How does your living space or daily environment support healing or health? Look around. Is it cluttered? Are there any natural scenes of just concrete and noise pollution? How do you relieve stress? Yoga… or perhaps stress relieving medication? Perhaps you draw or paint. But there is a simple and free, that’s right free method to help you heal.
These questions provided a start of how my daily lack of exposure to natural environs can affect my mood in the worst way. Utne Reader published an article from Deb Aronson of Science & Spirit 2003 noting a study done on children living in Robert Taylor Holmes apartments in Chicago, IL. The study suggested that they would find children stressed out because of the challenges that come with living there.
“Our theory was that public housing is a very fatiguing environment,” says Faber Taylor. “It turns out that small amounts of greenery seem to make a big difference. You don’t have to live in Sherwood Forest to enjoy nature’s benefits.” (utne.com)
But the exposure that the children had to trees from a window view on the second, third or fourth floor seemed to benefit from nature.
photo source: https://pixabay.com/en/landscape-spring-wood-scenic-green-403165/
Ralph Smart, psychologist, also notes in a brief video on healing, the importance of getting out into nature as a form of healing. In the video he is at the ocean and talks about the therapeutic effect of water.
I could use a dose of nature therapy. I’ll pass on camping out in the woods, but a nice walk along the shore of a nearby river always does me good.
Lastly, there is a great website, calm.com. that uses the sounds in nature to help with calming. I like to use it when I am having trouble sleeping. The serene natural environs of trees, water, rain, etc all help me doze off effortlessly in a matter of minutes from tuning in.
Ralph Smart
How nature heals us