Earthing
Photo: Ramesh Iyer
What?
Standing or walking with your bare feet on the ground, or sitting down with skin-to-Earth contact with the bare ground - a practice called “Earthing” or “Grounding.”
Why?
Earthing just feels good. Think about the sensory experience of how it feels to plant your bare feet into fresh grass, sand at the beach, fresh soil, or even mud. It also allows your feet to bend and flex naturally, without the interference of shoes, which can prevent our natural movement.
While Earthing has yet to be studied thoroughly, and there are definitely some outlandish claims out there (read: do your own homework!), the costs and risks are low so it’s worth trying. One small trial found that massage therapists who grounded daily over the course of four weeks experienced reductions in fatigue, depressed mood, tiredness, and pain compared to when they were not grounded (Chevalier et al., 2019).
How to?
Take off your shoes.
Sit, walk, or stand on a natural surface for 20-30 minutes per day.
Get on with your day.
Protips:
Grounding Surfaces: grass, soil, gravel, sand, brick, stone, water sources (e.g. ocean, lakes, rivers, etc.)
Surfaces that Won’t Ground: Plastic, wood, rubber, asphalt, sealed concrete or tile floors.
Habit Stacking: do some light breathwork at the same time, or do you grounding in the morning or evening to get low solar angle natural sunlight to train your circadian rhythm.
The Rabbit Hole (References for People Who Like to Geek Out)
Chevalier, G., Patel, S., Weiss, L., Chopra, D., Mills, P.J. (2019). The Effects of Grounding (Earthing) on Bodyworkers’ Pain and Overall Quality of Life: A Randomized Controlled Trial. EXPLORE, 15(3), 181-190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2018.10.001.
Tickel, J. (Director). (2019). The Earthing Movie [Film]. Big Picture Ranch.
We’d love to know how you microdose nature!
If you’d like to help expand the diversity of our microdoses (and help create a thriving community of nature junkies in the process), email us at hello@naturejunkielife.com
In your email, briefly describe your favorite nature connection experience, how to do it, and how it makes you feel. The more weird, wise and wonderful the better. Thanks in advance!
