Health and Wellness: Grounding

*image

As I took a pause from much of my social media and blogging in the last month or so I have been exploring different ways to relax and recharge. With children in elementary school, the month of May can feel turbocharged and slightly out of control. Frankly, it left me feeling totally wiped. To get out from under the blues I recommitted to meditation (even just 10 minutes a day), reading more, saying yes less, and going to bed earlier. In my quest to find more peace I stumbled upon an article about the practice of “Grounding”. Have you heard of it? It is often called “Earthing” too. This may sound a little wonky, but hear me out. The science of it makes sense, and if like many people say, it reduces anxiety and inflammation, promotes better sleep and lessens monthly hormonal symptoms, then it might just be worth it for you to get on the Grounding bandwagon too.

Back in the day, our bodies were constantly in touch with the Earth floor (a “grounding” force). We walked around shoeless, and while traveling from place to place, hunting, farming, and even sleeping on the rough ground, we were in direct contact with the natural energy of the universe. All things have an electric charge and in this modern day we are exposed to high amounts of positive electrons in the form of free radicals, which can build up in our bodies. Our bodies and cells have electrical energy, and Electromagnetic waves, Wi-Fi and mobile phone waves are dumped into our systems in the form of high amounts of positive electrons every day. Being in contact with the ground balances out the positive charge of our constant contact with Electro Magnetic Fields (EMFs), because the Earth has a negative grounding charge. This practice involves nothing more than getting in direct contact with the ground you walk on to dump the positive charge back into the Earth.

So what can you do to “recharge”? Remove the barriers between you and the ground. That might be as simple as walking around your yard for 10 minutes a day with no shoes on. Or even scheduling 30 minutes a week walking on the beach or swimming in the ocean if you live close to the water. I’m a big “no shoes” kind of mama. In the morning I walk to the mailbox barefoot in pjs. I always assumed that I preferred to be outside barefoot because of my deep rooted love of all things nature. Now I am wondering if on some subconscious level my body was craving a return to more neutral energy.

And if you live in the city and can’t wrap your head around going barefoot in a public park, I also did some reading about Earthing mats that can be used if and when you don’t have access to the real deal. They literally plug into the wall, and draw negative electrons from electrical outlets and then bring them through the mat to the base of your feet or into your body if you sleep on one. It is said to balance out all those positive electrons that build up and make you feel crappy. I have yet to try the mats, but honestly my sleeping is so poor (I’ve battled insomnia on and off for years) that I plan on ordering this kit and giving it a try in the days ahead.

Way back when I told you all I was once I science nerd. This blog post clearly proves it to be true. 😉 A few good articles on the topic can be found here and here.