Wellbeing Tip #7: The power of nature

A monthly series where I’ll offer some suggestions for tools and strategies that can help with our well-being.

Each one of us is different, and what one person finds helpful, may not resonate with others. 

We may find that what has helped previously, may not be connecting with us in the same way in the present.

Or you may have a well-established set of tools that are ‘tried and trusted’, but you’d like to add some more.

It is my hope that these tips will give you some ideas. 

July: nature

This month’s wellbeing tip builds on May’s suggestion of going for a walk, but this time embraces the wider aspect of spending time in nature. 

As I write this, I am sat outside, with the blue sky and tree leaves around me rustling in the breeze, surrounded by the colours, shapes and scents of the flowers/bushes in the garden.  I was previously sat in my office, looking at walls, and the screen, with a slight feeling of being constrained by the environment, but being outside, creates a feeling of expansion, of a larger, less contained landscape, and activates senses, perhaps regulating a nervous system, providing a feeling of calm, of peace, maybe even stillness, amongst the surrounding sounds of the world going about its day.

There are so many ways that we can spend time in nature.

It might include going for a walk, as suggested previously, or perhaps something else active, such as going for a run or an outdoor exercise class. 

It might be open water swimming, swimming in a natural environment, or in an outdoor lido, or maybe other water based activities such as kayaking, paddleboarding, or simply floating whilst listening to the sounds around you.

It might be a yoga class that takes place in a local park, or doing an activity such as gardening, or tidying.

It doesn’t have to be active – it might be sitting outside, in the garden or public space with a book, it might be going to a coffee shop but sitting outside, or finding a spot under a tree and simply watching the world go by.

It also doesn’t have to involve outdoors at all.

There are so many ways that we can bring nature into the indoors world.

The benefits of having plants in the home are increasingly well-known, not only for the air in the environment, but also for our mental wellbeing. 

Essential oils can draw on the scents from nature, such as lavender, eucalyptus or the sea, thereby bringing the outdoors in.

For some, listening to a playlist of sounds from nature such as water or forest, can be soothing, calming, and can help with sleep or general relaxation. 

Meditation audio can also include sounds from nature or a connection in the words to the natural world.

Artwork, collage, decoration – all of these things can enable us to connect with nature and increase its presence in our everyday lives.

So why do this?

What are the benefits?

·       Being in nature has been shown to lower levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, as well as reduce the heart rate and decrease muscle tension, thereby having a positive impact on stress and anxiety, as well as physical health.  It can help to quieten an active mind, leading to an increased feeling of calm and stillness.

·       Nature can have a restorative element, by reducing mental fatigue, improving concentration and attention capacity, due to the aforementioned effect on the level of activity in the mind.  It can improve cognitive function and focus.

·       It can also restore and regulate our emotions.  It can activate multiple senses – for example, sight, sound and smell if sat by flowers and a water feature, or touch if barefooted on grass or grounded to the earth if participating in outside yoga, or simply sitting – all of which can be ways of restoring a feeling of peace or calm to all that is happening within us, to our nervous system and to our mind.  There is a well-known tool for anxiety which involves consciously using the senses, called ‘the 5 senses technique’ or ‘5, 4, 3, 2, 1’.  It involves someone identifying 5 things that they can see, 4 things that they can touch, 3 things that you can hear, and so forth, engaging all 5 of the senses.  Being in nature can be an equivalent of this, activating the senses but in a more organic, less organised way, yet having the same benefits.

Being in nature can leave us feeling happier, more uplifted.  It can combat negative or heavy feelings, lifting and alleviating them.

·       We can also be more present, perhaps leaving things such as technology behind for a moment, thereby enabling us to be more aware of our surroundings, and with less distractions.  This can not only support our mood, but it can also increase creativity, allow us to connect with our internal thoughts and feelings, with our intuition, with ourselves, and not only find calm, but also clarity.

The benefit of nature is that it can be relatively easy to fit into our lives. 

It doesn’t have to be a significant thing or take up a large amount of time.  It might just be 5 minutes sitting outside with the morning cuppa or opening the window and breathing in the air.

It might be buying one indoor plant and placing it in a main room in the house where you can see it or touch it as you walk past.

Or placing play on a nature playlist and closing your eyes for 30 seconds before the next meeting.

It can be incorporated without additional burden on already precious time, or stress on top of pre-existing demands.

It can be a simple pleasure, a moment of calm and serenity amongst a fast moving and sometimes challenging day.

So next time you feel overwhelmed, or stressed, or when your mind feels busy and uncertain, why not step outside, close your eyes, and breathe.

Breathe, consciously unclench the jaw and relax the shoulders, and listen to the sounds around you, as you open your eyes, activate your senses, and experience the power of nature.