Daily Mail, Thursday, August 29, 2019 Page 53femailMAGAZINE 53
need to buy specially designed
products. But with some costing
as much as £130, it’s no wonder
many dismiss it as hokum.
GP and men’s health expert Dr
Jeff Foster questions the ‘pseudo-
science’ behind these items. ‘Just
suppose these products do ground
us. At what point do they becomemore or less effective? Should we
wear shoes or socks? They make
no sense at all,’ he says.
He also believes the wellness
industry is demonstrating a poor
understanding of why grounding
works. ‘What does make sense is
that it gets us out in nature,’ he
says. ‘When we’re out of our officesand away from phones and social
media, it is almost meditative. Of
course we are going to feel better.
‘It’s got nothing to do with the
theories behind positive or
negative charges in the body.
‘Frustratingly, some patients
bring it up as something they are
trying when medicine doesn’twork. They’ll spend a fortune on
seeing someone and then buying
their paraphernalia. But I liken it
to homeopathy — as soon as they
start to feel better, they will claim
that’s why, confusing correlation
with causation.’
Such views, however, don’t put
off women like former manage-ment consultant Lauren Chiren,
who has been grounding for two
years. She even walks barefoot in
snow. ‘I’ve built up my tolerance
to it — icy conditions take some
getting used to,’ she says. ‘Walking
barefoot is an extension of who I
am now, and it leaves me calm.’
Lauren, 50, started grounding
when she went through the meno-
pause. ‘It was a wake-up call for
me to take better care of myself.
For a while, the symptoms were
overwhelming. Grounding is one
of the ways I look after myself.
‘I recognised that this is some-
thing I have always done. I love
being outdoors barefoot and will
automatically take off my shoes.
As a child, my parents struggled
to get me to wear them.’
Lauren, a menopause coach,
walks barefoot in her garden for at
least ten minutes every morning
and evening.
‘In summer, I spend as much time
outdoors barefoot as I can. I’ll read
and listen to podcasts,’ she says.
‘A couple of years ago, I had a
quiet patch at work. Instead of
panicking, I built a veggie patch.
My son was amused, watching me
create raised beds in bare feet.
‘Putting my hands on the soil and
working with the earth and seeds
gave me a sense of purpose. It put
everything into perspective.’P
rOFeSSIOnAL mentor
Suzie Parkus works with
stressed-out, successful
women. She says: ‘There
is an assumption in the work-
place that you can handle any-
thing that’s thrown at you. But
pressures of life, relationships and
work leave many of us feeling out
of touch with the natural world.
‘With grounding, peace washes
over you and you feel the soothing
effects of being among nature.’
Meanwhile, Stephanie Johnson,
whose background is in Hr, started
practising grounding at university.
‘I started doing it regularly when I
was 24 and going through a difficult
relationship,’ she says.
‘Until then, my go-to relaxation
method would have been grab-
bing a bottle of wine. But I taught
this strategy as part of my job in
Hr and, one day, it dawned on me
— I needed to do it, too.
Stephanie, 31, credits grounding
with keeping her anxiety at bay in
the final months of her pregnancy.
She was tired at work and her part-
ner had been made redundant.
‘Grounding helps me guide my
thoughts away from one area
and redirects me to the present
moment,’ she says. ‘My breath will
lengthen and, sometimes, I use
visual imagery to meditate. I’ll
imagine I’m in my favourite forest,
picturing the trees and flowers.
‘When I feel the earth or grass
between my toes, it’s relaxing. I
drag my feet across the lawn so
the blades tickle my soles.’
She also claims grounding has
helped get her son to sleep. ‘When
he was a newborn, it was beautiful
being outside with him in my arms,’
she says. ‘I relaxed, and he would
drift off without any bother.
‘Today, my son is a year old and
he is beginning to benefit more
from grounding. We’ll take our
shoes off and practise it in the park
if we’re playing. He loves being on
the grass. He’s given me a new
appreciation for grounding.
‘It relaxes me so much that I even
ask my partner to stroke my feet
in the same way the grass touches
it, because it triggers the memory
of being grounded outside.’
Stephanie has often extolled the
virtues of grounding to her partner,
but with little success. ‘He thinks
I’m bonkers!’ she says. ‘But then,
he’s not a “fluffy” type. everyone
has their own stress reliever. He’ll
reach for chocolate, whereas I’ll
slip off my shoes and sink my feet
into the ground.’Going barefoot
in the park
Nurtured by nature: From left,
Iona Russell, Lauren Chiren
and Stephanie JohnsonThe
secret of our success?
It’s called ‘grounding’ — and, believe it or not, experts
say ditching your shoes for a wild walk could really work
Pictures: LEZLI AND ROSE / Hair and make-up: MARLENE ANDERSSON and AMANDA CLARKE / Props stylist: JANIS MORRISON / Lauren and Stephanie wear Winser London (winserlondon.com); Iona wears Baukjen (baukjen.com) / Artificial grass and plants supplied by B&MStores