Grounded!

As in ground contact and not restricted to the house by your parents for misbehaving 😅

Rubbing my feet firmly in the grass 😊

In the search for what can help me to a calmer life, I come across many strange things. And much that I used to think was strange, but which I have finally tried and found out is ok.

I’m doing one of the things right now actually, as I'm writing this post. I am lying with my legs up against the wall. I have been trying this for a while now. It's very strange at first, because the legs quickly go numb. So I started by having them on the sofa while I was lying on the floor. So they weren't straight up in the air. Now I can lie there for about 20 minutes with my bottom against the wall and my legs straight up. And that's so cool! Swollen legs will obviously improve, but so will digestion and mood. It has been shown to have something to do with blood circulation and blood supply. And certainly the fact that I often lie there for 20 minutes and meditate every night. Maybe that's part of it too 😅 Regardless, it's good, and it calms the whole nervous system down before nightfall.

But now I have come across another thing! And since I'm on this coco journey, I'm definitely testing it!

It is simply to restore the ground contact. We humans have built ourselves up and isolated ourselves away from the surface of the earth. Some wise people believe that it makes us lose all the positive benefits we got when we did everything on the ground. After all, people used to sleep, eat, play, learn and, not least, WALK directly on the ground. Now we live, well not I, I am afraid of fire in tall buildings, but other people live several floors above the ground. We also insulate the feet with shoes. It is obviously necessary in the winter. We haven't exactly become tougher with evolution. But in the summer we can let our toes free and lie down in the grass. Feel the ground contact again!

There are clever researchers who believe that contact with the ground (also called earthing) can provide the same benefits as antioxidants. Some believe it stimulates the senses and motor skills. Others believe it improves working memory. There was actually someone who conducted a study that suggested that when we have to be careful not to step on harmful things, it increases the demands on attention and thus provides extra brain training, which they believe leads to faster working memory and processing ability. It sounds like we should go barefoot as much as possible, in as many places as possible!

I have no idea if that is correct or not. And it's not really that important to me. It is good to walk barefoot and it is actually soothing to lie in the grass. So why not? Yes, of course if you're allergic to grass it's probably not so great. Then you get to lie down in the gravel instead. Or find a nice mossy spot that you can enjoy.

The point is that a bit of ground contact can be good now that summer is creeping up, both literally and perhaps in other ways too 🤷 At least I need a little nudge when I'm floating away, lost in all possible thoughts and fantasies. Although that is important too! But it’s good with a little "here and now" too.

But, before I float away again. Throw away the shoes once in a while! Enjoy the childhood memories that come from some cold grass between your toes.

 It is certainly healthier than it is harmful! Hope you enjoy the weeken🤩

Translated by Kari Boisvert