Grounding.

grounding.

| T.S

Warnings: a calm anxiety(?), grounding method

Summary: Something of a sort of back seated anxiety takes over your seemingly calm self, but nothing seemed to get rid of it, so you decide to speak up about it to Taylor, and she offers a way to help that works for you.

Word Count: 1.3k

Category: Fluff, Comfort

A/N: this is more of a variant from the last fic I made but it includes a grounding method :]

P.S, I am not a professional, I'm only writing from experience<3

| Started on 29/05/2024, 2:10 PM |

| Finished on 05/07/2024, 11:53 AM |

Main Masterlist | T.S Masterlist

seven days of comfort.

“Anxiety's sitting in the backseat, waiting for any moment to rise its attack.

But don't let it bite.

Gently have it delve back into the stormy seas and let the gray clouds fade back into daylight instead.

Try it, why don't you?"

|——————————— ⸆⸉ ———————————|

It was a quiet day. The birds were chirping outside, and cat's tails were gently flicking as the three of them stay laid down on the carpet or couches.

You were sitting on the couch with Taylor, side by side. Breakfast was just finished a while ago, and now the tv screen was alit, both of you watching a movie together.

But there had been something gnawing at you since the morning. Even though you felt steady, there was a feeling in the back of your mind that you couldn't quite put a name to.

You had your head rested against Taylor's shoulder, and she lets you play with her hands as she watches the movie, knowing your mind would stray off, or that you needed a distraction for something thats not your eyes.

She was focused as you looked up at her, completely engaged with the story of the film. How were you going to tell her about your off-putting mind? That was a battle to do already. Your lower lip has your teeth sinking in it, and slowly, you were stopping from fiddling with her fingers.

Instead, your arm goes around her stomach to embrace her and snuggle closer to her, your eyes going to the tv screen to see the scene of a conversation ongoing.

Noticing the small shift in your position, Taylor's eyes trail over to you as she tilts her head down. A noticeable movement of your thumb, going up and down on the side of her body had her lips raising up gently, but she couldn't tell if it was a mindless gesture such as tracing patterns, or a gesture that she should raise more concern for.

She analyzes your face carefully. Your eyes were looking at the tv, but not directly at the movie. You can feel her gaze, and it was one that held love and care. Of course, you knew you were completely safe with her, but you couldn't shake off the somewhat back seated anxiety going through your mind. It was definitely not her, and you weren't watching a horror or action movie, so what exactly was it?

It wasn't long before she decides to perhaps brush off her curiosity, and return to the movie. You sink into your seat on the couch slightly, ripping your gaze completely away from the screen. The feeling seemed to never go away, from the moment you woke up in bed. Your mind's always been far off in the distance whenever you stare at a completely random spot in the room.

With a decision made in your head, you put your hand on her shoulder, and gently move to sit in her lap. Taylor's smile was soft as she looks down at you, her hand going to your back to soothingly comfort you.

To think a position like this would work, especially with her hand's motion, it's still there. Since your head was rested on her chest, you couldn't see her, but she's taken her focus completely off the movie, wondering exactly what was going on with you.

With the feel of her steady heartbeat, right next to your ear, you contemplated telling her. Your cheek brushes against her shirt, feeling the soft fabric and her warmth radiating through.

After just a few more minutes, you gain just enough courage to talk to her, a gentle inhale going through you.

"...Tay?" Your voice calls out quietly into the room, pressing your head gently against her with a tilt towards her shoulder. You didn't really need to grab her attention. Her focus had been on you for a while, seeing your built up discomfort.

"Yeah, sweetheart?" she spoke softly, her gaze on you being everything gentle. You turned your head hesitantly, meeting her deep blue eyes. She searches your pupils, before her hand gently takes one of yours to intertwine your fingers.

Briefly, it was almost as if you were being wrapped by a warm blanket. She offers you a small smile, and her free hand goes to rest on the side of your thigh, giving a reassuring swipe with her thumb for you to continue.

"Do you ever feel calm...and overwhelmed...at the same time?" you whispered questionably. The movie was still playing in the background, but it was thankfully a quiet scene, so you can both hear each other for the moment. Taylor tilts her head, her eyes darting across your face in thought.

"I do...a lot actually," she replies, her eyebrows furrowing in concern as she looks into your eyes, but her gaze stays gentle.

"Do you know why?" You murmured, letting go of her hand and fiddling with the fabric of her shirt. It was a soft, cotton material. But you sigh, and bury your face in her shoulder instead.

Her curiosity grows at your question, but she hums softly, pulling you closer. "Usually its when I get a break after being busy," she explains, but it wasn't much of help to you, and she can feel it.

Of course. It could be the cause of overload, after dealing with everything for so long, its always possible to have a mix of feelings, even up to the point you won't know at all what you're feeling, and when you finally get a break, its all the worry of more things coming in to catch up to you while you're trying to rest. Even without the thought of work or anything else, the sense of unsafety is still possible to be present. There wasn't a single reason. But all you wanted was to get rid of it, especially when its like an itch you can't reach.

"Why?" She asks quietly, wrapping her arm around your shoulders as she lets you lean against her. She also pauses the movie with a click of the enter button on the tv remote, then looks back down to you.

When you didn't give a reply, she continues quietly, "...is that how you're feeling right now?" her tone is careful, and gentle, holding only concern for your wellbeing.

You bury your face in her neck. For the slightest bit, you move in a gentle nod, confirming her suspicions. At that, her other hand rubs your back lovingly, and her lips went to place a gentle kiss above your ear.

"I just hate that I don't have a reason for it," you whisper, seemingly slumping against her. She pulls back slightly, looking into your eyes. But she thinks about her words before she speaks again.

