Holistic and natural health has many forms. Some people think about natural DIY products for their skin and hair using ingredients like coconut oil, witch hazel, and avocados, while other people think more about essential oils, natural herbs, and healing crystals. 

While this is all considered great for overall health and wellness, there is a lot more to it than that. Some holistic healing practices are more about the mind, rather than just the physical state. These might include meditation, mindfulness, journaling, and acupuncture. 

Another holistic practice that is great for your emotional and mental state is called earthing. This is often used to help ground you, providing a long list of healing benefits for your mind and body. 

If you haven’t heard of earthing before, it might sound silly, but it is actually very therapeutic and something you can do just about anywhere. Keep reading to learn more about earthing and grounding, and how it can help you each and every day.   

What is Earthing? 

To start off talking about earthing and how it works, it helps to understand a little more about what exactly it is and why you should be doing it. This will help to give you more insight so you can decide for yourself if it is something you want to explore further. 

Defining Earthing 

Earthing is simply a practice where you put a part of your body in contact with the earth’s surface. This can be any part of your body and any surface, but it is most often done with bare feet. This tends to be the easiest and most convenient method, though if you want to put your hands on the earth’s surface while sitting on the ground, you can definitely do that. 

What Part of the Earth? 

The great thing about earthing is that it is very versatile. You simply need to touch skin to earth. By earth, it means any surface that gives you contact, which often includes the dirt or soil on the ground, sand at the beach, natural body of water, or any other conductive surface.    

A Tip for Earthing 

It is recommended that if you are standing on flat ground with bare feet, you choose a natural surface like soil and grass, as opposed to a road with gravel or concrete, which is not direct contact. What you will notice is that when you spend some time connecting with the earth directly with skin-to-earth contact, it starts providing a lot of amazing healing benefits. This is great for physical and mental benefits, which you will learn more about in the next section.   

Benefits of Earthing 

With a little more understanding of what earthing is and the basic concept of how you can do it, it is time to learn about the benefits and exactly why it is so beneficial for you. 

Earthing is a way to ground yourself, which can have a lot of mental health benefits, but that’s not all. It is also beneficial in a number of different ways, with research being constantly done about all the positive effects. 

When you are having a panic attack or have a lot of stress, and you spend time at the beach in your bare feet or need to stand on the ground for just a few minutes to relax, do you ever wonder why it can help you? In fact, if you imagine yourself standing in cold grass, warm sand, or the comfort of soil, can’t you just feel the relaxation and amazing feeling? 

That is exactly why earthing is so beneficial. You might feel tingly in your feet just thinking about it, which is a sensation scientists are still looking at. 

Physical Benefits 

The first category of benefits for earthing are the physical advantages. These tend to be more surprising to people, especially with how many there are. Here is a rundown of some physical benefits you get from earthing: 

• It helps to reduce chronic pain
• You get a break from inflammation and swelling, such as from arthritis
• It can increase your energy levels during the day
• You relieve headaches and migraine pain
• It eases muscle tension
• Earthing is great for regulating your blood pressure
• You can get better circulation in your body     

Mental and Emotional Benefits 

Naturally, there are also some mental and emotional benefits as well, such as: 

• Relieving anxiety through grounding
• Reducing the effects of a panic attack
• Helping with depressive episodes
• Relieving your stress levels
• Getting better sleep thanks to the mental break 

Experiencing calm and serenity These are not all the health benefits you can experience from earthing, but they show you just how many different areas of your mental and physical health can be improved just by standing outside barefooted.  

How to Use it for Grounding 

Earthing can be used on its own for the above benefits, but it can also be used in conjunction with grounding. This is another concept that is wonderful for your mental and emotional state.  

What is Grounding? 

Grounding is a type of skill that certain people learn in order to handle their own emotions or those around them. Everyone does grounding for different reasons, from the person with a high-stress job to someone with sever anxiety and panic attacks. There are also empaths who need to ground themselves in order to not become overwhelmed by other emotions around them. This is commonly done by people who are extremely sensitive to other people’s thoughts and feelings. 

