What is grounding?
The term ‘grounding’ or ‘earthing’ means direct skin contact with the surface of the Earth.
When walking barefoot, our body absorbs natural occurring free ions from the Earth’s surface, which act as antioxidants and encourage healthy cellular activity. These antioxidants enhance our health and have a calming and balancing effect on the nervous system. For thousands of years, humans from all cultures and walks of life understood the benefits of grounding barefoot. Unfortunately, most people today spend the majority of their lives wearing shoes, thus failing to exploit the benefits of grounding or earthing.
What are the signs that you are ungrounded?
If you are not grounding enough, you may notice these mental signs:
- Getting easily distracted.
- Often ‘spaced out’.
- Overthinking or ruminating on the past or future.
- Feeling anxious and worrying a lot of the time.
- Constantly engaging in personal dramas.
- Easily deceived by yourself or others.
If you are not grounding enough, you may also notice these physical signs:
- Poor sleep.
- Inflammation.
- Fatigue.
- Poor circulation.
- Chronic pain.
Benefits of Grounding
There are now nearly 40 scientific research studies supporting the health benefits of grounding or ‘earthing’.Some of the health benefits noted include:
- Improved mood
- Improved blood flow
- Increased heart rate variability
- Improved immune system
- Reduced muscle soreness following exercise
- Reduced pain
- Improved sleep quality
- Boosted metabolic rate
- Reduced inflammation
- Reduced stress
- Improved wound healing
- Improved physical function and energy levels
- Decreased fatigue and tiredness
How Do You Ground Yourself?
The goal of grounding is to restore an electrical connection with the earth. Earthing sources include grass, soil, sand, gravel, unsealed ceramic tile, rock or shells (on the earth’s surface), plants, moss, concrete and natural bodies of water such as lakes, oceans, rivers, streams and trees. To practice grounding outdoors you could therefore try one or more of the following:
- Stand or walk barefoot outdoors on grass, soil or sand etc.
- Sit on a chair, bench or mat with your bare feet flat on the ground.
- Lie flat on the grass, sand or gravel with bare back, legs, or arms.
- Submerge yourself in a natural body of natural water, such as paddling or swimming in a stream, lake, or sea.
- Do some gardening with your bare hands in the soil.
You can also now buy products to help you to maintain more contact with the earth even when you are not able to get outside. This includes earthing mats and sheets you sleep on at night, and trainers which help you to stay fully connected to earth’s energy without having to walk around barefoot!