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Becoming Grounded ByTom Moorcroft, DO


throughout your body. Do you remember that invigorating moment? That sensation of pure, natural energy and aliveness? Do you remem- ber how, maybe just for a moment, you were care-free and filled with an indescribable, overwhelming sense of happiness? Some describe this as being present or grounded in the here and


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now. Being grounded in this moment, from a spiritual or metaphysi- cal viewpoint as well as a practical one, allows us to fully experi- ence life as it is occurring. We are free from the worries of past failures or future difficulties. It is an opportunity to be a child again; to express the unfettered freedom and happiness that the rest of the natural world experiences on a continual basis. But, are there other benefits to being grounded in this moment? Why do so many cultures and philosophies speak about being grounded? What does being grounded mean in more physical, concrete terms? Whenever I see a word that is used in so many ways I find it useful to go to a dictionary and see what the word actually means.


Ground (noun)


1. the bottom of a body of water 2. a basis for belief, action, or argument. 3. a basic metaphysical cause. 4. a surrounding area : background. 5. the surface of the earth 6. an object that makes an electrical connection with the earth. Ground (verb)


1. to bring to or place on the ground. 2. to provide a reason or justi- fication for, to furnish with a foundation of knowledge. 3. to connect electrically with a ground.


-Merriam-Webster online


The word ground seems to point to three main things: 1. a physi- cal structure, 2. a mental belief or viewpoint, 3. a connection to the physical structure or mental belief and an ensuing action. The first two are fairly straightforward concepts. There is the ground we walk on, the surface of the earth. Many of the beliefs we have, such as 1 + 1 = 2, are grounded in knowledge or past experience, or what we have been taught by others. The third is the action step: The electrical outlets in our homes are grounded to the earth. Our personal belief systems are an accumulation of past experiences that we structure in such a way that supports the truest expression of who we are at our core. This action step is what I’d like to explore.


12 Natural Nutmeg December 2011


ave you ever taken a walk on a sandy beach or through tall, green grass moistened by the morning dew and felt a slight tingle in your feet? Maybe you felt it up your legs or even


The action of grounding is extremely interesting to me. For many


years I have thought of grounding or being grounded as a way of bringing me into greater mental and emotional balance. If I were grounded I would be more calm, less stressed and happier. I found that time with my family, playing with the dogs, cooking a healthy meal from scratch and practicing yoga were profoundly ground- ing activities for me. I could come home feeling the effects of the stressors of the day and just a few moments of one of these activi- ties helped relieve a lot of the built up stress of the day. This type of grounding seemed to be like a mental anti-inflammatory. Interesting- ly, as a child, teen and young adult I found being outdoors in nature had a similar calming effect. The older I got, the more the demands of being a physician resulted in me spending more and more time indoors. This connection to nature was never lost, but was certainly strained a large amount of the time. As a physician, I frequently see patients who suffer on a daily


basis. They have seen many specialists, yet still suffer tremendously. Since most patients have had an extensive hi-tech work up prior to seeing me, I found myself wondering what was left. What could I offer that others had not. I’m a firm believer in looking at the simple things that are often overlooked and creating a strong foundation in the basics. Whether it’s in relationships, sports, or life in general, the basics are generally the best place to start. In other words, you should be grounded in the basics.


Back to the Basics


Eating, sleeping, eliminating, breathing, relaxing and enjoy- ing are some of the most fundamental basics of human existence. Observing wild animals or little children will illustrate what I mean. However, in this day and age, it is difficult to find the time to cook healthy meals, get 8-9 hours of sleep per night, have 2-3 bowel movements per day, spend 20-30 minutes per day focusing on our breathing and allowing our nervous systems to rebalance, or allow- ing ourselves to have some time for plain old fun when there are so many things we need to get done. While these are general recom- mendations that are likely to be helpful to everyone, I realize that the effectiveness of a recommendation is only as good as each person’s ability to implement it. So how can we implement these basics in a simple and effective manner despite our hectic schedules?


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