6 Ways Mother Nature Can Nurture Our Physical and Mental Well-Being
It’s 43 degrees on a cloudy, but beautiful, fall day in Vermont. The fall foliage is considered to be “past-peak”, but still stunning nonetheless. Splashes of bright orange, red, and yellow jump out of the sea of muted coppers and golds. I sit outside on the porch at my home…this is where I playfully call “my office”. This is where I sit and think. There’s something about being surrounded by natural beauty that overwhelms all of my senses! Today it’s the distinct smell of Autumn; the distant sound of a chainsaw, as someone nearby is cutting firewood for their winter warmth; the crisp feel of the cool air on my face.
Last night I sat down to write out my “schedule” for the next day, and “write blog post” was one of the items. I thoroughly enjoy writing these posts, but for some reason I was struggling with coming up with one singular topic, my head was swimming in a myriad of topics I was interested in sharing. Today I looked at my schedule and began with the other tasks, stalling on doing my writing. I made a savory breakfast for my daughter and I; I went to the store to buy eggs so I could make my favorite pumpkin-chocolate chip cookies; I took the remainder of our tomato harvest and made a delightful pico de gallo. At this point it was 1:00 in the afternoon and it was time to stop procrastinating! I grabbed my laptop and sat at the kitchen table to begin. Inspiration still had not struck, I was as indecisive as ever! I looked out at the cloudy day, looked at the thermometer, and then looked longingly at the couch on the porch. “A-ha! It’s time to go out to my office!” I declared to my teenage daughter. Without taking her eyes off her phone (at least then there was no eye-roll), she stated “You’ll never survive out there”. Hmph….such little faith in her always cold mother. After donning my socks, a hooded fleece jacket, and a warm blanket, I grabbed my laptop and opened the sliding glass door to set up my “work space”. Welcome to my office!
Without sounding too dramatic, my senses went into overdrive (see paragraph 1 above). Within 5 minutes I had a topic idea for the blog post (yep, you’re looking at it!). For me, nature and natural beauty is a huge source of inspiration. When I was in my early 30, I vowed to my then-fiance that we would live somewhere beautiful. He said “I do” and now we do! It’s not surprising that when I took the VIA (Values In Action) Character Strengths Survey, the strength that ranked first for me was “Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence”. According to the VIA, “science says exercises focused on increasing appreciation of beauty and excellence have been shown to boost happiness and lower depression, in the short term and possibly beyond”. People who rank high in this area are responsive to three types of goodness: physical beauty, skill or talent (excellence), and virtue or moral goodness (moral beauty).
My porch isn’t the only place I call “my office”…I also go for hikes or long nature walks. I always come back more inspired, in a better mood, and with a clearer mind. As it turns out, these nurturing qualities of Mother Nature are also science-backed. Here are some ways that spending time in the great outdoors can improve your physical and mental well-being:
Elicit body chemistry changes that reduce our stress levels and make us feel good.
Research has shown that just being in nature reduces the level of cortisol that our bodies produce. Cortisol is a stress hormone that is produced by our bodies when under duress. Reducing the levels of this hormone can minimize stress, which is the root cause of an abundance of conditions, such as chronic headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, and other such ailments.
Not only do stress hormones get reduced by being in nature, “feel-good” hormones (Serotonin and endorphins) are also released by our bodies. Breathing in fresh air oxygenates our brains, which in turn releases Serotonin. Serotonin is considered a mood stabilizer, and is known for promoting our well-being and happiness. Endorphins are another “happy hormone” released when we exercise, and are known for facilitating the “runner’s high”. Endorphins also promote pain relief and relaxation. I can attest to all of this—I always come back happier after a run, walk or hike.
Stimulate and nurture our creativity and inspiration.
A Danish study shows that nature has the capacity to enhance inspiration and creativity, “especially in the two first phases of a creative process, the Preparation phase and the Incubation phase”. The findings also show that nature has the ability to evoke our curiosity, leading us to more creative and flexible thinking. Often when I’m feeling “stuck” or stagnant in my thinking, heading outside almost always shifts my perspective and enhances my creative thoughts and ideas.
Enhance our physical fitness and health, as well as our overall immunity.
There’s no dispute that walking or hiking (or any other form of exercise) outdoors will improve our physical fitness, in the areas of cardiovascular endurance and muscle strengthening. As we saw above, our bodies also release less of the stress hormone Cortisol, thus decreasing our risk for certain physical ailments and positively impacting our physical health. The act of “Forest Bathing” (immersing ourselves in the forest) has other positive effects on our physical immune functioning. As it turns out, Evergreen trees secrete natural chemicals called phytoncides, which have been shown to boost the “activity of our frontline immune defenders”, thus boosting our overall immunity.
Give our brain down-time and improve mental clarity.
There’s no doubt about it, for most of us the pace of our lives is hectic and we can feel like we are always “connected” to our technology. We have to make a conscious choice to slow down. Creating that time to get out into nature to disconnect from the day-to-day stimulation and technology can allow our minds to “unplug”. According to a study by the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, even taking a 10 minute walk in nature “improved thinking and even memory and increased vitality and focus and even a boost in mood”. What I found encouraging about this study and others like it, is that even just 10 minutes per day out in nature can improve our memory, thinking, and focus. If we look at any given day in our lives, where can we carve out just 10 minutes to go for a walk or to even to simply sit on the porch?
Help us sleep better at night.
If your mother used to tell you to go outside and play and that “fresh air helps you sleep better”, she was right! Breathing in all that fresh air oxygenates our brain, thus enhancing our brain’s ability to regulate our natural body clock, also known as the circadian rhythm. Circadian Rhythms are “physical, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a 24-hour cycle. These natural processes respond primarily to light and dark and affect most living things…” Being outside in natural daylight exposes us to natural light, which in turn affects our body’s production of the sleep-hormone, called melatonin. Melatonin is produced by our brain in response to darkness and it helps with the timing of our circadian rhythms. Being exposed to light at night can block melatonin production, making it harder to sleep. Alternatively, getting enough natural light during the daytime will reduce our brain’s production of melatonin, keeping us awake and alert during the daytime, thus making us fall asleep easier at bedtime.
Develop a sense of awe and wonder at the beauty surrounding us everyday.
Every single time I go outside I am awestruck by at least one thing I notice. Is it the vibrant yellow maple leaf with searing red flames blazing across it? Is it the fluffy cloud formations drifting across the never-ending blue sky? Or is it the sound of the geese honking as they fly towards warmer weather for the winter (lucky geese!)? As I have developed my own practice of awareness and mindfulness over the years, I am reminded to take time to appreciate “the little things” every time I’m outdoors. The sense of amazement I feel is almost beyond words, and I also feel a sense of “something larger than me”, whatever that may be. It helps me take a step back and put my world in perspective.
Whether it’s sitting on the porch in my summer “office” or out hiking on the nature trails in my alternate “office”, I can completely and personally relate to and attest to all of the above! In truth, it can sometimes feel difficult to carve out even 5 minutes of our busy day, especially when it’s the dead-of-winter or a drenching-wet rainy day. What about those days when we’re not exactly motivated to go outside in the less-than-desirable weather? After having gone out in the frigid temps with every inch of my skin covered (more times than I count over the past 20 years!), I have experienced the intoxicating feeling (more alive, energized, happy, inspired) enough times to know I just need to get out there and do it! One of my personal mottos when it comes to this is “I definitely won’t regret it and I’ll feel better afterwards.” Even if it’s just a walk down and up the driveway with my dog….I always feel better after (and so does my dog!).
