Connect To Nature For Support During Stressful Times

Sharing and connecting to the resources of nature to support your well-being in the stressful times of COVID-19. When we allow ourselves moments of connection to nature, the nervous system can be restored to healthy states.

Reviews

I’m up before daybreak. I thought that it would be a good idea to visit the screened in porch and notice nature as day breaks. Birds are very noisy at this time. Everything seems a bit mysterious. A meditation in this environment is what I was now thinking about. Apparently I wasn’t the first one.

Really nice. I'm fortunate to live in a country setting on many acres of land, just outside a small town and a bit further from a larger one. While as essential personnel, my husband and I still have to go in to work on a regular basis, we can come home and go for our daily/nightly 3.5 mile (give it take) walks along our back country road, listening to the crickets and spring peepers, and last night we saw the first fireflies of the season. While in graduate school, I did research on the positive effects of nature sounds in an office setting (specifically an open floor plan, cubicle-based social work office) with respect to which sounds were optimal for decreasing stress, increasing calm, productivity, creativity, etc, and the ideal delivery method for these sounds. I later did creativity research where individuals took tests of creative thinking in a room in which there were no plants but a bookshelf with diverse titles featured, no bookshelf but a single plant, no plant and no bookshelf but a window with a view to a green landscape with trees and grass, and a variation of the single plant experiment which examined different specific varieties of plants to see if there was any noticeable difference as to the type of plant and creative effects. (I was surprised to find there were some pretty significant ones, and not exactly what I had hypothesized for the paper, though on a gut level it made sense. Pro tip: If you want peace and free-flowing creative juices, avoid sharp, pointed leaves and stay away from cacti, though aloe is okay, probably because it's associated with soothing and relief actions.)

I miss my mountains and snow, but having the opportunity now - especially now - to get out and wander around in nature, listen to the stream at the back of our property and check out what new creative ideas the beavers have gotten up to, say hi to our horse (and the horses, cows, donkeys, and mules across the street), our free range flock of chickens, the wild rabbits and turkeys, listening to the owls and hawks and frogs and birds, seeing all the tree frogs glued to my kitchen window at night (the light draws the bugs, meaning the frogs get fed rather easily - smart critters!), and much more - all very soothing and restorative to my heart, spirit, mind, and body. I am truly blessed. Fortunately, though, even looking at photos of greenery can provide some of these benefits for those without green access, such as apartment dwellers in a downtown area of a large city. Even better if there is a soft background track of nature sounds playing while looking at the photos, or wall hanging, or even a nature documentary on tv.

The healing and steadying power of nature cannot be overstated but is sadly frequently underestimated. I'm so grateful for people like you who bring this beautiful natural resource out, front and center. And now, with the few minutes I have left before heading out to work, I think I'll do some cloud-watching as the sun finishes rising. 🌄🌤️❤️☺️

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and insights with us here. I see you and the light within you. Be well. 🤲🏻❤️🤲🏻

Very nice, thank-you!!