What the Planet Really Wants You to do — Walk Barefoot

Before the development of modern technologies over a century ago, people lived with a different rhythm than we do now. For thousands of years, humans lived in harmonious coexistence following cycles of nature. Yet, somehow, we’ve lost our way.

Impetuous technological progress over the 20th century made our lives much easier, but this also disrupted our inner and outer balance.

Our negligence and abuse damage the planet and interrupt its complex wildlife of flora and fauna that might never return to its original sacred balance. This is our new reality, and the sooner we globally embrace it, the better equipped we’ll be to act and stop the downward spiral.

Climate change is a natural response from Earth to our actions. Just as the body’s anatomical reaction to the damaging attacks is fever, our planet’s systemic disruption is lashing out with global warming and catastrophic meteorological anomalies.

A 2021 report by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) shows that Earth had one of the seven hottest years on record last year.

It’s easy to oversimplify the ecological crisis by focusing all the blame on a single target, like the pollutants caused by industrial production exhaust. Though reducing carbon dioxide emissions is a step in the right direction, it’s only a small step toward solving our critical environmental disaster. For that, we have to look inward.

Humanity selfishly thinks that everything is here for our purpose and that we have no reciprocal obligation. So we kill each other — doomed by dubious ideas. We monetize all available natural resources. We’re the only species on Earth that treats this planet and each other with such tragic disregard.

It’s for our own sake; we must change our priorities, mindset, and attitude to learn how to treasure the life of our own species and the life of our planet.

Instead of focusing on having what we want, it’s time to refocus on enjoying what we have. This planet still has a wealth of beauty and abundant natural resources to sustain us, just as a loving mother does for her child. We can’t just take as much as we want, depriving the earth of its ability to regenerate. Instead, we must commit to a self-healing process from the consumption disease. We have to commit ourselves to taking as much as we need, but not one bite more.

By doing so, we will regain our ability to experience joy, love, and gratitude; we’ll treasure our own existence and the existence of this planet with all its wonders.

The Covid pandemic has been a wake-up call on the importance of nature for our health and our mistreatment of the planet.

As the world went into lockdown, people found solace in nature: as the worldwide Nature Conservancy put it, ‘One of the many things we’ve learned from the global shock of COVID-19 is just how intertwined humanity is with nature’.

Some simple, practical methods could help us restore our inner and outer balance and regain our relationships with nature.

There’s a decades-old Japanese practice called “shinrin-yoku,” or “forest bathing,” consisting of walking in, and being surrounded by, a forest. The idea is simple: just walk relaxed in a natural green area to help you achieve calming, rejuvenating, and restoring benefits.

We can also invest in another health-giving practice called “earthing,” which involves twenty to thirty minutes of taking off our shoes and walking barefoot in nature so that our feet can connect us to Earth’s natural energy. The electrons given off by the Earth have extraordinary antioxidant effects that we can’t absorb unless those electrons are in direct contact with our skin. As a result, they help balance our biological rhythms and energy centers. They’re also a potent anti-inflammatory, which means they can alleviate by as much as 80% the symptoms of inflammation-related disorders such as arthritis, chronic pain, muscle tension, and headaches. In addition, they can improve our sleep and blood circulation.

They can accelerate the healing of sores, jet lag, and anxiety and boost your immune system.

The earth is rich with energy that can rejuvenate, heal and center us if we only allow it to happen.

This blog was originally published on realleaders.com.