Sun and earth are medicine that works. I know that I feel better when I spend time in nature. Whether it is hiking up a mountain or laying on the beach, I always feel refreshed, grounded, and healthier- mentally, physically, and emotionally.

2021 and 2022 were traumatic for me. There were a couple of events that were intense like being evicted, COVID, a surgery for my 2.5-year-old that required full anesthesia. But I think what impacted me most was the chronic states of stress that I lived in because we had an unending round of rough breaks.

Starting in the fall of 2021 I started sleeping really poorly, waking at 1 am unable to go back to sleep. Jolted awake at night with the stressors racing through my mind. My hormones were also off, my menstruation was irregular and spotty.

I maintained many of my healthy habits like nourishing food, water, and exercise… but this was not enough to support my body through this time.

What ended up helping me tremendously was spending time in the sunshine and spending time touching the earth. I studied sleep and hormones, talked to peers in the health world and soaked in the information, and tried out suggestions.

I watched the movie Earthing, which I highly recommend because of all the reasons and symptoms that clear up when we spend time touching the Earth.

In 2022, I intentionally spent twenty minutes to two hours physically in contact with the earth (standing with shoes does not count). I felt my body heal during these times. Sometimes I would lay with my heart touching the earth, which was one of the best feelings of my earthing.

Stress, like from trauma, disrupts hormone function. I studied how to support my hormone re-balance. Having our skin exposed to the sun is one way to help our hormones re-balance. So I spent time in the sun. I pulled up my pants, pulled up my shirt, took off my hat and glasses, and let the skin soak into my body and brain.

Hormones and sleep are related. Sun exposure, obviously at the right time of day and not too much, helps both our hormones and our circadian rhythm.

These became my medicine when I needed more. They are both accessible to everyone, they are free, and they help.

I have spent time in plant medicine ceremonies and also in sweat lodge ceremonies. The act of sitting on the earth is part of the medicine.

I am now out of the traumatic period, and I still am prioritizing time on the earth and in the sun. I go outside and sit on the grass when I eat lunch. With my morning cup of tea, I sit in the sunshine.

These are the kinda lifestyle shifts that support health and well-being. But don’t take it from me, try it and pay attention to how you feel before and after. Then decide.

It is this act of connecting the dots that makes habit sift sustainable. If we do it because we think we should or have to then it is short-lived. We quit and rebel on “have-tos” and “shoulds”.

If your brain says, “I do not have time.” Then I encourage you to sit down and write out how you are spending your time and then to consciously decide how you want to spend your time. For me, self-care is more important than many easy dopamine hits like watching TV.