How Grounding Boosts Your Mood + 10 Ways It Fits Into Your Day Today

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We’ve know for a long time (and honestly common sense and personal experience tells you this as well) that time spent outside lifts your spirits.

In fact a double blind medical study published in 2015 found that participants who were grounded had measurable improvements in mood that were significantly higher than the sham-grounded participants.

We also know that inflammation in the body worsens mood and even plays a role in clinical depression.  A medical study published in 2016 found that increased inflammation in the body worsens symptoms of clinical depression, and this one published in 2019 backs those findings up.  Researchers found that higher levels of blood markers of inflammation were found to be directly correlated with a variety of depressive symptoms, including sleep difficulty, decreased energy levels, decreased motivation and change in appetite.

 

 

 

This study, published in 2014, found that if you decrease inflammation, you can actually help more effectively treat depression. Researchers reviewed 14 randomized, placebo-controlled studies looking at over 6,300 patients and found that adding anti-inflammatory medications to a treatment plan helped to lessen depressive symptoms and resolve depressive episodes better than placebo alone and better than anti-depressants alone. This study, published in 2016, further confirmed these results.

The link between depression and inflammation is so concrete now that I feel no one should be treated for depression without also treating the body for inflammation. Physicians should incorporate a medical evaluation for inflammation alongside any work up for depression, because inflammation from stress, poor sleep, infection, illness, diet, EMF exposures, total body burden of toxic exposures, etc… can all cause inflammation that contributes to depression.

By addressing inflammation along with depression you actually can help resolve depression more effectively.

 

 

 

So while we absolutely know that inflammation impacts mood, what we didn’t know before now is how.  Of course there are likely other factors at play, but one of the pathways a new study suggests is that inflammation lowers dopamine levels in the brain, which is responsible for decreased mood, decreased motivation, and anhedonia.

In this study, published May 2020 in Trends in Cognitive Sciences, researchers found a direct correlation between blood markers of inflammation (inflammatory cytokines) and motivation. Specifically, that inflammation lowers dopamine levels in the brain, that switches the brain from positive to negative thinking.

As dopamine drops, you can go from feeling capable and motivated to feeling incapable and unmotivated.

Basically, inflammation gives you a motivational impairment, and prevents you from thinking optimistically as well as keeps you from accurately assessing what you are capable of. Even if you fully are capable of doing something, your brain will tell you that you are not. You’re motivation tanks and your outlook dims as a result of chronic inflammation.

 

 

 

So let’s take this one step further.

We know with absolute clarity that grounding decreases whole body inflammation.

In a study published in 2009 in The Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine, researchers found that grounded subjects had statistically significant decreases in blood markers of inflammation compared to non-grounded subjects. In addition, decreases in inflammation as a result of grounding are well documented using medical thermography imaging in this study. An overview of how grounding decreases whole body inflammation was published June 2014 in the Journal of Inflammation Research.

We also know grounding specifically decreases the exact same inflammatory cytokines that have a direct impact on our dopamine levels. In this important study, published January 2019 in Frontiers in Physiology, researchers found that cytokines such as such as IP-10, MIP-1α, and sP-Selectin, all decreased in grounded subjects, compared to non-grounded controls. The average drop induced by grounding a patient was a 10 — 20% drop in inflammatory cytokine concentration.

And because of the newest research showing that inflammatory cytokines have a direct reflection in our mood and motivation levels, we can see a potential direct explanation for why grounding boosts mood. By decreasing inflammatory cytokines, it’s resonable to suggest that grounding gives a natural dopamine boost to the brain.

 

 

 

This is on top of the fact that grounding also boosts our Vitamin D levels, as well as surrounds us with views of greenery, as well as allows us to get active and move our physical body, and even allows us to sleep in a deeper and more restorative way that night…

…all four of these things (Vit D levels, viewing plants, exercise, and sleep) independently boost mood as well, so adding in a natural dopamine boost is a like a win-win-win-win-win for grounding and helps truly explain why grounding dramatically improves our mindframe.

This powerful, natural anti-inflammatory effect is the mechanism of action behind the earth’s ability to elevate mood, boost energy, and brighten outlook.

Know the feeling of spending a morning in your garden or an afternoon walking along the beach and how calm, centered, uplifted and creative your mindset becomes?

 

 

 

Grounding your body is at work here, decreasing your whole body inflammation, decreasing the stress hormones (like cortisol) in your bloodstream, decreasing your C-reactive protein levels and inflammatory cytokine levels… and all completely naturally, no medications involved.

