When I first learnt about ‘grounding’ (the practice of bare feet to earth), I thought about hippies, Stonehenge and tie-dye.
Sooooo, when a new college and I were getting to know each other, he caught an uncontrollable
side-eye, upon enthusiastically introducing his daily habit of ‘grounding’.
Sooooo, when a new college and I were getting to know each other, he caught an uncontrollable
side-eye, upon enthusiastically introducing his daily habit of ‘grounding’.
Only he’s not.
After exposure to the science, some fact checking, and practice, I’m in! This shit works.
We are live, not just alive. Right now, you, I and the rest of the living have electricity in our
bodies. A properly measurable voltage. Human electricity can be measured from a few millivolts (mV) to over 100 volts.
You’ll know this is true if you’ve ever had the pleasure of charging yourself up to unleash ‘The
Finger of Zeus’.
Who remembers new school shoes, made from anything 100% synthetic? If you stayed seated, and
did a semi-mad carpet scooting you could power up enough static electricity to give your mate a
mini static belt. Thats what I did several times to my friend Terry. Before you judge me, just ask
yourself ‘who taught me that?’ Yep, it was Tezzlar. He taught me about static electricity with a
shock to the ear that was so big, the the spark was HEARD by others. Justice served – Case closed.
Research has now suggested that the lack of direct contact with the Earth’s naturally occurring
electrons, due to our modern lifestyles, may contribute much to physiological dysfunction and
poor health.
The following data was successfully retrieved following studies of a group of people who grounded
Vs. the control group, who did no grounding.
Electrical voltage on the body was reduced by a factor of 70. What does that mean for us? It could
mean you get benefits like these:
Sleep:
Time to fall asleep reduced by 85%
Sleep quality improved by 93%
Waking up feeling rested increased by 100%
Stress:
Cortisol levels normalised after grounding.
Heart rate variability improved significantly.
Body:
Muscle stiffness and pain decreased by 82%
Chronic back and joint pain reduced by 74%
General well-being improved by 78%
Recovery:
White blood cell response decreased after
exercise.
Blood viscosity decreased, improving
cardiovascular health.
Although I’ve left some decent grounding years ungrounded behind me, Grounding research
suggests that reconnecting with the Earth’s electrons can bring notable physiological benefits, such as improved sleep and reduced pain. Seems worth investigating further, no?
The growing body of evidence highlights grounding as a simple yet impactful practice that can restore the body’s electrical balance, promoting overall health and well-being.
Simple Guide to Grounding for Beginners:
- Find a natural contact surface like grass, soil, sand, etc.
- Remove your shoes and socks, allowing direct skin contact with the ground.
- Spend 20 to 30 minutes a day standing, sitting, or walking barefoot on the surface to
- experience benefits.
When I read that I would take 20 mins to feel the benefits, I cooled on there idea of a new daily
routine. “Hmmm, not sure that’ll work for me…”
But wait! People (including me) do all sorts of these daily things, that add up to way more than 20
mins. For example:
In the USA, the average person watches 2 hours 33 minutes a day watching TV, spends 2
hours, 9 minutes scrolling social media and plays video games for 1 hour and 12 minutes.
Those who choose to smoke, on average takes 5 – 6 breaks a day, lasting a average of 5 – 10
minutes, totalling some 25 – 60 minutes a day.
As a non smoker and ex gamer, I’m ahead of the game!
So what stops me ordering a tie-dye starter pack and stomping bare foot into the garden at sunrise?
I suppose at least one reason is poor self care habits. My childhood wasn’t full of happiness and left
me with more challenges than advantages. Like many Gen X’ers it’s given me skills and yet a
distinct lack of skills. Unhealed trauma’s have led to self denying habits of hyper-vigilance.
Although it’s been said before, there is a deadly serious reason why they tell us to put on our own
oxygen mask first in an air emergency. Only then should we attempt to help others.
No self care – No life
In my case living with unhealed trauma’s led to ignoring personal needs and prioritising what others wanted from me. Crazy days. Can’t believe how hard I tried to make that shit work…
I’ve since learnt, how this is a common response from survivor’s of childhood trauma. They
literally de-prioritise themselves and their own needs as a behavioural response to how others have
impacted their early development. Bastards.
Grounding is quickly becoming part of our routine, because, well the benefits are obvs.
What better payoff could you get from a 20 min investment in yourself?
Exactly – Get them socks off!