Children today are more stressed and anxious than ever. With all the changes, conflicts, and uncertainty in the world right now, taking care of our kids’ mental health should be on the top of our priority list. One of the easiest ways to help calm anxiety (in both kids and adults) is by spending time outside in nature. The healing power of nature is immense and the benefits of the outdoors are incredible for physical and mental health. Today, Creative Team member Tiffany Griffin (Texas homeschooling mom and photographer) is here to discuss one easy way to help kids connect to the earth with grounding. She explains what grounding is, what the benefits are, and ways your kids can recharge and reap the benefits of mother nature.
Connecting with nature
You know that feeling you get when you look at a beautiful mountain ridge? Or the way your mind comes to ease when you hear the soft rippling flow of stream? That is mother nature doing her best work. Now, imagine what that would do for you and your children if you were to physically connect yourself to the earth outside of your visual experience?
Did you know that the ground we walk on is full of ions that are positively charged just waiting to realign your electrical energy? The Earth is like a gigantic battery that contains a natural, subtle electrical charge. Our entire world is beautifully electrical, and we are electrical beings made of atoms living amongst a plethora of other electrical beings! Everything on this planet is made of atoms, which means everything has a charge that’s positive, negative, or neutral. For safety and stability, almost everything in the electrical world is connected to the earth and its charge.
Unfortunately, when your body’s overall charge is off, chemical reactions happen that shouldn’t. We are – in short, a variety of chemical reactions. Think of yourself as a LONG-lasting battery. You can keep going but you NEED a re-charge. Mama nature has the ultimate remedy for you when you’re feeling off or need recharging. Enter – grounding.
What is grounding?
When your body is in direct contact with the earth, without any disruption, like shoes or carpet – you are grounded. The act of grounding (also called earthing) is a therapeutic technique that involves doing activities that “ground” or electrically reconnect you to the earth. Meaning, when you physically touch the ground electrical charges are transferred from the earth – providing positive effects to your body. This is true for children as well! In simple terms – go outside, take your shoes off, and make direct contact!
Benefits of grounding for kids
People all over the world in diverse cultures have talked about the benefits and how to improve their health and well-being from being barefoot on the earth for thousands and thousands of years. Although this may seem new to some, it is really prevalent in other cultures. Grounding has been shown to reduce inflammation and decrease pain. It’s been connected with improving your heart rate, your stress levels, sleep, healing, and your immunity.
When you are grounded to the earth, you feel centered, strong, solid, balanced, stable, less tense, and less stressed.
While grounding does wonders for an adult, just imagine how important this practice is for our generation of children? These days, just the act of relying on the earth for any form of healing feels like an act of rebellion. But fear not friends. There are far fewer things that can provide to our mind, body, and soul what mother nature can in her raw form.
Just being outside allows us to exposure to vitamin D which triggers an anti-microbial response. Allowing your children to be exposed to dirt exposes them to a variety of bacteria and microorganisms that boost the immune system, reduce allergies, and works as an all-natural anti-depressant and stress management. Not only is grounding/earthing beneficial, but it is also crucial for raising healthy and mentally strong children. How amazing is it that we can turn an entire day around by just placing our feet on the earth!?
Grounding ideas for kids
Now that you know why grounding is so important, here are a few ways you can experience the benefits of grounding and earthing with your children:
1. Barefoot walk
The easiest way to experience grounding is to just get outside barefoot! You could spend as little as 10 minutes to see some benefits up to an hour. Stand or sit in a chair and place your feet on the ground. You can put your hands in the grass but be sure to make sure it is consistent time outdoors. Walk together barefoot outside on dry or wet grass and/or dirt! Even concrete or brick is a conductor and can transfer energy and electrons. Hold hands with your child, take a moment from the real world and just enjoy the conversation! This is a wonderful way to connect with your child (and the earth) and a great stress relief for you both. Mud is even better – embrace the mess! Tap into your inner child and just DO IT!
2. Hug a tree
Show mother nature some love by hugging your favorite tree (or any tree will do!). Feel the texture and smell the bark. Put your cheek on the tree and take it all in! Give it a big hard squeeze and feel the pressure points and all the contact. Hugging a tree can increase your levels of the hormone oxytocin. This hormone is responsible for feeling calm and emotional bonding.
3. Feet in the sand or submerge in water
If you’re lucky enough to live near the beach or body of water – enjoy it! Wet sand is the best conductor of energy from the earth. Ever wonder why the coasts always have some major vibes…Mama nature knows what she’s doing!
Some grounding advocates believe that water may be used to ground in the same way the physical earth is used for grounding. They suggest simply wading in a clear lake or swimming in the ocean as a way to ground yourself. As always, be sure to stay safe when swimming, especially in murky or deep waters, and always supervise children and use flotation devices.
4. Sit spot
Pick a special spot in nature to connect to. It could be a special place at a local park or even in your back yard. Visit that place together often with your kids and talk about the world around you and how things have changed since your last visit. Sitting on a blanket is fine, but on the bare ground is best. You will notice quickly that our world is MUCH bigger than it seems. Talk about the plants, trees, animals, and bugs around you! This is especially helpful for children with sensory difficulties. This happens to be my personal favorite for those hard days when the world feels extra heavy that day. Have a child that is having an off day? Take them to a “sit spot!”
5. Bring the baby
Don’t forget about the little babies, too! It’s NEVER too early to expose our children to the benefits of quality time with Mama nature. Have a colicky baby? Take them outside! You are a conductor of earth’s wonderful energy when you are holding your infant while grounding.
Overcoming nature deficit disorder
There is much to say about kids spending too much time indoors. This issue has become so extreme that the crisis has a name: Nature deficit disorder. Many studies have shown that kids who play outside are smarter, happier, more attentive, and less stressed or anxious than kids who spend more time indoors. Regular exposure to the outdoors and frequent – even daily – grounding can provide you and your child with multiple benefits and create some quality time to slow down and enjoy some “be here now” quality time with each other lowering stress levels and creating a tighter bond!
Mama nature has always had a beautiful way of calming the mind if you let her. Nature is all around us and offers more benefits than we can ever imagine. Spending time in nature is free and gives back so much. Sometimes, on the days that feel exceptionally hard (and in these crazy times it might be more days than not) the answer to some of our problems lie right under our feet.
About the author
Tiffany is a Texas homeschooling Mama of three earthside children, one baby girl that travels among the stars and a brand new bouncing baby boy. She is a vintage obsessed, wicker collecting, tree-loving photographer, creator, painter, writer and loves to document her children’s childhood and is passionate about sharing her take on motherhood, raising children outside of the “norm” and in nature. Tiffany’s passionate about kids’ mental health, social justice, and taking care of the planet.
You can find more from Tiffany in the following locations:
Instagram: @dear.wildlings
RWMC posts: Tiffany Griffin
I love this. Do you have suggestions for winter? It gets ice cold here with lots of snow. Is just being outside enough? My son is 16 months. Thank you!