Have you tried grounding/earthing? Or have you even heard of it?

The Problem

As a society, we are becoming disconnected from nature. Most of our lives take place indoors, which makes it harder and harder to get outside. I tried looking up some figures on how much time the average American spends indoors and the general consensus seems to be that people are spending 90% of their time indoors.

With a growing number of health issues on the rise, many are looking for alternative therapies to provide relief. It’s difficult to pinpoint the root cause of many major health issues; however, a sedentary lifestyle paired with a lack of sunshine and fresh air seem to be major contributors.

Where I Heard About Grounding

One day, I was just scrolling through social media, when I saw an advertisement for The Earthing Movie. Luckily, I have a subscription for the Gaia app. I use it regularly for yoga classes, but also for the novelty of it being slightly controversial. If you look at any of the comments for a Gaia product on social media, then you will most likely see people attacking it for being associated with the occult. I find that hilarious.

Occasionally, I’ll watch some of the documentaries–on this particular day, I saw an ad for The Earthing Movie. I was skeptical, but gave it a try.

Here’s a link to the documentary https://youtu.be/44ddtR0XDVU

Honestly, I haven’t looked too much into grounding being debunked; if you’ve followed my blog, you know that I’ve struggled with long COVID. So, I’ve tried a lot of different things and I feel that even if there’s a placebo effect, then that’s enough to make it worthwhile. I do feel that there is some good information out there in support of earthing. Then again, in this age of fast and easy information where everyone has a platform, you can find anything to deny or support your claims, so I’ll leave it up to you.

How To Do It

While there are a few methods described in the documentary, the easiest way is to go outside and put your bare feet on the ground. Make sure you are touching grass or dirt (or any natural surface considered part of the Earth, i.e. sand, lake, etc). There are a number of studies that choose varyings amounts of time for different reasons, but I feel that 20-30 minutes is sufficient.

Why Should You Earth?

The benefits are wide ranging; what drew me in was the promise of reduced inflammation, improved sleep, and reduced stress. (A link to the article where I confirmed the bennies https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4378297/) This is an easy way to reconnect with nature and the electromagnetic field of the Earth. It’s such a low-cost, low risk activity with a potential for improving one’s life, so why not try it?

My Experience

I have a ridiculous morning routine that takes more time than it should. I try to write at least one “morning page” and while I’m doing that, multitask by grounding. Personally, I have always disliked putting my bare feet on the ground–so, that is a challenge for me. I do notice that I feel calmer when I make the effort to incorporate this in my self care practice. I generally just feel a little better when I ground, like a little more optimistic than usual. I can’t say that I’ve been consistent about the practice, but now that I’ve put this on here, I just might make an effort to be mindful of it.

What do you think? Would you give it a try?