There are certainly times when, in each of our lives, we feel crushed by our circumstances. Sometimes these immediate circumstances aren’t so threatening in the grand scheme of life, and the quiet, intellectual part of us may know this–but our experience of the situation(s) leave us feeling racked.
Although time is often the best healer, sometimes reading or hearing the right message at the right time slices through the angst and puts things into perspective. I wanted to share a few grounding quotes that I’ve stumbled across at just the right time. Whenever I experience a serendipitous discovery of a wise message, I jot it down in my planner or journal or phone—whichever is closest!
Of course, one important aspect of mindfulness is the practice of observing and accepting our feelings—even the ones we’d rather not have. The purpose of sharing these quotes is not to help you sweep the negative feelings under the rug. Rather, I hope they help you understand them and work through them.
10 Best Grounding Quotes for a Rough Day/Week/Month…
1. For when you feel distanced from yourself:
“Don’t dance around the perimeter of who you want to be. Dive in fully.” —Gabrielle Bernstein
2. Something we know but forget in times of duress:
“If you take out a book from the library, and you don’t like the book, you don’t have to read it, or read it over and over. You do not have to be loyal to that which does not nourish you.” —Gloria Wendroff
3. A practical reminder for times of transition:
“Remember that you will have hard days and smooth days, and that the better you eat, rest, and refresh yourself emotionally, the better you will cope in the future.” —Aviva Jill Romm
4. When you really want to know something and the impatience is killing you:
“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.” —Rainer Maria Rilke
5. A reminder to always serve others with positive energy (hint: your goodness will serve you, too):
“Be the type of energy that no matter where you go, you always add value to the spaces & lives around you.” —Unknown
6. When you’re faced with a challenge that calls for grace:
“What matters most is how well you walk through the fire.” —Charles Bukowski
7. A call to remain open:
“Allow beauty to shatter you regularly. The loveliest people are the ones who have been burnt and torn at the seams, yet still send their open hearts into the world to mend with love again, and again, and again. You must allow yourself to feel your life while you’re in it.” —Victoria Erickson
8. For all of those who are healing:
“I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become.” —Unknown
9. To not forget that you’re majestic:
“We are the scientists trying to make sense of the stars inside us.” —Christopher Poindexter
10. Don’t forget to love your dark places, too:
“Your weirdness will make you stronger. Your dark side will keep you whole. Your vulnerability will connect you to the rest of our suffering world. Your creativity will set you free. There’s nothing wrong with you.” —Andréa Balt
And when all else fails…
“If you’re sad, add more lipstick and attack.” —Coco Chanel
What are your favorite grounding quotes?
More inspiring quotes: 10 Inspirational Yoga Quotes
10 Quotes for a Moment of Self-Love
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Background photo: Alex Harvey via Unsplash
