When we feel stressed, we’re often told to think of a place in nature to calm ourselves down; picturing yourself on a tropical beach, in a field full of wildflowers or sitting on a rock in a cool green forest can often calm your breathing and slow your heart rate. Indeed, research has shown that the most natural remedy of all, nature, truly does have benefits. Maybe we should take after Henry David Thoreau and enjoy a walk in the woods.
- Soft fascination. This concept consists of fascinating experiences in nature, referring to natural elements such as watching a storm come across a lake, listening to wind in the trees, taking time to watch clouds in the sky or view a sunset holds our attention and mesmerizes us, with little effort. This contrasts with hard fascination, such as watching TV or a sporting event, that doesn’t allow us to think about other things or reflect. All our brain power must focus on what’s in front of us. Soft fascination often evokes a sense of pleasure and calm that can help improve our overall health.
- Nature gives pleasure. In an ironic twist, the journal Global Environmental Change discovered people feel happier outdoors than indoors. And yet, we spend less than 5 percent of our time in nature. Even references to nature in books and songs have become less frequent. Yet spending time in outdoors helps with burnout, which has become more rampant than ever. We feel a need to check our mobile devices compulsively. And global competition has made us more focused on the economy, and the American political landscape has gotten to the point where constant breaking news causes people to think, “Oh no, what’s happened now?” Spending time in nature brings us that calm we seek, helping us to balance our fight-or-flight response.
- It brings us back to a better mindset. Continuing with the concept of nature helping us destress, a British Journal of Sports Medicine article has discovered that happiness “broadens an individual’s thought-action repertoire with positive benefits to physical and intellectual activities, and to social and psychological resources.” It further discovered this occurs in those who take part in discovery-type activities, such as when we take engage with nature. It similarly notes that soft fascination helps our emotional state to uplift and mental balance to be restored.
So, the next time you feel stressed or burnt out, find a way to get into nature for a simple, effective remedy that will help you find calm and get your brain, body and spirit recharged. To further help your peace of mind, contact the experts at Medical Professionals.
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