Tag: mental health

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Getting Back To Our Roots: The Benefits of Grounding

Guest post by Amelia Waters, certified personal trainer and owner of Double Paws Digital

Modern science has made amazing breakthroughs when it comes to improving mental health and wellness. Today, there are numerous medicines and supplements that provide relief for depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders. With a variety of alternative solutions like cannabis, vitamin D, therapy, Reiki, aromatherapy, massage and energy work, people are looking outside western medicine to feel better inside and out.

In recent years, scientists have found that helping our mental health goes back to our roots. Connecting with the earth, or what’s called grounding, has been found to improve peoples’ energy and provide relief from a variety of mental health disorders.

What is grounding?

Grouding

Grounding, also known as Earthing, is a therapeutic technique that involves activities that ‘ground’ or connect one to the earth. Some examples include walking barefoot and/or meditating on grass or sand. Even swimming in a lake or ocean can recharge the body and provide energy.

To dive deeper into what grounding is let’s look at the science of it – physics to be exact. The science in grounding explains how directly connecting to the earth recharges our bodies. Negative ions from the earth rush into our bodies to discharge any free radicals or toxins we’ve picked up from daily life. Free radicals or toxins have been linked to disease, aging, and inflammation.

What are the Benefits of Grounding?

meditation on grass

Not only does grounding help our mental health but is good for our physical health as well.

The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found in a 2013 study, that grounding reduces blood viscosity and clumping. Working as a natural blood thinner, grounding has been found to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and heart attacks.

It Slows the Aging the Process

Since grounding reduces free radicals and toxins we pick up in daily life, it helps slow the aging process by helping get rid of junk in our system that is connected to disease. Not only are there positive health effects on cardiovascular health, grounding helps reduce inflammation. So next time you go for a swim in the ocean or lake you can call it the fountain of youth!

If you are still skeptical if grounded helps – try it! It’s free! I encourage you to get outside and touch your bare feet to the ground! Even in the winter months I try to get outside, I don’t touch my bare feet to the ground, but the fresh air and sun on my face in January definitely boosts my mood!

One of my favorite places to get grounded, and where all these photos were taken, is at Five Rivers Educational Environment Center in Delmar, NY. I find this place rejuvenating to go to no matter what time of year. With a variety of paths, benches and small lakes, Five Rivers is full of spots to relax. As I wrote about in my last blog, upstate New York has plenty of spots to get away and be in nature. One reason why I enjoy living in upstate New York.

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11 Ways to Move from Pain to Peace

As you may very well have experienced, emotional pain can be a deeply heart-wrenching suffering.  

Painful emotions can cause murkiness of thought, lead to harsh judgmental thoughts towards self and others, and lead you to a path of ruminating with thoughts such as ”what if”, “what is wrong with me” or “I am not enough”.  Deeply sad emotions can create physical symptoms such as chest pain, fatigue, tension, ill-stomach, and can lead to behaviors such as avoidance, withdrawal, and aggression. 

At times when you feel an internal tornado of pain, all you can think about is “how can I numb or stop this pain?  The strong desire to mitigate or kill the pain often brings you to act in unhealthy, harmful ways such as imbibing on alcohol, pharmaceuticals and/or other drugs.  Or you may overindulge by overeating, excessive shopping, binging on television or social media. Although these options may mitigate pain, they will not provide sustainable relief or healing.  What you resist often persists.  Embracing your feelings, and walking through them will help you to heal, so that you are no longer a victim of the pain. 

To change your experience when you are wrought with overwhelming emotions, you may find reframing your thoughts, being kind to yourself and changing your behavior will advance you in a positive direction.  Implementing healthier choices such as the ones listed below, may help you let go of the pain, feel peace, heal and recover more quickly. 

1.) Know you are loved and worthy

Send unconditional love to yourself, regardless of the situation at hand, and regardless of whether you believe you deserve it. Start with love. 

2.) Cry

If you feel like crying, allow yourself to cry. Suppressing your emotions may cause your body to constrict muscles, and alter your breathing. This can lead to digestive issues, headaches, and chronic pain. Release the tears. 

3.) Acceptance

If you are struggling over a miscarriage of injustice, accept that it has happened.  You cannot change that fact. Riling over the injustice may cause you to stay in emotional turmoil.  With acceptance, you can steer from the emotions that block your ability to think clearly. Clarity is key to knowing the next best steps to overcome the unjust circumstances. 

4.) Reach for thoughts of relief

If you feel intense heartache, reach for a less painful thought. As you feel some relief from the pain, reach again for another less painful thought, and continue to reach for thoughts that provide more and more relief until you find thoughts that bring you peace and comfort. 

5.) Stop carrying the past

Memories can help us learn from the past, but when we ruminate over the same stories, we create a prison within ourselves.  Stop the repetitive negative moviemaking, and turn your attention to the timeless present moment.  Hold a leaf in your hand and look at its intricate detail.  Be present with nature. Staying in the present moment will help you to become, and stay calm.  

6.) Start a new hobby

Create new healthy, fun-loving activities.  This will bring new and uplifting energy to you, and give you a sense of accomplishment and perhaps a sense of self-actualization. 

7.) Move your body

When you suffer from emotional pain, taking that first step out of bed, or off the sofa can be challenging.  Staying there, though, may exacerbate your suffering. When you move your body, your body will thank you by releasing endorphins.  Endorphins help relieve the pain and stress, and will give you a shot at happiness.   

8.) Eat healthy

Eating unhealthy comfort foods may temporarily bring you a sense of pleasure, but ultimately, you will feel annoyed or upset at yourself. This behavior perpetuates your emotional turmoil.  The gut-brain connection is real, so choose healthy meals and snacks.  Stomach or intestinal distress can be the cause and/or be the product of anxiety, stress, or depression.  I offer extensive nutritional services.

9.) Write a gratitude list

Write down everything that is good and positive in your life, and reflect on this list. It is easy to focus on what is not going well in life, but doing so zaps your energy. Reflecting on the good can give you a new perspective, and uplift your heavy heart. 

10.) Laugh

Laughter engages your body and releases the mind. It brings your vibrational level and energy up.  Allow yourself to be tickled pink, and feel how your body feels.

11.) Forgive

Forgive yourself and forgive those who have harmed you. Let go of the negative emotions, and you will feel more at peace.

Feel the warmth and beauty within you as you move from pain to peace.