Grounding? Forest Bathing?

This week we are switching things up to talk about… drum roll please… forest bathing! But, in order to really understand forest bathing, I first want to introduce the topic of grounding.

Before you start laughing at the idea of forest bathing and grounding, take a moment and think about how you feel when you are outside in fresh air. Whether it be barefoot in the grass at a park, or walking on the beach, you likely feel better (i.e less stressed, rejuvenated, calmer, happier) after spending time outside.

It seems so simple, right? Well, it used to be simple before the creation of concrete, beds, bulky shoes and lifestyles that prevented us from spending time connected to the ground.

Nowadays, we realllllyyy have to make an effort to spend a sufficient amount of time outside. You might be wondering what is so important about being outside, specifically being barefoot and connected to the earth.

“Grounding” is the term for when our bare feet are connected to the physical earth- not concrete… but soil, grass, sand etc. One of my favorite books (as a physiology nerd) is called Human Mechanics. The author has done years and years of research on grounding, blue zones, healing naturally and maximizing well-being. I have it linked here. If you want to dive into preventative health, well-being and healing… read this! It’s extremely useful and a great reference… It’s what really pushed me to dive further into grounding and maximizing my own well-being.  

Back to grounding. Here is a simple explanation of what it does. The Earth has a slightly negative charge. When our bodies are connected to the Earth, the negatively charged ions can go into our bodies and neutralize positively charged free-radicals (these are bad!). This creates an anti-inflammatory property.  

Image: (What Is Earthing Grounding & Can It Transform Your Health?, 2015)

Grounding or “earthing” is associated with better sleep, decreased chronic pain, and decreased cortisol levels (Chevalier et al., 2012). So, spending time outside is important!

In similar fashion to grounding, forest bathing is another way to connect with the Earth that has seen health benefits.

Forest bathing is described as opening up our five senses through time spent in the forest (Akemi et al., 2019). There are different ways to forest bathe, and many do it through a guided camp. Whether you go with a guide or not, forest bathing often includes mindfulness practices that open up your senses within the forest. You may sit and focus on your breath and sense of smell, inhaling the scent from the trees. You may also slowly wander through the trees while smelling the fresh air, touching the trees and leaves and soil. There is still a lack of high-quality research in this field, but results thus far have shown to significantly decrease depressive tendencies in working age people with and without depressive tendencies in Japan (Akemi et al., 2019).

One study conducted in Japan found that forest bathing reduces blood pressure, cortisol levels, symptoms of depression and anxiety and increases anti-cancer proteins as well as helps balance the autonomic nervous system (Li, 2022).

The increase in anti-cancer proteins and cells, scientifically known as natural killer activity (the proteins are granzyme A and granulysin), is stimulated by phytoncides in the forest air (Li, 2009). Phytoncides are antibacterial compounds that are produced by plants that help prevent the growth of bacteria. However, they have great stress-relieving, anti-cancer properties when inhaled by humans (Heo et al., 2023). These compounds are particularly produced in conifers such as pine trees, nut pine trees and cypress trees (Heo et al., 2023).

When forest bathing and grounding, it is best practice to be mindful of all five senses. Think about what you see, hear, feel, smell and maybe even taste. Slow down and enjoy the connection to the Earth!

This is great and all, but how can we incorporate this into our everyday lives? Depending on where you live and the lifestyle you lead, you have different access to conifers for forest bathing or the sandy beaches for grounding. But here is where the little things add up! If you can’t go walking through the woods everyday… I’m right there with you. I love going on hikes when I can, but it’s unrealistic while living in San Francisco to think I can forest bathe for 20 minutes a day.

Something that we CAN do is spend time outside grounding to the Earth, or even just getting fresh air. Go for a walk before work, put your feet in the grass and do some deep breaths. If you can’t go before work, go eat your lunch outside in the grass. If all else fails, go for a walk and stand/sit in the grass after work.  20 minutes a day! If you have a backyard with grass or dirt, that works too.

It seems like a lot of work, but we spend 8 hours a day working, and most people spend at least 3 hours a day on their phone… so you can find 20 minutes! It comes down to time prioritization and planning ahead of time.

I saw the biggest lifestyle changes and new habits arise in my life when I planned out what I want to do for my health each day. Take 30 minutes on Sundays to plan out what days you are going to hit the gym (and what time), the meals you are going to meal prep, and the times in which you are dedicating to grounding and being outside. When you put it on your to-do list, you’ll find that you are less inclined to spend the hour scrolling.

Okay, I know that was off-topic… but it is a necessary subtopic of the journey to wellness! As I always say, you need to find what works best for you. Wellness is an individual journey, but when we can talk about it and share our stories, tips and tricks, we can be well together.

Let me know what you thought… now go wander through the trees!

References

Chevalier, G., Sinatra, S. T., Oschman, J. L., Sokal, K., & Sokal, P. (2012). Earthing: Health Implications of Reconnecting the Human Body to the Earth’s Surface Electrons. Journal of Environmental and Public Health, 2012(291541), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/291541

Furuyashiki, A., Tabuchi, K., Norikoshi, K., Kobayashi, T., & Oriyama, S. (2019). A comparative study of the physiological and psychological effects of forest bathing (Shinrin-yoku) on working age people with and without depressive tendencies. Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine, 24(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12199-019-0800-1

Heo, S.-J., Park, S.-K., & Jee, Y.-S. (2023). Effects of phytoncide on immune cells and psychological stress of gynecological cancer survivors: randomized controlled trials. Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation, 19(3), 170–180. https://doi.org/10.12965/jer.2346150.075

Li, Q. (2009). Effect of forest bathing trips on human immune function. Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine, 15(1), 9–17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12199-008-0068-3

Li, Q. (2022). Effects of forest environment (Shinrin-yoku/Forest bathing) on health promotion and disease prevention —the Establishment of “Forest Medicine”—. Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine, 27(0), 43–43. https://doi.org/10.1265/ehpm.22-00160

What is Earthing Grounding & Can it Transform Your Health? (2015). Betterearthing.com.au. https://betterearthing.com.au/what-is-earthing/