N for Nature (A-Z Happiness Guide)

When was the last time you went for a nature walk?

Connection with nature is something we all need.  In the urbanized, predominantly steel and concrete world of today, we need to connect with nature now more than ever, and yet we have fewer opportunities to do so than ever before.  In days gone by people heated their homes through wood burning stoves.  That meant chopping and stacking wood, and that meant spending time outside.  Nowadays all a person needs to do to heat their home is turn on the gas and remember to pay their gas and electric bill on time.  Increasingly we are disconnected from nature.

The consistency and predictability of the natural world provides comfort, security, and solace in a high speed, high tech world which changes faster than our abilities to process change can handle.  When we leave our urban surroundings for nature, we open our minds, bodies, and souls to experiencing ourselves as we truly are; we are able to think through things clearly and slowly.  It doesn’t seem to matter how much time we spend outdoors, any bit of time is helps to clear away the clutter and confusion.

When I was in high school, I had a friend who suffered from a terrible case of depression.  One day I showed up at his home and told him that we were going for a hike.  He thought I was more than a bit eccentric. We drove for about an hour and then set out on a trail which boasted sensational views as it meandered its way though hills and valleys, in and out of forests and fields, and across brooks and streams.  This friends of mine who had been in an intense state of depression which extensive psychotherapy had been unable to alleviate felt his depression lift after less than five hours of walking, sitting, eating, and breathing in nature.  Unfortunately, he had limited opportunities to maintain his connection with nature and within a matter of days he was back to his previous state of depression; nevertheless, for several days he was given a respite from his suffering.

Families and couples who are suffering from disagreement and discord often come to clear understandings once given the opportunity to do so in the natural world. The natural world provides a setting that is far more conducive to healing and understanding than the confines of any therapist’s office.  Indeed, Dr. Milton H. Erickson used to send his clients for nature walks in the Phoenix area before speaking to them in his office. Nature should be an integrated part of our lives, unfortunately it often is not.  We need to make ever effort possible to reconnect with natural settings, as doing so will provide us with the safe space we need to function optimally in a world that often times feels unsafe.

Connecting with nature will add happiness to your life is by allowing you to experience simplicity and security in a world fraught with complexity and insecurity.  A connection with nature is perhaps one of the best remedies for an upset mind-body-spirit.

Ways to connect with nature:

Garden.

Go for a nature walk.

Sit under a tree.

Watch the sunset.

Watch the sunrise.

Walk by a riverbank or by a sandy seashore.

Sit by a riverbank or seashore.

Go apple picking.

Go Blueberry or strawberry picking.

Go canoeing.

Go camping.

Stargaze.

Bird watch.

Sit under a tree.

Visit a local, state, or national park.

Listen to the birds sing.

Listen to the sounds of the wind and the leaves.

Tell stories or read by the light of a campfire.

Go outside and listen to the song your own soul sings.