Ready to head outside and get grounded?

I hope so, because within minutes you will notice your muscle tension decreasing and your mood begin to lift.  And thank goodness spring is near and the weather is practically begging for you to go outside.

The problem is we are already so busy, how to you fit even one more thing into your day?  I’ve got you.  You just take any one of these activities that you already were going to do today, and you do it outside instead of indoors.

 

10 Indoor Activities To Move Outside:

 


 

 

1. Physical Therapy:

 

If your physical therapist has a set of stretches for you to do daily at home, do them outside.

Moving your muscles and bones and ligaments and joints while grounded to the earth outside will increase restorative blood flow, bring a boosted oxygen levels to your tissues, and reduce soreness after exertion.

You can read more about why grounding is so supportive of your muscles and joints in this blog post I wrote for you:

 


 

 

 

2. Journaling or Writing Your To-Do List:

 

If your therapist wants you to do journal writing daily, do it outside.

If you like to write in a diary, do it outside.

If you like to set intentions, plan your upcoming week out in a planner, are working on a manuscript, or filling out a dream journal — do all of your writing outside.

Drawing, sketching, photography, journalling, writing, even boring tasks like filling out your daily, weekly or monthly planner or grocery list can all be done outside, grounded.

 


 

 

3. Hydrating:

 

I really hope you are planning to drink multiple big glasses of water today.  So it’s the perfect thing to do grounded — and the perfect way you remind yourself to head outside throughout the day.  If you take every single glass of water you drink today outside and drink it grounded, just for a few minutes each time, it will add up to huge grounding benefits!  It’s a super easy way to have a few minutes of grounding each time that can add up to over an hour of grounded head-to-toe healing benefits.

Grounding boosts circulation and will get that beautiful fresh clean water into your body and into your organ systems more quickly, allowing you to rehydrate your beautiful body immediately. As a bonus, hydrating while being grounded outside actually boosts your conductivity too, so it’s win-win!

Here is a video I made for you on how to use the conductive power of water to get grounded:

 


 

 

4. Exercise:

 

If one of your 2023 goals is to get more movement and exercise into your life, you can bring almost every exercise outside and get double the benefits.

Not only is excerise great for protecting your lifespan, but doing your next yoga session, or HIIRT round, or next after dinner walk, getting outside grounded will add all of the health benefits of grounding to your exercise routine. You can even swim outside grounded and feel amazingly rebooted from head to toe, inside and out, as pools (as well as the cement surrounding the pool) and hot tubs are grounded thought the grounded filtration equiptment, and of course all natural bodies of water outside are grounded too!

Here are some articles on why exercising grounded helps you get more bang for your buck:

 


 

 

 

5. Eating:

 

We all need to eat to put the nutrients our earth offers us into our body to boost our health… but if you can take your next meal outside and eat it grounded, you just added a therapeutic, anti-inflammatory benefit to time spent enjoying your food.

Grounding helps boost vagal tone and digestive function, decreases inflammation in the gut, increases digestion, peristalsis, absorption and even boosts the circulation of those nutrients all throughout your entire body, so eating grounded is the most natural way to bring nutrition into alignment with your body’s health. Any diet plan can be taken outside to eat in a natural way, grounded.

Here is a blog post I wrote for you on the many benefits of eating grounded outside:

 


 

 

 

6. Breathing:

 

Even more crucial than eating and drinking, we all need to breathe the beautiful air that the earth provides.

Many of us also find added benefit from intentional breathing practices like meditation. Taking intentional, deep breaths is a wonderful way to decrease stress and increase resiliency to the demands of your day.  If you already have a meditation practice, bring it outside.

If you don’t meditate, you can still reap the benefits of a few deep breaths taken while grounding outside.  3 deep breaths will make a head-to-toe difference, and being grounded supports lung function and boosts oxygenation, so combining grounding with intentional breath work is another one of those win-win relationships that grounding brings to just about everything we do. (Bonus points if you blow bubbles as part of your breath work!)

To join me for a three minute grounded meditation right now, watch this video:

 

 

For more on how breathing supports your health, hop over to read this article I wrote for you with several great ideas on developing an intentional breathing practice that you can do outside, grounded:

 

 


 

 

 

7. Socializing:

 

If a friend wants to spend time with you, take the initiative and suggest hanging out together outside.

Moving your time spent together outside allows you to get grounded while connecting on a deeper level with your loved ones, and really almost anything you can think of to do inside can be done outside.

