Do you know how to ground yourself when you are somewhere in the nature? Is it something you actively do? Or have you never consciously tried that before? I will share some of my favorite grounding techniques that I like to use in the Finnish nature. And yes, it does get pretty chilly in here, so my tips will work also in winter.
Urban and hectic lifestyle that many of us are engaged with might cause us drifting further away from the nature. Anxiety and stress can be present in our daily lives. Being grounded means that you are connected to the Earth and fully present. Have you ever exercised out in the nature but thought about work or other worries that you have had? I’m sure you have. That is why it is useful to take a moment to ground yourself especially in the middle of the nature. Your mind needs exercise too, not just your body.
Please note that these grounding techniques are only my experiences of mental grounding and connectedness to nature, and this is not any scientific approach to earthing.
Northern Lights ground you better than anything
Watching the Northern Lights dance in the sky is by far the most grounding thing you can experience. You literally feel that you are a tiny human being standing on a globe, which is part of the universe. You feel tiny, but you are part of something huge. It’s humbling and grounding.
5-4-3-2-1 grounding method
Unfortunately, you don’t get to enjoy the northern lights every day in Finland, so you should know some other ways to ground yourself. The 5-4-3-2-1 grounding method is probably the most famous technique I know. There are different variations of it, but the main idea is to utilize all of your senses to ground yourself. For example, start with noticing 5 things you see, then 4 things you hear, then 3 things you can touch, 2 things you can smell, and finally 1 thing you can taste. Take your time when doing this exercise.
Other easy ways to ground yourself
Grounding means reconnecting to the Earth. It is usually achieved simply by going outside and standing on the ground with bare feet. In Finland you wouldn’t walk barefoot all year round, so not all grounding methods are suitable for the Finnish nature 365 days a year. But here are few that resonate well with our natural environment especially in winter:
- Make a snow angel
- Allow snowflakes land on your face when it’s snowing
- Touch the water in a lake or stream and notice how it feels
- Touch something cold like ice or snow, and then warm your hands again
- Wear wool socks
- Go to sauna and ice swimming
- Whip yourself with a bunch of silver birch leaves in the sauna
- Go to traditional Finnish smoke sauna
- Light a fire and sit in front of it feeling its warmth
- Get physical exercise by walking on a nature trail
- Hug a tree and notice how it smells
- Drink hot chocolate and feel how it warms you inside
- Observe wildlife such as birds
- Observe animal tracks on the snow
What is your favorite method for grounding yourself? Comment below!
The article seems to be confusing two different types of grounding and is essentially giving bad advice.
Two types of grounding-
1. Mental & Emotional grounding methods
2. “Earthing” (aka grounding) is also specifically noted and the author even goes as far as to define it as connecting with the earth by means of walking barefoot.
Here’s the thing. This kind of grounding is not the same as the mental and emotional grounding methods used to reduce anxiety and corral ones emotions. However, it just so happens that mental and emotional well-being is in fact one of many benefits from proper earthing.
Very simply put- Earthing is a widely overlooked and minimized health practice. Our bodies are electric before chemical. We are positively charged. The earth is also electrical and happens to be negatively charged. When we connect to the ground through our bare feet, excess electrical energy stored in our bodies begins to immediately discharge. The process promotes healing of many many many ailments at the cellular level.
Yes the ground can get too cold to comfortably connect through bare feet. In this case, there are a number of alternatives such as standing on other conductive surfaces like concrete or investing in grounding matts/steel rod set and connect it to your house.
But I promise you, while breaking out in snow angel making may be fun, it absolutely is not a viable alternative to electrical earthing. Same goes for wildlife watching, smelling trees and eating chocolate. To indicate it as such is not only an insult to the powerful practice of earthing, but it is also insult to responsible bloggers. Not to mention a compete disservice to readers.
It is extremely irresponsible to write an entire article advising readers on things you’re not familiar with.
It’s equally irresponsible to not bother thoroughly research your topic and properly site sources.
Thank you very much for sharing your expertise on this topic. This article is not by any means a scientific nor medical article about electrical earthing, as you very well noted. The purpose of it was to just to share fun ways to reconnect with nature in winter, what the term grounding to me personally means.
Yes, agree with every point. Thank you.
Thank you so much for saying all of this – it’s exactly what I was about to post but you said all that needed to be said!
Thank you very much , Russ
Sharing wonderful ideas about “destressing” is very welcome in my world. I appreciate “tips” and other wonderful people sharing successes in their experiences. It’s not one thing we do; it’s everything we do. Thank you for your article; I will refer to it as I continue my earthing journey. Jan
Thank you for your support, Jan!
My favorite way to ground – even when it is cold – is to head to the beach and remove my shoes and gloves and immerse them into the sand for at least 20 min and then I get them warm again and walk and carry on my exercise. It is bitter cold sometimes, but I believe in that time period it does reduce the inflammation in my body. If I cannot get to the beach, I make sure to get my feet on the concrete sidewalk for 20 min. I have tried the grounding mat at home and learned my grounding ports in my outlets are not at 0! This gave me a very odd wooziness in my head. I no longer ground indoors.