13 Ways To Ground Yourself In The Winter

One of the best ways to get grounded is to get outside and immerse yourself in nature, it has incredible healing properties that our ancestors knew about and were connected to. But when you live in a place like Canada where we get all kinds of weather, including frigid winters, ice and snow storms, it isn't possible to walk around barefoot on the earth or go for a swim in a lake anytime you’d like (unless you’re into ice baths). Here are some practical ways that you can get grounded, regardless of the weather! 1. Bring nature inside // Create an indoor garden Get yourself a little indoor herb garden or air purifying plants like English Ivy, Aloe Vera, Chrysanthemums or Snake plants. Not only do these help remove pollutants from the air in your home which can build up in the colder months, by tending and connecting to them daily it helps bring you closer to nature and ground yourself. “Forest Bathing” is an ancient Japanese tradition and a form of therapy used to reduce stress, anxiety, depression and strengthen the immune system.

2. Practice Breath Work So often when stress and anxiety come up our bodies go into the “fight or flight mode”, which can leave us with shallow breathing. Breath is the essence of life and our connection to ourselves/our bodies; studies have shown that when we take deep mindful breaths it can significantly reduce our cortisol and therefore, levels of stress. Bringing your awareness to your breathing is an instant way to ground yourself and bring yourself into the present moment. Here is a short 10 minute breathing practice to try! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuv5EomIA9s

3. Do A Grounding Meditation The next time you do a meditation practice give these tips a try to help you connect deeper with your body and the earth. -Take slow, deep, full breaths into your belly, exhaling out through your nose -Bring your attention to your feet as you continue to breathe deeply. Just become aware of them and how they feel. You can do the same with your hands. -Imagine roots coming out of your feet and travelling down into the center of the earth, anchoring you into the earth's core with vibrant glowing energy being sent back up the roots into your body. -Keep breathing deeply and always bring your attention back to a part of your body (feet, hands, back etc). 4. Let The Sunshine In! Connecting into the earth's cycle is a great way to ground yourself! This has become one of my go-to practices that I have incorporated into my morning routine. After doing a mini morning meditation, the first thing I do is open my blinds and let the sun in (even if there's no sun getting a dose of the morning light works just as well). This stimulates our circadian rhythm which responds to light and darkness, it affects our physical, mental and behavioural changes throughout the day and night.  Even if you can’t bathe yourself in the sun's rays during the winter, getting a dose of sunlight in the morning hours between 8am-10am helps set up your circadian rhythm for energy during the day and winding down when it gets dark. Bonus: Sunlight has a positive effect on the endocrine system (it makes your hormones like cortisol aka the one that in excess creates stress in the body). We associate sunlight with happiness so exposing your skin and eyes to sunlight can have a positive effect on your mood as well! ** Although you may not be getting huge amounts of Vitamin D you can get some by basking in sunlight through a window for at least 20-30 minutes on exposed skin 5. Take a Vitamin D Supplement In The Winter Months

This one might be obvious but our skin doesn't get enough exposure during the winter to make enough Vitamin D. Taking a Vitamin D supplement with K2 can keep your levels up as you also make an effort to get some of the natural sunlight.

