One Simple Daily Grounding Ritual

Brandy Goncalves
Jan 7
3 min read

A woman sitting with two children on a bench overlooking water, practicing a simple grounding breath and mindfulness moment in nature

Some days, grounding feels like a luxury - a quiet room, a long meditation, or time you don’t actually have. When you’re juggling kids, a home, a business, and your own nervous system, the idea of “self-care” can feel overwhelming—or completely unrealistic.

So let’s simplify it.

This is one gentle, and simple grounding ritual that takes less than two minutes, doesn’t require silence, and can include your kids instead of competing with them.

No perfection required. Just presence.

simple grounding ritual that can be completed outside on the grass, easy to do as a mom with kids around

Why Grounding Matters (Especially for Moms)

Grounding isn’t about being calm all the time; it’s more about reminding your body that you are safe in this moment. When life feels overstimulating—noise, mess, demands, emotions—your nervous system can stay stuck in fight-or-flight. Grounding practices help bring you back into your body, where regulation and clarity live.

And here’s the important part: Your kids don’t need you to be perfectly calm; they need you to be regulated enough to return to yourself.

That’s where this ritual comes in.

The Five-Breath Check-In

This is a simple practice you can do:

first thing in the morning
before nap time
while lighting a candle
at bedtime
or anytime you feel overwhelmed

It works just as well with kids climbing on you as it does alone.

How to Do It

Plant your feet on the floor or sit comfortably.
Place one hand on your chest and one on your belly.
Take five slow breaths:
- Inhale through your nose
- Exhale through your mouth (make the exhale slightly longer)

With each exhale, silently say:

Breath 1: I am here.
Breath 2: I am safe.
Breath 3: I am doing my best.
Breath 4: This moment will pass.
Breath 5: I can handle today.

That’s it. No journaling. No fixing your thoughts. No pressure to feel different afterward.

A woman practicing breathwork and grounding breathing exercises to calm the nervous system

How to Do This With Kids Around

You don’t need to explain anything or ask for cooperation. If they want to join, you can turn it into a game:

“Smell the flower, blow out the candle.”
“Belly balloon breaths”
Place a stuffed animal on their belly and watch it rise and fall

If they don’t join? That’s okay too, your regulation is the lesson. Kids feel safe when you slow your body down—even if they’re still buzzing with energy.

Why This Simple Grounding Ritual Works

It gently signals safety to your nervous system
It brings you back into your body without effort
It creates consistency without adding another task
It models emotional regulation for your kids without teaching or lecturing
It builds trust with yourself: I show up for me once a day
And maybe most importantly, it’s doable.

Make It a Ritual, Not a Rule

Try pairing this practice with something you already do:

lighting a candle
your first sip of coffee
before bedtime stories
after putting your phone down at night

You don’t need to do it at the same time every day, and you don’t need to feel calm afterward. The only rule is this: If you miss a day, you don’t restart, you just continue - consistency beats intensity every time.

A woman lighting a candle as part of a calming grounding ritual and mindful breathing practice

A Gentle Reminder

You are not behind, and you are not failing at self-care. You are living a full, demanding life—and choosing presence in small moments. That matters more than you think. Sometimes grounding isn’t about escaping your life. It’s about coming back into it—one breath at a time.

Until the next session my friends,

xoxo,

Brandy