Keeping your home in tip-top shape is always a priority for me, but if you are not at your best, how can you savor life and your surroundings if you are out of sorts and unbalanced. So many studies have lately been reporting how important and really crucial the “outdoors” is to calm our minds and strengthen bonds, culminating in more personal happiness. This is not a new idea as poets such as Walt Whitman romanticized nature; Thoreau and John Muir, early American naturalists, both sensed that nature extolled a calm and healing potion to stressed out minds and bodies.
What is now different is that scientists are actually proving the importance of a “dose of the outdoors.” Just like healthy eating and peaceful sleep habits, being outside actually contributes to our sense of well-being. In 2010, the Mappiness Project was launched as an app to find out what people were doing, where they were and the emotions tied up in their activities. After the data was crunched in 2013, the results were not surprising that we are happier in the outdoors, especially in natural settings. Even though many of us still shy away from this nearby tonic, our lives are so busy and hectic that we don’t even give ourselves the freedom and luxury to indulge in this easy fix. We devalue the importance of a breath of fresh air and a vicious cycle spirals to spending less and less time in the natural world, as we become more alienated and less inclined to find time to take a short walk or play with our kids outside. Not only does this dislocation alter our moods, but our ability to think, create, innovate, plan, daydream and focus are all diminished.
A new book, The Nature Fix, zones in on three neuroscience researchers who are trying to quantify how exactly our touch with nature affects us. Is it the smell and essence of green spaces that provide a natural sedative? Is it the soothing sound of a rippling stream or the high cheerful chirping of birdsong? Or are the vibrant and organic patterns of nature organized in such a way that are congruent with the alpha brain waves that keep us calm and relaxed? Perhaps it is simply the smell of evergreen that simulates the feeling of taking a mild sedative? Instinctively, we might agree with these ideas, but science is now trying to really investigate why the outdoors sustains healing and happiness. We do know that however you personally interact with nature, every little bit enhances well-being. Our cities are also embracing green spaces by integrating pocket parks, walking paths, plants, flowers and ponds into our everyday journeys. Just a simple walk, a restful stop at an outdoor cafe or grabbing an outdoor lunch break or afternoon “perk up” can restore a measure of connection and grace.
Not everyone rhapsodizes about the reflective and restorative qualities of nature. Remember what Woody Allen jabs, “I love nature. I just don’t want to get any of it on me.” For you inside people who avoid the outside and prefer to hunker down into the depths of your home or office or favorite coffee house or juice bar or other indoor temptations, at least let loose of the blinds or shades and shatter some light into your soul at least some part of the day to plug into some of that natural radiant energy. Hopefully, a whiff of the outdoors can sail through your windows or patio doors and wash a bit of peace into your inside space. You will clarify your thinking, intensify concentration, spark creativity and a wash of happiness will pour over you. We are not yet sure how this happens, but the experts agree it is a real phenomenon to embrace.
Make time every day to seek some outdoor natural light, commune with nature, breathe in fresh air, nod at the real world and sink your mind and body into something life affirming – if only for a few minutes.