6. Grounding Sheets & Pillow Cases // Grounding Mats  A grounding mat can replace the need to go barefoot on the earth during the winter when temperatures are less than ideal, the mat can mimic the electrical charge of the earth giving you the same benefits as if you were to walk outside barefoot! The electrons emitted from the mat flow into your body creating a neutral electric charge and thus creates equilibrium in the body. The mats need to be connected (aka grounded) via a wire to an electrical outlet, don't fall for products that are not connected to an electrical source! **Bouns: Grounding mats can help protect us from low grade EMF exposure from most household appliances, however there is no conclusive evidence if it is able to protect us from the stronger EMF frequencies from cell phones, wifi, and smart meters. Here is where you can explore some options: https://earthingcanada.ca/ 7. Play In The Snow The snow is still part of nature and the earth and although it's not as comfy as walking barefoot through the grass, it's a great way to ground yourself and have some fun while you’re at it! You could ski, snowboard, ice skate, toboggan or have a good old fashioned snowball fight or make snow people and snow angels. If you’re feeling up for it you could always clear a patch of snow and find some grass to put your feet on. 8. Mama Earth In Your Bathtub Don’t forget that water is also one of earth’s elements and by submerging yourself in a nice warm bath you are practicing grounding! This really helps when you take deep breaths and really feel the water bathing and supporting your body. By adding epsom salts to the bath you are further grounding yourself. Salt is literally from the earth and extremely grounding **If you haven’t tried a float tank I highly recommend them! Imagine a bathtub with 800 pounds of epsom salts which makes you bouyant. The large amount of magnesium in the salts also help detox your body, relieve muscle pain, reduce stress levels, improves sleep and can even increase creativity! My favorite place to float is Float Valley Markham (they have locations all over the GTA) https://floatvalley.com/?avia_forced_reroute=1 9. Eat the Earth Mama earth has a beautiful way of providing us with everything we need if we just look closely enough. Root vegetables like carrots, rutabaga, potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, parsnips and squash grow underground and could not be more connected to the earth.These vegetables have the most amount of grounding qualities to them, they are hearty, nourishing, warming and earthy, which is everything we need during the winter months. It’s no surprise this variety of produce is abundant during this time of the year! 10. Bodywork Therapy We often feel ungrounded when we are depleted. Doing things that nourish your physical body are sure fire ways to get grounded. Treat yourself to a massage, a facial, neuro somatic therapy, myofascial release, reflexology, acupuncture, reiki or cupping just to name a few modalities. 11. Move Your body This is so simple but highly effective! We must remember we are not separate from the earth, but we are a part of the earth. Any way that you can move your body, specifically in ways that feel good, the better the effects will be! Humans were made to move, this brings us back into our bodies. Take a dance class (or dance in your house), do some yoga, run, walk, bike, go for a swim. Sex is great too. Whatever you choose, have fun with it! 12. Using Crystals For many highly sensitive people and empaths, stress, anxiety and overwhelm are common symptoms that occur when we become ungrounded. Crystals are a wonderful way to bring the earth’s energy with you wherever you go. Not only are you grounding your body but you are grounding your spirit as well. Crystals give off a magnetic charge which resonates with the magnetic charge of our bodies. (MRI machines would not work if we were not magnetic!)  Some of the best crystals for ground are: Shugnite, Black Tourmaline, Black Obsidian,Smoky Quartz, Red Jasper, Fire Agate. 13. Essential Oils For Grounding Many grounding oils come from trees, barks and resins, which makes sense because we know that trees are grounded through their roots into the Earth. Some grounding oils are very pungent, so blending may be useful to help make them more palatable to your sense of smell. Because smells can evoke powerful responses in our limbic system in the brain (where we process emotion), it is VERY important to work with smells you like. Oils work on the physical (connection to earth), emotional (thoughts and feelings) and spiritual level (our connection to “source, the divine, god etc”). Some oils for grounding are: Frankincense, Sandalwood, Myrrh, Lavender, Rose, Patchouli and Marjoram just to name a few. Find ones that you like and go with those. Bonus: drop some essential oils into a salt bath for a relaxing, rejuvenating & grounding experience.

With one more month of winter, take this time to try some of these tips and end winter on a high! When we embrace and lean into winter, our moods, mindset and health can change.

Blog Author

Daniella Magnatta

Daniella is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist with a background in Kinesiology and Health sciences and is currently studying Bio-energetic medicine. Daniella’s passion is to help those living with autoimmune disease find balance & healing not only on a physical level, but on a mental, emotional and soul level as well. As someone who has been diagnosed with Crohns disease, it is through her own experiences in healing that she is able to help others navigate the health and wellness world and uncover the root cause of their ailments are so they can feel healthy, vibrant and whole.

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