Nature, it's better than therapy...

I saw a t-shirt with a slogan, the gist of which was ‘nature, it’s better than therapy’.  As I was on a walking holiday when I saw the t-shirt, I was keenly aware of the benefits of being outdoors.  Plenty of fresh air, long days of walking and panoramic views from high ground.  All of it helps to change our perspective; literally, figuratively.  By using our bodies, we reconnect to our physical strength, stamina and buzz from generating endorphins.  Panoramic views shift at walking pace and we get out of our heads and remember there’s a huge world out there.  We stop thinking so much about ourselves and we stop thinking habitual thoughts associated with our routine.  Instead we begin to notice our surroundings and circumstances in real time – the basis of mindfulness.   Instead we have opportunity for original thinking as we have new ‘puzzles’ to solve, like how to cross a terraine.  Our lives or troubles can take their proper place in the scale of open miles of Earth.

How much nature would counteract the build up of stress in your daily life?  Can you access it often enough, for long enough to provide ballast for the things that wind you up?  It’s worth finding out.