Why Grounding is Necessary 

Grounding is not necessary for everyone, but it definitely has its advantages. When you learn this important skill along with earthing, you become more balanced inside and out, can handle your emotions and those around you, and have a safe place to de-stress. 

Earthing Indoors and Outdoors 

If you want to use earthing to help ground yourself, it is better to do it outdoors as previously mentioned. This is when you are going to find earth you can be in contact with, often by standing on it with your bare feet. Here are some of the popular outdoor methods:   

• Stand on soil or dirt with your bare feet – One of the easiest ways to do earthing for grounding yourself is to stand outside on soil or dirt. Just make sure it is natural earth and not man-made. 
• Stand on real grass – Again, it is only earthing if you are touching something that is from the earth. Real grass that grows in soil from seed counts, but not synthetic grass. 
• Stand on the sand at the beach – If you are at the beach, you can also stand in the sand. 
• Lay down on the grass or beach – Again, at the beach or park, stand on the ground or lay down without a towel or blanket underneath you for grounding. 
• Stand in natural water – Water also counts as the earth’s natural surface, so you can stand in a natural ocean, lake, or river, as long as it is not manmade. 
• Touch your hands to the ground – Finally, you can use other parts of your body for earthing and grounding as well. If you are sitting on the ground, touch your hands to sand or dirt to help ground yourself. 

Ground Yourself Indoors 

While not ideal, you can also do earthing and grounding indoors. This might be necessary if there is inclement weather, or you don’t have the opportunity to get outside for long enough, especially with bare feet. If it is the winter, you probably don’t want to go outside and stand on freezing grass or soil with no shoes on. 

• Use an earthing mat – Earthing mats are made specifically for earthing when you can’t get outside, or don’t have any natural surfaces outside your home. These are great for people who live in apartments or condos without their own lawn. 
• Try standing on soil or sand – Something you can create yourself is a shallow or deep tray that is filled with something from the earth’s surface, such as sand from the beach, or soil from your backyard. Keep it on your porch or somewhere else it won’t make a mess, making sure it is large enough and stable enough for you to stand on for earthing purposes. 

Be Careful with Ground Currents 

There might be a situation where doing earthing indoors is better than going outside. This is usually when ground currents are a big concern. If there is a lot of electric energy in the ground, such as in a big city, it won’t be relaxing or therapeutic to stand on the ground. In this case, stay indoors and use an earthing mat instead.       

Other Methods of Grounding Yourself 

By now, you understand a lot more about earthing, and how it can be used for grounding. Speaking of grounding – if this is something you feel that you need to do more of for your emotional or mental health, earthing isn’t the only way to accomplish it. It is a great idea to focus on proper grounding in all facets of your life, no matter what might be available to you.  

Here are some additional ways you can ground yourself, aside from earthing. 

Try Deep Breathing 

Practicing deep breathing has so many benefits and is something everyone should try. People who use a lot of deep breathing might be someone who likes to practice yoga or meditation, or who deal with sever anxiety or depression. But you don’t need to fit one of these categories to do deep breathing. 

If you ever need to ground yourself, and earthing isn’t a good option for you, just try some deep breathing. This requires nothing more than sitting or standing in a relaxing place, and focusing on your breathing. Take in a deep breath, hold it for a few seconds, then exhale. 

You are going to relax and clear your mind as you focus on each breath you are inhaling and exhaling. This will begin to help your mind and body relax, and is often used in conjunction with meditation and mindfulness practices. 

Connect with Your Body 

Another grounding technique is to be more in tune with your body. You are going to experience different emotions from head to toe, focusing on each area at a time. Connecting with your body is also another way to be more mindful and is often used with meditation as well. 

To connect with your body, first take a few minutes to relax in one spot, preferably while either sitting or laying down. Start anywhere you want, but many people will start from the top and work their way down.  

Focus on your head or face, experiencing sensations and connecting to it, moving down your body one area at a time. Start with your eyes, ears, and nose, moving down to your neck and chest, abdomen, arms, legs, and all the way down to your feet. 

Try these grounding techniques with or without your earthing practices.