"You know...anxiety doesn't need to have a reason to poke at you...Its just there. Whether its a thought or just a feeling," she says, holding a gaze sympathetically. She then purses her lips and squeezes your shoulders lightly.

"Have you tried listening to your calming playlist?" She asks slowly, one of her hands moving to be on your cheek, while the other was on one of your knees, her thumb rubbing back and forth soothingly.

"Yeah..." You said gently, your mind growing lost in your thoughts as you tried thinking of ways to stop the feeling, but found none. Taylor was doing the same, but she had many ways in her mind.

She nods her head and leans back slightly to make eye contact with you before giving you her warm, reassuring smile. The blonde then gently leads you off the couch, moving to pull you down to the floor she's recently cleaned other than it having lingering small pieces of cat hair.

"Lay down, love," she says gently, and you look to her in slight confusion, but you lay down, your back flat against the wooden floor. Taylor moves to lay with her legs straight out, her head in your lap, just at your waist.

"What are you doing?" You asked with a gentle giggle, curiously watching her. She had moved your hand to put over your own heart, and you felt the slightly fast beating in your chest. You hadn't even realized it was going so fast.

Taylor closes her eyes and smiles peacefully, her voice steady and calm, "Just grounding you. Focus on the feeling of my head on your lap, and your hand over your chest...now, take deep breaths with me." She said soothingly and softly. You can feel the weight of her head in your lap, and she moves slightly with the movement of your stomach from your breathing.

You blink up for a moment, listening to her idea. The ceiling was white, having the movement of the ceiling fan. The breeze of the wind was lightly taking paths down on your skin and hair, like an invite to relaxation.

Soon, you start to slowly take gentle but deep breaths, inhaling deeply, and then exhaling slowly through your mouth, feeling the cool oxygen enter your lungs, and make its exit with warmth.

She was taking deep breaths herself with you, also needing to get the thoughts of her tour, albums, and simply just work and any stresses off her heart and chest.

The sounds that filled the room were quiet, giving a placid atmosphere. Breaths coming from two bodies that mold together with their souls, the sound of the curtains lightly moving from the open window.

Some birds can be heard chirping, their flying, ruffling the leaves of trees. You hadn't even noticed a window was open. The wooden floorboards made a small gentle creak with the small footsteps of Taylor's cats.

Just staying like this, simply for at least five minutes, not even ten, or twenty, you already felt that feeling you couldn't put a name to, slowly melting off your body with each breath that goes by.

As she feels your heartbeats align with hers, Taylor gently hums for a short moment. When she feels that you're stable enough, her hands find yours and gently squeezes, inviting you to squeeze back when you feel calm and ready.

You kept you eyes closed for now, still feeling the tiniest little bits of the odd feeling of heaviness in your heart and it raising back in rate at certain times, but it was slowly getting there, your shoulders relaxing as you focus on the warmth of her hands.

Soon, you gave a squeeze back, giving Taylor the signal, and she smiles. Not yet getting up though, she looks up at you from in your lap.

"Feeling more like yourself now?" Taylor asks, happy you seemed a lot more peaceful. Sure you were already calm, but it held no peace. She too, felt a lot lighter.

"Yeah...thank you." You whisper, helping her sit up when she gently pulls on your hand. When she felt your arms wrapped around her, she returns the embrace, laying a kiss at the top of your head.

It was quiet for a moment. But it was a silence that held warm love, contentment, and no longer the weird feeling you had. She lets the peaceful moment soak in for a bit before speaking again.

"Do you wanna finish the movie here, or do you wanna cuddle in bed?" She whispers, her voice gentle near your ear as she tries to peek at your face that was in between her chest and neck.

"...Cuddle in bed," you reply back quietly, your cheeks blushing the tiniest hint of pink, and she couldn't help but find it cute.

"Come on." Taylor gently pulls back from the hug, moving to stand up. You follow her, walking to your shared bedroom with your hands intertwined.

The rest of the day was spent with many many cuddles and kisses.

--------------------

taglist <3 - join here! :]

@dmenby3100 @wandsmxmff @tia-thesimp @marvelwomen-simp @escapereality4music @fawnedolly @justgayloringeverthrone @lovelyy-moonlight @stevecore @midastouch013 @liloandstitchstan @maleahoswick @raven-ss

having a headache before work is not what I wanted this morning

I'm so sleepy but I'm at work and I can't fall asleep unless I'm in bed

the tomb won’t close, stained glass windows in my mind.

"A lot of the songs on The Tortured Poets Department deal with the idea of heartbreak, or loss, in a metaphor of something else. The metaphor in Down Bad is that I was comparing sort of the idea of being like, love-bombed, where someone like, you know, rocks your world and dazzles you and then just kind of abandons you, as an alien abduction, where you were abducted by aliens, like this girl was abducted by aliens, but she wanted to stay with them. And then when they drop her off back in her hometown, she's like, 'Wait, no. Where are you going? I liked it there! It was weird but it was cool. Come back' and so she's just like, the girl, the character in the song, just felt like, had just been exposed to a whole different galaxy and universe she didn't know was possible. How can you just put me back where I was before?"

DC looks so cuddly and fluffy! He looks like would be amazing at being petted! ❤️❤️💖

This is Samson. He's actually the plushie of the main character in children's comic series REALLY famous in my country. If you wanna look it up it's "Monica's gang" (Turma da Mônica in portuguese) idk if they're known to other countries though...

ALSO! I really do like whales! But owls are just a little better imho 🦉 whales are super cool though.

Now it's your turn to show me one of your plushies!

aww!! I don't think I know that tv show, but his eyes are so kind! how many plushies do you have??

next up, we have oreo and sharky :] oreo's the cuddliest one out of all of them, but sharky on the other hand, is a little too heavy to hold comfortably so he's just a teensy bit...unloved :(? they have each other's company though!