Spend Time in Our World, Reap the Benefits!
My late mom was a cloud watcher. She would watch the clouds from into various shapes and tell us what she saw. We would tell her what shapes we saw, and giggle at the differences. It was such a relaxing experience. We also would go into the woods and walk, looking at the flowers, trees, critters, quietly watching the world around us.
This is something I still do, while imagining my mom being with me. Sometimes, I sit and just look at what is happening. Sometimes I lay on a blanket and identify cloud formations. Sometimes, I see them when I am diving and giggle when I think mom would laugh.
what do you see
Saturday evening, I spent a few hours outside, near the Allegheny River with family and friends, listening to live music and eating dinner. It was a beautiful night, and I looked at a lot of clouds. My sister and I would identify what we saw in the shapes of the clouds. We felt like mom was doing the same even though we knew she was not with us. My husband enjoys looking also, even though what I say I see, he does not see, which is added fun as we tease each other.
Taking time to see the nature around you provides a wonderful benefit of enhancing your focus, reducing your anxiety, and improving your mood. And most of the time, for me, it makes me feel like part of the environment. I almost always walk around and smile like I cannot get enough.
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While this may be hard to believe, there is scientific evidence of the benefits of spending time in nature. I can verify these based on my own experience of going outside and soaking up the world around me. Research continues to reveal the impact nature has on our wellbeing.
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Fact 1— Time with nature reduces stress and anxiety. Nature lowers the stress hormone (cortisol) which provides relaxation and lowers depression.
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Fact 2—Studies indicate that people who spend more time in green spaces experience greater life satisfaction and happiness.
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Fact 3—Compounds released by trees, have been found to increase the activity of cells known as natural killers since they fight infections & diseases.
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Fact 4—Nature has a restorative effect on attention and cognitive performance. Natural environments help to reduce mental fatigue and enhance concentration. Often when I was teaching, I would go outside at lunch or prep to refocus, get some positive energy or just open the window and look around.​
Look at it and decide what you think this is.
What do you see?
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Fact 5—Time in nature is associated with lower blood pressure, reduced heart rate and improved heart health — My experience demonstrates this. I walked from my school about 5 blocks to my doctor's office. I doubted whether that was a good thing since a had my heart rate up from the walk. When they took my blood pressure, it was perfect, lower than it ever has been.
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Fact 6—Being in nature naturally prompts movement, which contributes to overall fitness and lowers risk of chronic diseases.
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Fact 7—Being in nature enhances sleep quality. Studies have found that natural light exposure helps regulate circadian rhythms, resulting in better quality sleep. More time outdoors shows improved duration and sleep efficiency.
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Fact 8— Nature-based activities encourage meaningful social interactions and a sense of belonging.
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Fact 9—Regular exposure to nature strengthens your appreciation and responsibility for environmental conservation. People that spend time in nature tend to engage is sustainable behaviors.
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Fact 10 — This one is the one that I think is the most important —the more you engage in nature, the more you build resilience, which builds a sense of grounding and perspective. Natural space is a great way to self—reflect, process emotions, and improve mental wellbeing.
I have experienced each of these 10 facts discovered through scientific research studies. I find myself being pulled outside just to be, especially when I am not in good head space. I recommend taking a blanket, lay down and look at the sky, find clouds to watch, check out what your imagination thinks of the formation, and if at night find the stars and planets. We live in a beautiful world.
Take my word for it. Spend some time out in our world and reap those benefits!
References: My experienced Science Brain
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