From playing a card game, to having a cup of coffee, to sharing a potluck meal, to talking while watching clouds roll by or stars twinkle overhead, to going on a walk together, to sharing a picnic meal… anything you want to do with your friend is better grounded outside.

Having friends you can connect with is one of the best things you can do to boost happiness and protect your longevity, and connecting with them outside is the best combination of all.  For more on this read these articles I wrote for you:

 


 

 

 

 

8. Dating:

 

If your partner wants a date with you, make sure some component of that date is outside, grounded. Hold hands and both partners will be grounded, or even ground through a kiss!  Being outside, especially in the daytime, can even boost libido as it helps balance and regulate hormones.

Here is an article I’ve written for you about the power of grounding to enhance your relationship:

 


 

 

 

9. Parenting:

 

Carving out time to play with your child in activities that interest them is absolutely crucial to bonding with kids. Play time is important healing time, and you can dramatically boost the healing value of play by taking that activity outside to do it grounded.

From arts and crafts, to sports and activities, to simply having a snack and talking, or reading a bedtime book under the wonder of the nighttime sky. You’ll worry less about any messes you guys make, and you’ll be getting a health boost the entire time. And of course, this includes your fur babies as well, so spend time outdoors with your pets too!

Here are some articles I’ve written for you on the power of grounding to enhance your children’s health:

 

 

I also have written and published three children books for you… you can find these on my website here (or of course on Amazon and anywhere books are sold!).

It has 17 chapters and 159 pages of ideas, concepts, games, suggestions, medical information, intuitive problem solving and uplifting parenting advice that help address health and life in a positive and re-affirming manner for children, including how I inspire my own children to reach for health, even during illness… filling them with the confidence that health is their natural state of being.

Enjoy the precious time you have while your kids are still little enough to want to play with you… soak it in!

 

 


 

 

 

10. Work:

 

I challenge you to think of a daily activity you do for work that can actually be done outside.

First of all, anything you get done on your phone for work, from research, reading, posting on social media platforms, marketing, weeding through emails, returning phone calls, returning texts and even your next zoom meeting can all be done outside.  I make it a point to attend most of my online medical conferences outside so that I’m learning the latest medical advancements while allowing my body time to get grounded.

If any part of your work is done on a laptop, all of that can be moved outside as well.  And of course if you do any work not on an electronic device, you can likely do that outside too, from reading to writing to planning and scheduling — it can all be done outside.

Here are some additional articles on the power of grounding to reduce work stress:

 


 

 

Add your own ideas to this list — include all your hobbies too!

  • Play an instrument?  Take it outside.
  • Enjoying a cup of coffee?  Drink it outside.
  • Like to play chess?  Do it outside.
  • Have a pet?  Play with them outside.
  • Like embroidery?  Take it outside.
  • Doing something boring like meal planning for the week?  Do it outside.
  • Love to read?  Do it outside.
  • Painting your nails?  Do it outside.
  • Love listening to music?  Listen to it outside.

Run through your entire day from start to finish and decide what can be taken outside. Even if it is simply to start and end each day drinking a big glass of water outside… oh my goodness that’s PERFECT.

Almost anything you can think of to do… from fun and games, to connecting with friends and family, to eating and hydrating, to exercising and physical therapy, to yoga and meditation, to journaling and creating, to getting work done…. you can do it all while in the healing state of grounding.

If you enjoyed this list of ideas to get you grounded, or if you have any grounding questions you want me to personally answer for you, please join me in my upcoming grounding online class:

 

Join my Earth Connect Class: starts on April 25th

 

 

 

The earth is out there waiting for us. It’s waiting for you. It’s waiting for me.

Our planet offers you so many different ways to stay healthy and strong, from the air you breathe to the water you drink to the food that we eat to the land that supports our homes, cars, communities and life as we know it to thrive… but the most direct way to get support from the earth is to touch it directly through grounding.  Every single day in my Earth Connect class will bring you a new, uplifting, inspiring way to ground your body and support your innate health.

Have any questions about grounding? About what is the best way to ground for a particular health concern you have? How to ground inside your home? How to ground if you don’t have a yard? How long to ground for? How grounding works? Why grounding works?  If so, this class is perfect for you — ask me any question at all about grounding and how it supports your body and I will answer you in our private class Q&A.

Join me in this two week course and get materials, tips, and ideas for grounding that you can use again and again and again, for the rest of your life.

xoxox,
Laura Koniver MD