Get Out of Here!

Get out of here!

Literally. Get out of from behind your computer, smartphone or TV, and go outside.

Breathe in the fresh air.

Listen to the birds chirp.

Look up at the blue sky.

Hug a tree.

Lie on the grass and watch the clouds float by.

Look for shapes in the clouds. I see a dragon, a fish, …ooh look an angel!

Take a walk around your neighborhood or better yet take a drive to a forested area and go for a walk in the woods.

If you’re feeling anxious, irritable, depressed, discouraged, scattered, or ungrounded, the anecdote is nature. Even if you’re not a nature-lover.

The human species is biologically designed to thrive in nature. Nature calms and soothes our energy system.

Walking in nature allows our brains to rest.

Joshua Smyth, a Behavioral Psychologist at Penn State, has studied the impact of soundscapes and nature on the human brain. He advises, “When you’re stressed, go to a quiet place.” He especially recommends short, nature based “interventions” like walking in nature. He says it could help more people more efficiently than many other approaches that get more attention such as meditation (but keep meditating too ).

Other studies show that when people walk in nature, they obsess over negative thoughts much less than when they walk in the city.

So get outside today. Leave your phone behind (or put it on Airplane mode).

Talk a long walk, smell the flowers, sit on a rock that’s been warmed by the sun, breathe deeply, and just be.

Now go on, get out here – and go outside.

Have a fabulous day!

PS: I highly recommend you read The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative by Florence Williams.

PPS: For a quick indoor fix, listen to Pools of Light and Magic Healing Meadow, these soothing guided mediations will immerse you nature and leave you feeling refreshed and energized.