Grounding Rituals for Your 40s (Even on Chaotic Days)
Small practices that anchor your day.
Are you familiar with the term “being in your element”? Have you ever experienced it? It can simply be defined as your peak moment!
It’s when your starts are aligned, you are the best version of yourself, and people notice that too! You feel unapologetically yourself.
You feel magnetic, grounded, and effortlessly confident. Maybe all that shadow work you’ve been doing is working, who knows? But it’s a fleeting feeling.
Whether you’re going through a tough time, you’re in a weird phase of your cycle, or you’re in your head too much, it’s difficult to maintain that state of mind every single day.
But you kind of want to! I mean, who would want to settle for their average self when they’ve met their peak self?
That’s how I came up with a few ways to reveal that part of me again. I call these my grounding rituals, which are small daily rituals that bring calm, focus, and presence.
I reach for these when I don’t feel my best and I feel scattered. So instead of chasing perfection or control, I’ve learned to return to myself through small rituals; tiny anchors that pull me back when life gets noisy.
So if you start your day a certain way but have trouble maintaining that energy throughout your day, don’t worry!
These rituals help increase your self-awareness, lift up your mood and energy, and draw you right back to where you need to be!
Mini journal prompt: Where do I feel most scattered in my day?
1. Start with Intentional Moments
Identify key “anchors” in your day for morning, midday, and evening. These anchors structure your day, so you don’t wander off too much.
These can be as small as 10-minute routines and daily activities like a short walk. For example, I never skip my skincare routine, my daily walk on the treadmill, and a small evening wind-down routine before bed.
2. Hear Yourself
Not to sound like a hippie, but there’s truth to self-affirmation. Hearing yourself say nice things about yourself is a great way to reclaim your inner voice! That’s why I love making use of daily affirmations.
I say these when I’m on the treadmill, and I do tapping motions on my chest since I know that affirmations have more impact when your other senses are involved too. If I feel lost during the day, I repeat my affirmations again!
Affirmation: “I am present. I am grounded. I am aligned with my day.”
3. Be Present
Well, coming back to yourself requires a certain level of self-awareness and being present.
So if you feel lost, just take a break. Breathe and take a minute to recognize the most boring stuff around you.
Place one hand on your chest and just notice the light coming into the room, your socks, and the veins on the back of your hand.
Do a sensory check-in. It’s a very common grounding practice. Just pause and take a look around, and then say 3 things you see, 3 things you hear, and 3 ways you can move your body.
4. Digital Declutter
We’re so used to the idea of watching something or listening to someone while we’re doing a task that we never stop to think how absurd it is!
We can’t eat without Netflix! We can’t do chores without a podcast in the background. There’s always someone in the background and some electronics around!
It might be difficult to sit in silence with your thoughts, but it’s the only way to notice what you have in front of you and come back to center. So get rid of the digital clutter until you can hear yourself think!
5. Anchor with Scent
If you’re feeling particularly rushed, the sense of smell can be of great help. Some strong scents like lavender can help you come back to center.
Pick an essential oil or a candle, or even a lotion, and smell it whenever you need to reset your energy during the day. You can also do this with objects.
Keep a small, meaningful object, like a stone, ring, or bracelet, nearby and touch it when you feel scattered to reconnect with your intention.
6. Ritualize Self-Care
Most of the things we do daily don’t even require that much brain power. We’re operating mostly on autopilot anyway.
What makes things meaningful is the attention we give them. That’s why even the smallest things can be meaningful and bring joy when you simply focus on them.
Whether it’s your skincare, your shower, stretching, making coffee, or lighting a candle, set your intention. These are your rituals that define the rhythm of your day.
Mini journal prompt: Which small ritual makes me feel most centered?
7. Stop Multitasking
We take pride in being able to multitask. It’s almost a sign of productivity. But we’re in our 40s now. And our energy is scarce!
Doing multiple things at the same time fragments your energy and focus. Multitasking might work at work, but it’s a sad way of sucking the joy out of your everyday life!
So just stop. If you’re making dinner, go slice the onions. Don’t put a show in the background. If you’re eating your salad, eat it.
Look at it. You don’t need to be scrolling on Insta at the same time. Try singletasking. Exercise. Eat. Shower. Sleep.
When your attention is scattered, and your mind is full to the brim, it is super easy to get lost. But these rituals have been incredibly helpful for me.
I keep this list in the back of my head, and whenever I need to mentally recalibrate, I try one of these. And it almost feels like my days feel longer, because I live with intention every single day!
So if you want to have a stronger presence in your life, create habits that anchor you. Small rituals create mindful moments. And that leads to a grounded life, even amid chaos.
