Spending time in nature creates a therapeutic feeling and is essential to your mental and physical well-being.
Several years ago, I was travelling and volunteering on the outskirts of the Amazon Rainforest. I’d wake up in the morning, breathe in the fresh air, listen to the tropical bird calls, and not forget the cockroaches that were guarding my bed throughout the night!
An abundance of life and connecting to the environment made the rainforest bliss and every day I was grateful for mother nature.
A few months later, I decided to move to the “sunny” hub of London to set my roots. I found the city life somewhat fast paced. I had to learn quickly and adapt to the lifestyle here.
In addition, in March 2020 we faced a global pandemic, where most of us had to work from home or had been let go. I often found that I got zoom fatigue and felt stressed or at times anxious.
I decided to turn back to nature to create balanced life especially now that I work from home.
Researchers claim that people who are exposed to urban environments are focused to use their attention, to overcome the effects of constant stimulation. Over time this induces cognitive fatigue.
Failing to nurture this connection can be detrimental to your overall well-being. I’m no doctor but one thing for sure is when you’re in the wilderness, it’s relaxing!
This is called Ecotherapy. It’s an approach that ties people to mother nature.
In a 2020 study, psychiatrists suggest gardening at home can promote emotional well-being and reduce loneliness. Many participants reported being in better moods, feeling of belonging and increased calmness when they have plants indoors and outdoors.
Fun fact: Being in contact with soil triggers the release of serotonin in our brain according to research. Serotonin is a happy chemical and a natural anti-depressant.
Here are some hot tips to calming your mind:
• Segregating work hours into chunks, taking 10 minute breaks every 30 minutes or so to get outside and breathe fresh air or grab a cuppa.
• Meditate in the morning, whether it’s for 5 minutes or 30 sitting peacefully in a quiet space or walking with intention. Beginning your day with meditation and breathing sets your mood and tone for the day ahead.
• Towards the end of the day, unplug from technologies.
This is a tricky one which I have found myself doing many times before. Shutting down your computer and enjoy the moment with your loved ones is far more rewarding than being tied to your screen.
Finally, creating an eco-space within the comfort of your home may mean owning plants, you can propagate or exchange them with others thus creating a calm environment within your own space and those around you.
If we want to live a life of abundance, peace and tranquility we have to coincide with nature and make our planet thrive again.
“It is our collective and individual responsibility…To preserve and tend to the world which we all live in.” — Dalai Lama
Relating articles:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6085576/
https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/ecotherapy
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2872309/
