By Blair Doucette

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May 30, 2025

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When was the last time you took a walk in the grass barefoot? Yesterday? Last year? When you were a child? June 1st is National Go Barefoot Day, which is the perfect time to shed those shoes and get outside! 

 

Why is Grounding Important?

Connecting with nature is a vital part of life that is often overlooked in our current society. Technological advances and urbanization of housing have resulted in fewer opportunities to connect with nature. The practice of grounding, or earthing, helps connect us to the earth through the gentle flow of energy that flows across the surface of the Earth. When we make direct contact with the earth (i.e., not wearing shoes), our bodies become a part of the global direct current network. This helps us enter a more healing state. Many bodily functions rely on electrical impulses to function correctly (the cardiovascular and nervous systems are two primary examples). So, you can imagine how being disconnected from this global direct current could have negative impacts on our health. 

 

Many of us spend more hours at work than we do at home. This means that we spend a significant amount of time indoors sitting at desks, running from room to room, or working in a warehouse or factory surrounded by machines and computers. Even if you work outside, odds are you’re probably wearing shoes. Our busy work schedules often do not leave much time for basic self-care, and the last thing that we may think about is finding time to kick off our shoes and walk through the grass. 

 

Benefits of Grounding:

• Improvements in sleep
• Improvements in stress levels and stress management
• Improvements in pain levels
• Improvements in inflammation levels
• Improvements in mood
• Helps move the body from a ‘fight or flight’ state into a ‘rest and digest’ state

 

How Can I Practice Grounding?

• Walking barefoot, sitting, or lying directly on the ground are the best ways to become more grounded. Rubber (soles of shoes, yoga mats, etc) is a poor conductor of electricity. It’s actually an insulator that resists the flow of electric currents. This means that these items can interfere with electrical impulses, which is why we are not fully capable of grounding until our bare skin makes contact with the earth.
• Swimming is a great way to connect with the earth and become more grounded, as long as you are swimming in a natural body of water. These natural bodies of water (lakes, rivers, oceans, etc) contain essential minerals that help conduct electricity, therefore working to connect you to the gentle electric current that flows across the surface of the earth 

 

Grounding in the Office 

You may be thinking that grounding is something that you would like to incorporate into your daily routine, but you spend more time at work in your office than you do at home, and just don’t have the time to get outside and take your shoes off during the day. If this pertains to you – there are still a few ways that you can incorporate grounding into your routines to help support you during your work day!

• Grounding Mat—You can purchase a grounding or earthing mat online. These mats can be placed on the seat of your office chair or on the floor for you to place your (bare) feet on. These mats are typically plugged into a (grounded) outlet and can pass direct current (DC) energy onto you once you sit or step on them.
• Grounding Sheets—If you find that you have trouble sleeping and toss and turn throughout the night or have trouble shutting off your mind in the evenings, you could consider purchasing grounding sheets, a grounding mattress protector, or a grounding mattress pad for additional grounding support.
• Grounding Shoes—This is another option available and created specifically to allow you to remain grounded while wearing shoes. These shoes are designed to help transmit electrical impulses to stay grounded while also providing the necessary integrity of footwear.

 

Want more information on how to incorporate grounding? Or, if you’re feeling overwhelmed, stressed, exhausted, or have been dealing with chronic health concerns, it may be time to schedule an appointment with one of the naturopathic doctors at Richmond Natural Medicine. It’s time to regain your health and become more connected with the Earth to help facilitate your healing journey! 

 

Want to read more on the benefits of grounding? Check out our blog:  The Benefits of Earthing and Grounding

 

References

1. https://www.earthing.com/pages/what-is-grounding 
2. Oschman JL, Chevalier G, Brown R. The effects of grounding (earthing) on inflammation, the immune response, wound healing, and prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. J Inflamm Res. 2015;8:83-96. Published 2015 Mar 24. doi:10.2147/JIR.S69656
3. Sinatra ST, Sinatra DS, Sinatra SW, Chevalier G. Grounding – The universal anti-inflammatory remedy. Biomed J. 2023;46(1):11-16. doi:10.1016/j.bj.2022.12.002
4. Koniver L. Practical applications of grounding to support health. Biomed J. 2023;46(1):41-47. doi:10.1016/j.bj.2022.12.001