’ing my heart out!), one of the songs we learned was called Soul’s Anchored and it made me think about all sorts of things that are supporting me and anchoring me right now.

Singing with a choir is definitely one for me and these days I’ve moved on to jazz singing. Anchors are what ground us, help us to feel stronger and more resilient and, through this, so much better able to deal with the uncertainty, change and chaos that can feel like it is engulfing us sometimes.

Today, I invite you to think about your own anchors and maybe to create some too. What grounds you? I have been creating new anchors which I am finding so helpful, centring and grounding:

Walking – for me this is non-negotiable and needs to happen every single day. I’ve deliberately chosen a photo here from my incredibly rainy, windy, wet and miserable walk yesterday where I got soaked through. Sometimes we tell ourselves we can’t go for a walk “because of the weather” yet it is vital to get out into daylight, fresh air and nature. It’s probably one of the most crucial and vital things you can do to boost your wellbeing, give you space to process change and allow fresh ideas to come in too.

An anchor is something that is non-movable. Even if I don’t walk first thing in the morning, it’s about creating space in the day – even the busiest of days – where I walk. When I walk, I feel at peace, I get ideas and my mind is calmer and more present.

Candle-making: I have been learning a new skill but actually it’s not. Years ago I used to make candles – melting down old wax and crafting clumsy wicks to create brand new candles. Last week I resurrected a kit I bought at the start of first lockdown and made candles. I found this tremendously calming, energising and creative.

It’s become a new anchor for me. I have ordered ridiculously cheap supplies, watched some videos and have been collecting containers to use for new candles and old candles I want to melt down.

Any kind of craft or attention to detail is grounding and calming. I don’t think it matters too much what it is as long as it is working with your hands in the moment.

Practising acceptance is also very grounding….

Acceptance is a very active process, there is nothing passive about it, it’s not passive resignation but an act of recognition that things are the way they are… Acceptance doesn’t mean we can’t work to change the world, or circumstances, but it means that unless we accept things as they are, we will try to force things to be as they are not and that can create an enormous amount of difficulty

Yoga and mindfulness – more than ever, practising yoga and daily mindfulness has been a saviour. It  supports me in so many ways. I feel more flexible, stronger and better able to deal with whatever the day throws at me.

I do the same with kickboxing.

These kinds of movement push us into our physical experience of right now, and in the process, creates a sense of ease in the mind and stability in the body. Grounding creates calm, destroys stress, and reminds us of who we are by diverting our attention from potential endless cycles of thinking and stress. These can build up more than easily than we realise sometimes.

So what are things that anchor your soul? Find some grounding activities that you can easily build into your week – I promise you that the difference will be immediate, nurturing and effective in helping you navigate well through your life.

Leave a Reply