Is it just us, or does Avatar: The Last Airbender come to mind? Using grounding techniques on this #HumpDay will help you reposition yourself for a productive week. The benefits attained through connecting with the earth in reality are very different from the powers represented by those fictional earth-benders, despite the fact that it served as inspiration for the idea and contained some truth.

We’re on the third day of our World Mental Health Week collaboration with JaMHAN, and sharing more useful tips you can start doing right away.

Earthing in three steps — go outside, take your shoes off and breathe

It is now known as “earthing” or “grounding” to come into direct contact with the electrons on the Earth’s surface while moving, standing, sitting, or lying down on the ground (natural earth, not man-made concrete). Although our ancestors used to do this frequently, we have lost touch with nature as a result of the way we live today. Earthing is scientifically proven to connect us to conductive systems, some of which are patented, that transfer energy from the ground into the body while helping to relieve us of the negative chemicals and ions we come into contact with daily.

Some people are already at an advantage because they have a yard. Others may think ‘this isn’t for me’.

If you have no yard space, an alternative could be visiting a community garden, a park, a river, or the beach on the weekend. You might even include it in your list of one-day goals, as we discussed yesterday.

READ: Mental Health Week: Set goals and intentions for your day

Once you’re outside, make sure you’re standing on actual ground because this won’t work on concrete. Then let the dirt sink into your toes so you can truly connect with nature while taking deep, belly breaths. To benefit from the earth’s grounding properties as well as the sun’s healing properties, perform this exercise for at least eight minutes (please avoid doing it in the scorching midday sun). If you prefer, you could even spread a mat or towel on the ground and lay down. It might feel awkward at first, especially if you don’t usually do this, but it is absolutely necessary for good health.

Benefits of Grounding

Grounding offers many health benefits, including improved sleep, reduced inflammation, improved tissue and cell repair, enhanced blood flow, increased heart rate variability, and improved electrical activity in the brain. Endorphins are also released when you walk barefoot on the ground. This can improve our mood and counteract mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. Another benefit of going barefoot is that it re-connects us with nature, which benefits both our physical and mental health. As such, Mother Earth’s natural healing energy should never be overlooked!

Consider adding more days where you spend time in nature as a follow-up to yesterday’s goal and intention-setting exercise. Whether it is an out of town flex, a hike in the hills, starting a garden, or even getting a houseplant, nature’s way can help us see better days.

Tameka A Coley is the Director of Communications & Public Awareness at the Jamaica Mental Health Advocacy Network.