The stress-relieving practice you need in your life
My lawn has been the bane of my existence. After the construction on our house was finished, we turned to seeding the yard -- at the exact time COVID hit. All work was put on pause in April/May of 2020, which apparently is the sweet spot to seeding a lawn in the Northeast. We ended up getting something down by June, but it was too late. Our half-acre yard was filled, and I mean filled, with weeds. My husband was beside himself trying to figure out how to fix it and we would often have impromptu dates during the pandemic where we’d hand-pick weeds out of the yard over glasses of wine. It was a bizarre time.
A year and a half later after installing a new irrigation system, working closely with a wonderful company called TruGreen [shoutout to our guy from there who told me our lawn was one of the top three worst he’s ever seen], and tons of focus on weekly weeding, I’m happy to say that it’s 95% normal now. Who knew that GRASS was so complicated? Not me.
Every day now I walk outside barefoot on my lawn. I started doing it back in the spring amidst a client overload as a way to get some fresh air when I didn’t have time to take a walk or work out. Around the same time, I heard Lauryn Bosstick describe this need for nature and calm after she became a mom on The Skinny Confidential podcast. It was such a powerful feeling, that it motivated her and her husband to move their family from Los Angeles to Austin where they could have a big backyard. I felt understood.
It turns out this practice of aligning with nature is a real thing called grounding or earthing, and it’s one of the top things I’m most grateful for discovering this year. It’s helped me create space from immediate stress and anxiety. As I’ve learned more, it turns out there are many ways to ground yourself that don’t require a lawn [great news for all you city-dwellers].
Also, not to mention, there’s some science behind it. According to this Washington Post article, “Research has shown barefoot contact with the earth can produce nearly instant changes in a variety of physiological measures, helping improve sleep, reduce pain, decrease muscle tension and lower stress.” The negative electrical charge of the earth can serve as an antioxidant for free radicals, similar to how we get antioxidants from food. It can also help the regulation of our circadian rhythms and nervous systems.
Who knew there could be so many benefits from a completely innocuous and FREE activity? Not me.
Also, if I started with what I’ve read and hadn’t tried it myself, I’d be skeptical. But having discovered it in a backward kind of way, I’m telling you, the effects are immediate. And to think I found this peace with something that was torturing me for two years is actually laughable.
This whole experience shifted my mindset in an unexpected way. I was, and always have taken grass for granted [hopefully you are laughing, but amiright?]Once I didn’t have it and realized how hard it is to achieve, I developed a different appreciation. I had gotten into the habit of going out there to examine the yard as we rehabbed it to check on our progress, and now that everything is good, I still go, and here we are. It’s weirdly become my favorite form of meditation and I’m so grateful for it.
So yes, if you’re near some grass, get your shoes off and go try it. Or try out some of my other favorite grounding techniques [or even more from Healthline here] that include:
Touching the earth with bare feet or your hands. Get your feet or hands on the grass, moist dirt or sand [concrete works, like in a basement, but not other types of pavement], and try to work up to 30 minutes. Gardening is also a perfect and satisfying activity to accomplish this.
Outdoor savasana. Aka, lay your full body on the ground [have you done this since you were a kid?]. Try for it in a park or on the sand at a beach, or for all our yogis, try moving the end of your yoga practice outside for a little savasana on the earth instead of your mat.
Water. Go for a swim in naturally occurring water sources like oceans, lakes or rivers. Be attuned to the cool water, crunchy sand, or even sharp rocks. Not as ideal, but still effective is putting your hands under altering cool and warm water out of a faucet, or simply holding a piece of ice, if you need something more immediate.
Audio. Take a moment to listen to the sounds around you and identify them. Are there cars honking? Dogs barking? Birds chirping? Acknowledge each sound and let it go as you move to the next. Also music can be powerful here. Listen to your favorite sounds or one of our monthly playlists, paying particular attention to the lyrics, the beat, and the subtle details of the songs. Think carefully about how the songs make you feel and why.
There’s also a ton of products that can also help with grounding [I personally haven’t gotten to these yet, but winter is coming, so perhaps now is the time 😬]. These include grounding mats, sheets, blankets, socks, and shoes, all of which I’ll likely be ordering.
So what do you think? Are you convinced? I know that grass grounding has revolutionized my life, and as far as other grounding methods go, I think it can’t hurt to try it out. I want to hear from all of you. Let me know if you try it out in the comments!
P.S. If you’re into grounding, you would probably love The Five Minute Journal.
P.P.S. Which means you’ll probably also appreciate my overall approach to rest.