Maybe it’s because I have been making extra use of the meditative ‘🧘🏼‍♀️’ emoji lately. Or perhaps the law of attraction is being proven — as the earthy imagery of women touching grass I pasted in my new year moodboard is coming to life. For lately, despite some (inherent and therefore ever-present) spells of restlessness, members of my inner circle, and those I am just meeting alike, have described me as “grounded”. Whether that’s a comment on my reserved personality or a response to my slow return to ‘unplugged’ habits, like reading again, I take this as a big compliment.

If you clicked on this article, you may be in a lull of constant boredom. You want to recover from the screen-addicted symptoms this generation is collectively diagnosed with, but just can’t pull yourself away. The advice to ‘find a hobby!’ has become a meaningless tip because any hobby prescribed feels overly performative or inaccessible.

You’re in a rut. You want out. Re-designing your morning routine with a ringing 6 am wake-up, a litre of lemon water and self-administered 30 minute morning reflection might not be the kind of ‘grounding’ that works for you. Maybe you should start smaller.

To ground yourself is to calm the mind. Return to the present, diffuse the haziness of online, and simply ‘be’. Literally just exist. As you are, like the tree in your yard stands grounded in earth with stretching roots, it is simply existing.

So how can you be more intentional? How can you be like this tree?

1. Decide what reason you have for going on your phone before you unlock it.

Just to “check notifications” or “have a little scroll” might not be reason enough. Hesitating when you reach for your phone by asking this question breaks the habit of numbing yourself with scrolling in order to fill the void of spare time. If you can’t find a reason, sit with your environment. What are you distracting yourself from?

2. Cook a meal from scratch.

Become awfully absorbed in the ritual of sourcing a cookbook and attending to the patience of each step. Watch the careful portioning of measurements. Sink into the transformation of each ingredient: pressing lemon juice, chopping herbs, boiling rice.

Even sink into the mess you make along the way. Note the (hopefully) tantalising aromas of the dish. Besides, there is something special about getting to reap the rewards of what you’ve made.

3. Make art without intention.

My friend showed me some fine-line art she had drawn from blotches of her aimless watercolour. There’s something quite meditative about seeing what you can formulate with little intention — an expression, an owl, a mailbox, a model or dragonfly — and it might just say something about you. Whatever the outcome is, this habit offers a means to detach from consuming the digital landscape made of other people's writings, captions, and carousels. Instead, take a moment to explore the potential of something messy, sketchy, but entirely your own.

4. Rethink your go-to drink.

I’ve become a devotee of a morning mug of instant coffee swamped in hot water. Alhough, the meek effort and little thought that goes into this ritual doesn’t leave me with much stillness before I’m swept into the demands of my to-do list. Something as small as swapping tea bags for loose leaf tea can extend the slowness of your morning. Infuse your morning drink with a couple of extra steps: a spoon, a strainer and jar of loose tea. Reacquaint yourself with patience while you watch as the tea steeps and the colours — mauvy-pink, green or amber yellow — seep into your mug.

Current favourites include honey oolong, Moroccan mint and strawberry green tea.

5. Affirmations.

The best part of affirming things into your life is that you can sound and say them with ease and repetition. Sit yourself down and contemplate what takes priority in terms of your desires. Settle on a maximum five that sound like you and integrate those phrases in a loop throughout your mindless tasks. Importantly, separate these affirmations from just your desktop where you rely on awakening a screen to be fed those words every time. Instead, place them as notes on your mirror or impress them on your mind. Repeat when brushing your hair, putting on socks, washing dishes or making your bed.

6. Do something without documenting it.

Sit by a body of water and watch iridescent ripples fold over pebbles. Take an immersive nature walk. See live music or city street art. Indulge at a café with an excessive menu of specialty lavender lattes. But ease the pressure of sharing it with anyone but yourself, even your camera roll. Devote your attention to existing in the moment, knowing that your presence there is the only way it will be remembered.

7. Let the noise in.

I love my headphones though not every second requires a soundtrack. Familiarise yourself with listening to the clamour — birds singing in their secret language, the honks and huffing of city traffic that warps conversation as if behind a cotton wall. Listen to the stillness too — the patterns of rain, the gentle murmur of water reaching a boil, the dancing crackle of a candle.

Being in touch with your senses lets you centre yourself in your surroundings, grounding yourself where you are and gently anchoring you there.

8. Put yourself on paper.

Collage everything that feels true to you and watch as a blank sheet becomes a tactile portrait of your personality. Jot down everything that is you: your star sign, cherished scents and flavors — sandalwood, vanilla, cinnamon — quirks you are proud of, films and characters you resonate with. Use visual aids like stickers or magazine cutouts to cut, paste and craft this little ‘map of you’. You can make this seasonal too. Who are you in autumn? Permeate the page with what feels cozy: your hot drink orders, vintage knit sweaters, timberlands, lace, fireplaces, claymations etc.

Attune yourself to who you are, not the persona social media curates for you. Relish the tactility of curating every word and element that feels like you.

9. Read a book with a pen in hand.

You might be too faithful to the preservation of a book to annotate, but if you’re longing to get back into reading despite your attention being worn thin by social media, I strongly suggest grabbing a pen. Underline the words, descriptions and characterisations that sting, warm or resonate with you in some way. Marking the paper could immerse you more into the words. You may find that, by giving your hands something to interact with, you restore your ability to give your full attention to books again.

10. Touch grass.

I feel a little bit mischievous concluding a list with such a cliché, but humour me. At least there is truth to the idiom. Really, when was the last time you actually felt the earth?

I am reminded of a scene in Tangled, where Rapunzel makes contact with the saturated, animated, spinning earth beneath her. Like a long-lost princess, find some ample ground or a grassy nature strip to dig your bare heels in. Plant yourself in nature for a second, however it feels right. Feel the stones under you. Brush a tree trunk or trace a shell. Sit with nature. Describe it to yourself: the texture of bark, the scent of pollen, the warmth of the earth or coolness of the wind.

Get back in contact with a world that exists off of a screen.

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