A problem with Soda cans is that when they are shaken enough, they tend to explode when opened. This can happen with our students as well. After a long day in school, they may be ready to explode at home.
Sometimes the day in school may have seemingly gone well, but on other occasions, there may have been problems, that built up inside your student to the point of explosion. This energy build-up is very common with ungrounded sensitive students.
Being grounded might be understood as feeling balanced and collected, leading to wiser decisions, feeling more focused and being more present with those around us. We can feel most grounded when we are well-rested and in a comfortable environment.
Being ungrounded can be the cause of oversensitivity and feeling vulnerable in everyday situations. Just like a tree with unearthed roots or a building without firm foundations, a person who is ungrounded is more likely to be affected by the events that happen around them.
When it comes to dealing with new experiences, and school can be a unique experience every day, being able to stay calm and grounded with time to process all this further information afterwards in a quiet environment is invaluable. Without this space, processing new information is often an explosion of thoughts, frequently visual, that vie for your attention. People can switch from feeling grounded to being ungrounded in seconds when something upsets them and then they find it hard to function and have any logical conversation.
Please note that being grounded in this context is feeling fully in your body, embodied and safe. This is nothing the same as grounding a child by sending them to their bedroom in disgrace, although it would be useful to get grounded in this situation too.
To switch back to being grounded is a skill to learn and with practice, can be achieved in seconds. There are techniques which are faster than meditation and mindfulness and you can use whenever you wish, taking just a few moments, without anyone knowing.
This is an extract from my latest book, “The Elephants in the Classroom: uncovering every student’s natural power of mental imagery to enhance learning“. To find out more, order your own copy here, or more than 10 copies here or on Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com.
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Olivehickmott 