Go Outside Today

Spend some time outside today and reacquaint yourself with nature.

This is a vital an often forgotten part of the health paradigm.

As humans, we are meant to be amongst nature.

We weren’t meant to be locked away in an office or building for countless hours on end.

If you didn’t already know, your environment has a prominent effect on your health.

Research reveals that environments can increase or reduce our stress, which in turn impacts our bodies.

What you are seeing, hearing, and experiencing at any moment is changing not only your mood, but how your nervous, endocrine, and immune systems are working.

Being in nature, or even viewing scenes of nature, reduces anger, fear, and stress and increases pleasant feelings.

Exposure to nature not only makes you feel better emotionally, but it also contributes to your physical wellbeing, reducing blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, and the production of stress hormones. It may even reduce mortality, according to scientists such as public health researchers Stamatakis and Mitchell.

Research was done in hospitals, offices, and schools have found that even a simple plant in a room can have a significant impact on stress and anxiety.

In addition, nature helps us cope with pain. Because we are genetically programmed to find trees, plants, water, and other nature elements engrossing. When we are absorbed by scenes of nature we can be distracted from our pain and discomfort.

One of the most intriguing areas of current research is the impact of nature on general wellbeing.

In one study in Mind, 95% of those interviewed said their mood improved after spending time outside, changing from depressed, stressed, and anxious to more calm and balanced.

Other studies by Ulrich, Kim, and Cervinka show that time in nature or scenes of nature are associated with a positive mood, and psychological wellbeing, meaningfulness, and vitality.

Nature also connect us too…

According to a series of field studies conducted by Kuo and Coley at the Human-Environment Research Lab, time spent in nature connects us to each other and the larger world.

Another study at the University of Illinois suggests that residents in Chicago public housing who had trees and green space around their building reported knowing more people, having stronger feelings of unity with neighbours, being more concerned with helping and supporting each other and having stronger feelings of belonging than tenants in buildings without trees.

In addition to this greater sense of community, they had a reduced risk of street crime, lower levels of violence and aggression between domestic partners, and a better capacity to cope with life’s demands, especially the stresses of living in poverty.

All this just fits to show how powerful nature is to our overall health and well being.

So, if you find yourself in a situation where you are inside for hours on end, try to end that pattern and get outside as much as you can.

Even if it’s just for your lunch break, it could make a huge difference to your health.

You could go for a walk, or if that isn’t possible, try to eat your lunch surrounded by some sort of greenery.

You could also add a plant or two in your office.

So my challenge to you, if you choose to accept it…

Is for the next 7 days to increase your time amongst nature, and then to see how you feel both mentally and physically.

My guess is …

You’ll feel more energised, relax, calm, positive and upbeat.

Health & Happiness

Ryan

P.S. If you have been struggling with your own health issues and would like to see if or how we could help you then click the link here, fill out the form and Ryan or one of the team will be in touch as soon as possible.