What Is Earthing and How Can It Help Mental Health?

You know that feeling when you push your feet into lush grass while the sun warms your face. You’re able to fill your lungs with fresh air and breathe out a lot of your stress. That moment of complete relaxation? That’s how earthing can make you feel.

Its ability to restore your tranquility through the calmness of nature can have a huge impact on your wellness. Earthing is a free, easily accessible tool to manage your mental health. Let’s delve into the ins and outs of earthing and bring some calm to your life.

What Is Earthing?

You may recognize the term grounding instead of earthing. Earthing (or grounding) is when you connect to nature with your body via direct contact through your bare skin. Earthing allows free electrons from the electrical charge of the earth’s surface to transfer the earth’s energy into you.

As soon as those electrons hit the human body, they perform like antioxidants which have many benefits. By practicing earthing, your body can become balanced, which leads to an overall improvement in many aspects of your health and life.

What Are the Benefits of Earthing?

The earth’s powerful natural energy can do so much for you and your body. And it’s free, which is an added bonus.

The benefits of earthing on your body are huge; some of the benefits are:

• Anti-inflammatory effects, leading to an improvement in chronic inflammation
• A drop in your pain level, especially if you struggle with chronic pain
• Reduced muscle tension and stiffness
• Improved immune system
• Balancing of cortisol which can help with better sleep and decreased stress
• Lowers blood pressure
• Improved circulation
• Decrease in free radicals
• Improved concentration and focus
• Lowered exposure to EMFs

This is just a short list of the benefits of earthing; an improvement in one part of your body can lead to the other. For example, improving your immune system can help decrease flare-ups of any autoimmune disease you may suffer from.

Similarly, decreasing blood pressure decreases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. So the benefits of grounding can help with current symptoms as well as help your future health.

How Does Earthing Affect Mental Health?

Since earthing brings balance to the entire body, this can greatly help with your nervous system, which can be under a lot of duress. Earthing can help with the management of mental health issues as well as improve your mind and mindset.

Earthing can put a stop to your brain’s pattern of fight or flight. This type of response can be seen by those affected by anxiety, PTSD, or panic disorder. By practicing grounding, you can lessen your symptoms or reduce your flare-ups. Additionally, harnessing the earth’s energy can increase serotonin, which can help with depression, OCD, anxiety, and other mental health issues.

Earthing can help those who struggle with negative mindsets as well. Which, unfortunately, tend to frequently coincide with those mental health conditions. Regardless of if you have a diagnosis, all of us can improve our mindsets.

Mindset is how we go about everything in our life, so if we are stuck in a spiral of negativity, this can lead to challenges. Our self-esteem, happiness, and relationships may be affected by a negative mindset.

Earthing can be a gentle way to incorporate ways to connect with ourselves and change our mindset. You can add movement to get an extra benefit for your mental health and mindset.

By connecting to the earth’s energy and practicing mindful movement, you can heal your body and mind. Read here for more information on mindful movement which can elevate your earthing practice to a full-on healing session.

Earthing Outdoors

One of the easiest and quickest ways to start practicing earthing is to head outside. Slip off your socks and shoes and put those bare feet right onto the ground.

Grass, sand, or dirt is a perfect place to plant yourself, either sitting, standing, or lying, for the next half hour. This can be incredibly helpful when feeling high discomfort or stress levels. You could also be leaning or sitting against a tree while grounding.

If you garden, you’re earthing! Having your hands in the earth’s dirt and soil connects you with the earth’s electromagnetic field. You’re receiving those amazing healing electrons, all while planting beautiful flowers.

This can be helpful if you don’t have access to the ground itself on an everyday basis. You can use a windowsill planter filled with soil to connect with the energy in the dirt.

Don’t forget the natural water that the earth provides. Take a swim in the ocean, lake, pond, or even a saltwater pool. Natural water can conduct electrons in the same manner as the ground.

This can be a good choice for those who love to swim or are near natural bodies of water.

Camping is another good opportunity on earth that people don’t even realize. Try laying right on the ground when you sleep.

Extra points if you star gaze; doesn’t that sound relaxing? You’re reaping all the benefits the earth holds for you.

Earthing Indoors

Sometimes mother nature makes it difficult to perform your grounding techniques. If there is a layer of snow or ice, you can’t exactly make contact with the ground itself. Luckily, there are grounding products that can be a good replacement until you can head outside again.

These products make it easy to achieve more earthing practice when you have a busy schedule. It’s important to remember that results are typically seen after a few uses. Though you may feel the benefits right away, a chronic issue often needs a few sessions to start feeling the change.

Grounding Mats

Earthing mats have a conductive carbon top layer that replicates the charge of the earth when plugged into a grounded electric outlet in your home. Identify those outlets with the third hole, and you have a grounded outlet!

Depending on which size you pick up, these mats can be used under your desk, on your lap, and even in front of the couch.

Grounding Sheets

Grounding sheets are very similar to grounding mats but are large enough to cover your bed; this way, you can ground yourself while sleeping. Just lay them down on your bed.

Depending on the brand, you may have straps available to keep them in place. You can even place a sheet or blanket over some types of grounding sheets. They plug into a grounded outlet just as a grounding mat does; they are easy to clean and durable.

A grounding sheet is an easy way to be sure you are getting the benefits of earthing without adding an extra step to your daily life.

Grounding Rods

If you like the idea of grounding products but don’t want to use an outlet or don’t have access to a grounded outlet, a grounding rod is the item for you! A grounding rod is placed directly into the earth outside a window or door.

The grounding rod is the conduit for the earth’s energy. A grounding rod will have a cord that you can bring through the window or door, wherever you want to place it. Just close the window/door, and now you can use the cord to connect to your grounding products. This is also an easy way to keep practicing earthing if you are traveling or away from home.

Earthing Patches

Earthing patches are adhesive electrodes that you can place right where you need them, then just connect them to the ground outlet, and you are good to go! These patches are flexible enough for you to move a little and sticky enough to stay when sleeping.

These patches are helpful when you have a specific area you’d like to target, such as an inflamed ankle or chronically sore knee.

Begin Earthing

Start adding earthing to your everyday routine; soon, you’ll feel the difference. In addition to all the other benefits, you can use the time to decompress. Leave your phone elsewhere and try to connect to the earth, feel its calmness and healing.

Take a moment to appreciate this moment in a busy world that has an endless supply of stress. You could even take this time to read; picking up something like Stillness is the Key could help you see how important this moment can be to improving your well-being.

Life Overhaul

Beginning the practice of earthing will bring a huge change into your life. It’s such an easy, affordable way to start taking care of not only your body but your mental health. By harnessing the healing energy of mother earth, you can lead a more fulfilled, comfortable, and healthier life.

Sources:

Earthing The Benefits | Well Doing

Effects Of Grounding | National Library of Medicine

What is Earthing | Better Earthing Australia

 Our Relationship With Earth | American College of Healthcare Services