Ground Yourself

I have been fascinated with the concept of grounding and read the book Earthing by Ober et al. “Earthing”, according to the book, “involves coupling your body to the Earth’s eternal and gentle surface energies.” This is most easily accomplished by standing or sitting outdoors barefoot, but can also be achieved using an indoor grounded conductive device.

The benefits of grounding are reported to be many, including eliminating disease and healing, increasing energy, and protection from electromagnetic fields, or EMFs. One double-blind study reported in the book used two groups of individuals. One group was grounded and the second was not. EEG and EMG recordings from the brain and shoulder muscles, respectively, were monitored 30 minutes before and after grounding.

Within a matter of seconds, brain activity of the grounded individuals decreased, and in particular on the left, thinking side, suggesting that it can calm the busy mind. In the shoulder muscles, there appeared to be a leveling off of muscle tension. Overly tense muscles relaxed and those with little or no tension showed an increase.

It seems so simple that we can relax the mind by spending time with our feet to the Earth. But since reading this book last summer, I’ve made it a point of walking barefoot in the grass, or in the sand at the beach and I always feel calmer afterwards. Is it in my head? Maybe, but does it matter? I’m still getting some sun and fresh air and spending time with the birds and the beautiful blue sky.

By the way, the book also talks about how Earthing can level out cortisol in the body, which will also help with stress.

The next time your monkey mind is working overtime, or you’re stressed out, try plopping your feet in the grass, maybe with a nice cup of herbal iced tea, and sit quiet for a few minutes. It may accomplish far more than you think.

Decompress to Reduce Stress

With the way many of our lives run today, it’s difficult to not experience some stress. Sometimes stress is a good thing, for example, when we’re driving and are cut-off by someone, and we need to react quickly. But being fully engaged for fight or flight all the time can have a real impact on us physically.

Like a pesticide or an organic chemical, stress is a toxin that actually depresses the immune system, generates free radicals, and negatively affects brain function. It also induces the production of cortisol, which can lead to weight gain and/or the ability to lose weight.

To maintain health and a sense of wellbeing, it is vitally important to relieve stress or decompress on a regular basis. Here are some ways accomplish this:

Go Play – Having fun is a great way to relax, and rather than being a waste of time, it can actually work to your advantage., Engaging in leisure activities or hobbies is a wonderful way to get the creative juices flowing. And it’s more difficult to feel stress when you’re enjoying yourself.

Get out in Nature – There is something so calming about being among the trees. The combination of the quiet, the calmness, the living energy, and the abundance of oxygen are all very healing to body, mind, and spirit.

Unplug – The radiation we are exposed to from our computers and internet connections, cell phones, and appliances place a tremendous amount of stress on the body and will be the topic of another post. Spend time away from them on a daily basis–for example, in nature as mentioned above.

Be still – We’re exposed to information overload and on a continuous mission to be somewhere or do something, often multi-tasking to get it all done. Take some time everyday to sit quietly, meditate, or just think. And sitting for hours in front of the TV does not count here : )

What are some of the ways that you like to wind down to relieve stress??