It’s September 7th, Labor Day and the end of my blog-vacation. Although much has happened during the last month, tough things, I feel refreshed by the time off.
Now, back to work. Almost everyone I know, and every story I hear in some way relates to this difficult time. People are stressed, anxious, tired, and challenged by the effects of the pandemic, hits to the economy, social unrest, and oh yeah, an election. For this reason, I decided to write about something that I find calming and restorative, spending time in the natural world. I also hear that many people are turning to vacations in nature during this difficult time.
I get outside every day. I am out for 20 to 45 minutes a day, depending on my schedule. My dog Sebastian and I walk/jog on a bike path and through fields and woods. This time outside and exercising sets up my day. Everything can flow after that. I am dedicated to this habit. If I need to get up a 5 AM to fit this time into my day, I do it.
Growing up on a farm, I learned about nature’s healing ways intuitively and early. I was outside playing unless it was raining, in every season. Only clothing and activities varied. I especially remember that when I was upset or sad, I would head out for a walk. My jagged feelings and swirling thoughts would gradually ease. I would return home, not necessarily with problems solved, but calmed and with a wider perspective.
As I often do, I researched the findings on the effect of the natural world on our well-being. According to a report in “Scientific Reports”, 120 minutes in nature a week provide identifiable benefits to health. An article at Goodnet.org lists these benefits, improving short term memory, reducing stress, strengthening the immune system, increasing happiness, reducing inflammation, improving vision, inspiring creativity, and developing a deeper sense of spirituality. Jef Akst, in another article in The Scientist, October 2019, adds these effects, lowering blood pressure and heart rate, and also suggests that the “parasympathetic nervous system directs the body to rest and digest.” These are profound effects!
To these findings I say duh! I intuited the value of spending time “outside” as a kid. I sensed then that we are not separate from “the natural world” We are of it, one with it. No wonder it is healing, we are attuned to and with nature at our core. If there are any silver linings to the times we are in, I hope that one of them is to recognize our embeddedness in ‘the natural world’ and the necessity of caring for it, all of it. But now, enjoy some time outside. And whatever you do, sit, walk, or climb a mountain, does not matter. Just being outside is all that counts!