No More Half-Finished Projects!

SO… this will be a weird post, but I have to share this because it’s so astonishing. It’s how I realized that electro-sensitivity is a thing, after all.

Also, in the future, I don’t plan to include many non-art posts like this (they’ll be at my “Art and Other Things” Substack, instead), but this is important.

Here’s what happened…

Some years ago, I read about electro-sensitivity (aka electrohypersensitivity, or EHS). And – curious to see if it might affect me – I moved my bed.

After all, I’d been sleeping with my head next to not one but two electrical outlets (one in our bedroom, and one in the adjoining room), as well as the outlet for our cable TV/internet connection.

Yeah… just a little electricity running through them. LOL

(More about EHS: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7139347/ and https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935122007010)

From the very first night after that, I slept incredibly soundly, when – previously – I hadn’t thought my occasional wakefulness was any big deal. (As it turns out, it wasn’t as “occasional” as I’d thought. Not until I slept really soundly and realized how big the difference was.)

After that, my husband & I experimented with other products & methods of reducing EHS issues, including using Earthing mats. (They crumble after heavy use, but otherwise seem to work well, especially when sitting at a computer.)

Our moods, focus, and energy improved. Not massively, but enough to think that – even if it was placebo effect – Earthing/grounding had some merit.

Less snoring? Yes, please!

So, fast-forward a few years… And my husband (who snores like a freight train most nights) tried sleeping on a grounding cloth, and it radically reduced his snoring.

Whew! That’s important since even the best earplugs won’t keep his noisy snoring out.

But then, a few weeks ago, my husband had another snoring-like-a-freight train night, even with the grounding cloth in the bed. Well, it turned out that he’d kicked the grounding cloth to one side, so he wasn’t actually in contact with it.

He adjusted it, and was quiet again for a couple of nights… until it happened again. More snoring-like-a-freight-train. But, what baffled us was that he’d been on the grounding cloth all night.

And then he realized that the cloth had come unplugged.

Next night, after restoring the connection to the grounding pin…? Totally quiet.

Next, grounding sheets

Meanwhile, Amazon Vine had offered me some grounding sheets. So I ordered them: https://amzn.to/4gASebc (I think any similar grounding sheets would work. And yes, that’s a sheet for a twin bed, because we’re in Florida and staying in Airbnbs.)

I felt relief – mild, but noticeable – as soon as I stretched out on mine. I definitely sleep more soundly with this sheet under me. (Since we can’t move our beds away from the electrical wiring in this bedroom, grounding sheets can make a BIG difference.)

[This photo shows an Encanto-themed Airbnb room, with a view of the lanai & swimming pool just outside. We haven’t stayed in this exact room, but in one nearby.]

However, my husband felt that sheet’s cotton wasn’t smooth enough. So, he’s since put his grounding sheet under a normal 100% cotton fitted sheet. And it still works!

There has been zero snoring in the weeks since then. Whew! We’re both sleeping much better.

And now, the “wow, this is amazing” pillowcase!

About a week ago, I heard about a grounding pillowcase and ordered it right away. It’s this one, which isn’t available right now: https://amzn.to/3TCXm4K (The one-star reviews are clearly from people who didn’t actually try the pillowcase. Yes, the cotton isn’t especially polished. Frankly, I don’t care. This pillowcase works!)

Any alternative will probably work as well, such as https://amzn.to/4gMBj5Z .

The first night, I noticed a difference. When I woke up, I felt super-refreshed, but – more importantly – I was able to focus remarkably well. At the time, I thought, “Okay, placebo effect is good, even if it wears off quickly.”

Several nights later, I canNOT believe the difference. Every day, I’ve been fully focused on the day’s project, and – almost effortlessly – stuck with each project to completion.

Finishing projects… finally!

Whether you call it “easily distracted” or ADHD… for me, it’s the same thing: In the past, I quit projects remarkably quickly, albeit with every intention of getting back to them in a few days.

But after using a grounding pillowcase…

This has been my most productive week in YEARS.

• I’ve relaunched three books – despite daunting editing & formatting challenges – in both paperback and ebook formats.
• I’ve identified two new income streams (that I’m implementing today) that are passive and relatively effortless (or at least fun, or both).
• And I spent all day yesterday working on this website, fully focused on improving the pages that are getting far more attention than the other ~300 articles her.

All of this… in ONE week…? Yes, that’s a very big deal.

In addition, I’ve had some BIG “ah-HA!” moments about my family and their likely EHS.

Electro-sensitivity… hereditary?

For example, my maternal grandfather said he came up with all of his best ideas in his workroom… in the basement of his house, where he’d sit barefoot with his feet on a dirt floor. (He’d designed and built the house with that quirky basement, deliberately.)

Papa would regularly get anxiety, big time, in the middle of the night… and retreat to his basement workroom, where he felt calm and happy and “at home.” There, he’d often invent something new and important, and then patent it. Maybe that was due to grounding, aka “earthing,” before anyone even knew about grounding.

No, I’m not giving up electronic devices

Yes, I think phones, microwaves, and a bazillion “convenience” appliances and devices may be culprits for those with even mild EHS.

For me, the answer isn’t to quit using those devices. I mean, seriously, if I don’t have a working dishwasher in my kitchen, I’m not doing much major cooking, and my husband won’t have homemade chocolate chip cookies! lol

The answer is grounding (or Earthing), and it’s working for me.

Links (and a short video) for more info

• Here’s the Amazon page with even more grounding/Earthing related products. https://amzn.to/3ZsXcRq Note: The actual “Earthing” book was kind of a snooze, at least for me.
• Here’s how grounding works, per WebMD: https://www.webmd.com/balance/grounding-benefits
• Here’s the National Library of Medicine article about grounding studies. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4378297/#sec-a.s.btitle (A lot of on that page is “ick,” so I linked directly to the Summary of Findings to Date.)
• And here’s a mini-episode of The Minimalists, talking about earthing (aka grounding)…

So anyway… After this week, I’m a 100% believer in grounding. And that’s why I’m sharing my story, even if this sounds ridiculously “woo-woo” and perhaps a bit crazy.

Have you tried grounding (or earthing)? Let me know in comments! I’m interested in your experiences. (Comments remain open for 90 days, and are manually approved.)