Spending regular time in nature can help you smile more from inside
A regular dose of nature can be transformative
Most people know the old saying “get outdoors to blow the cobwebs away”, meaning to clear your mind of thoughts causing stress, not literally cobwebs!
We live in a world where there are not only increasing pressures to keep a roof over your head and food on the table, but any downtime is punctuated by headlines and social media updates that can cause anxiety levels to rise.
You may well have already made the connection with getting outdoors for a while and feeling better inside? Have you ever wondered why that is?
History changed us
Basically, although we now spend much of our lives indoors it wasn’t many hundreds of years since we, as humans, would have spent far more of our lives out of doors. We were, then, much more connected to nature and the natural rhythms of the weather and the seasons. The advent of the Industrial Revolution changed lifestyles, dramatically for many people. Since then, generation by generation, people have looked to the acquisition of material things to make them feel better inside, as opposed to taking advantage of a therapeutic wellbeing resource that is freely available – setting aside regular time for ‘just being’ in nature.
What does ‘just being’ mean?
To give an example, many people get out to walk their dog, but as they’re walking along they’re thinking about things. Now, the mind is designed to think and we do a lot of it over the course of every day, problem-solving! It’s easy to get home from a dog walk and feel better physically (through moving your body). However, if you’re constantly going over stuff in your head, or listening to music or a podcast as you walk along then you are not ‘just being’ in nature, facilitating your senses to tune in on what’s going on. It’s in the ‘noticing’ of what’s going on (through your senses) that is key to benefiting how you feel. You may find it strange, but it’s true, that by bringing focused attention to what you can see, hear, smell, touch or taste, it can actually soothe a frantically whirring mind or a heightened emotional state (or both!). The rhythm of walking, as you notice what’s around you can really help too.
Why ‘just being’ in nature is so helpful to making you smile more from the inside
If you spend regular time outside, paying attention to the sights and sounds around you, then your brain will eventually be persuaded to give up on it’s whirring and unhelpful thinking/rumination for a while. Essentially, what you’re doing by focusing on nature is that you’re turning down the volume of your thinking mind. If you’re someone who’s troubled with ruminating on things, or worrying about what might happen (anxiety), the gentle repetition of getting out into nature, focusing on what you see, hear, touch (even taste) can really help put a brake on your ‘chattering’ mind. The effect can be relaxing, reviving and ultimately restorative.
Various Universities have carried out scientific research, measuring the benefits of ‘just being’ in nature. The research concluded that two hours a week was the optimum time needed for an individual to spend outdoors, connecting with nature (not just walking along with the dog or chatting with someone else). If you managed a 20-minute walk a day, with intention to notice what you see/hear/smell/touch/taste (whatever is the most appropriate combination for where you are), you’d reach the target of 120 minutes a week. If you can manage 30 minutes per ‘just being’ walk, you’d reach the prescribed 120 minutes in 6 days, providing a day off for good behaviour!
Ideas for connecting with nature to help you smile more from the inside
I will just say, please don’t think this nature-therapy strategy is going to work in a week. Firstly, you have to teach yourself to slow down (which may be hard to start with). Also, don’t listen to music or podcasts when you’re walking out in nature, but bring your full attention to your walking experience instead. Try noticing each footstep you take (for about 30 seconds to start with). That’s a good way to bring focused attention to noticing.
As you walk along, bring your attention to noticing what’s around you, above your head, below your feet. Set yourself the task of noticing 3 things on your walk. If you’re walking in an urban area where you’re passing houses with gardens, notice what’s growing in them. Pause and examine a flowering bush or a flower more closely. You don’t need to do any more than that. The key to helping you smile more from the inside is doing this ‘notice 3-things’ regularly. I even take photos of plants that deliver a shot of joy, which is what I notice happens more and more than when I first started deliberately noticing 3-things on my walks.
I also need to say, please don’t get so engrossed in noticing your 3 things that you stop noticing potential dangers (such as cars, bikes, people approaching from in front of you, or coming up behind you).
If you’re somewhere like a country park or perhaps out in the countryside somewhere, you can choose a spot to sit, or stand for about 3 – 10 minutes (work the time up). Then, bring your focused attention to noticing what’s going on around you. What you can see, what you can hear, what you can smell. Is there something tactile nearby you can touch, such as soft grasses or the bark on a tree? Tasting is another sense you can explore. You don’t actually have to pick something to taste it, you could just stick your tongue out and taste the air, or the rain if that’s what occurs whilst you’re standing or sitting.
It’s the ‘allowing’ that you have to work on with the above exercise, because your brain will have a tendency to question what you’re doing – “I’ve not got time”, or “this feels boring”. If you notice your thoughts are being unhelpful around keeping on doing this activity, you have two options – give in or stick with it. I’d recommend the latter.
Join a group to enjoy community with others
For some people, joining a nature connection type of group is the best way to start. You don’t have to join one that offers Forest Bathing or a Sound Bath in nature. In fact, one where you are guided to engage yourself in activities that feel meaningful to you and that meet on a regular (preferabley weekly) basis is what I would suggest you look for.
You might want to check out this Wednessday Wellbeing group that meets once a week. The session is billed as a way to access fresh air, friendship and fun and the way it’s run is based on the 5-ways to Wellbeing.
- Get Active
- Be Social
- Learn something new
- Care for the Environment
- Contribute to something you feel helps nature
This group is based in an ancient woodland between Thrapston and Corby. However, if that’s not local to you then why not do a search and see what might be available in your area.
Here’s some feedback from the Wellbeing Wednesday group
“I leave my troubles at the gate”
“As soon as I get ouf of the car and start walking up the track my whirring mind quietens and I feel a sense of being able to breathe more easily”.
If you’re suffering from anxiety or low mood as a result of a life event or personal health issue you are dealing with, please get in touch for more personalised guidance. I offer a free, no obligation, 30-minute session online to talk through potential therapeutic options to help you navigate what you are dealing with.
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