Reconnecting With Nature
One of the common themes in many modern Pagan belief systems is that of a connection to the earth, a spirituality that comes from our interaction with the different aspects of the natural world. It can be tricky, in today’s society, to keep our focus on nature. After all, we’re driving to work, watching television, answering our phones, and running around at a breakneck, hectic pace. Technology makes our lives easier, but it’s not hard to lose track of our connection to the land.
Studies have shown that people who spend more time outdoors – and not just outdoors, but unplugged from technology – are generally more relaxed. They feel a greater sense of overall wellness, report lower levels of depression, and experience less stress. Equally important, they’re better equipped, emotionally, to handle stressful situations that do arise. In addition to the mental health benefits, scientists say that being outdoors can be good for you physically.
So, I get that your schedule is busy and you’ve got a lot to do, but you can still make time, even if it’s in small increments, to get back
to nature. Here are five easy ways you can reconnect with the natural world around you.
Go For a Nature Walk
Walking has a lot of physical health benefits, and a 2014 study from the University of Michigan shows that going for walks in a group can be even better for your emotional well-being. According to author Sara Warber, M.D. “Walking is an inexpensive, low risk and accessible form of exercise and it turns out that combined with nature and group settings, it may be a very powerful, under-utilized stress buster. Our findings suggest that something as simple as joining an outdoor walking group may not only improve someone’s daily positive emotions but may also contribute a non-pharmacological approach to serious conditions like depression.” While you’re out walking around, consider doing some wildcrafting!
Go Hiking or Backpacking
If a leisurely stroll through the woods doesn’t sound adventurous enough for you, consider going hiking instead. Depending on where you live, there are numerous trails you tackle. There’s a sense of accomplishment that comes with reaching the end of a trail, and research indicates that there are both physical and mental benefits to hiking. If you’re lucky enough to be in an area that offers primitive camping, try backpacking in with all of your supplies, and spending the night alone under the stars, away from your cell phone and your Netflix subscription. It’ll be good for you.
Do Some Gardening
Ask anyone who gardens why they do it, and chances are good they’ll tell you that it’s partly because they like to grow their own food, and partly because gardening is therapeutic. There’s something very magical about putting your hands into the warm soil of the earth, planting a seed, tending it as it grows, and finally harvesting the results.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that just two and a half hours a week of moderate activity – which gardening qualifies as – can help reduce the risks of numerous health problems. Equally important, though, a 2014 study from the Netherlands reports the first experimental evidence that gardening can promote relief from acute stress.
Get Out and Go Earthing
The idea of “earthing” has become a hot new trend lately. Not because it’s a new practice – plenty of us have been doing it without calling it “earthing” – but because the holistic community has started promoting the value of skin-on-earth contact. Earthing is based upon the idea that for thousands of years, we as human beings have benefited from the contact of our skin on the earth – walking barefoot, lying on the ground, touching dirt with our hands, that sort of thing. Go barefoot when and if you can, go to your local park and lie in the grass for a while, or even go for a swim at a lake or ocean if there’s one nearby.
Play in the Sun
The sun is nature’s antidepressant, and it’s easy to forget, as we go about our daily routines, how much we need sunshine for our physical and mental well being. Sunlight boosts serotonin levels, can help regulate your body’s circadian rhythms – which means you’ll sleep better – and can reduce overall stress.
If you suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, sunshine can make a huge difference as well. Go outside whenever you can, even if that’s just for your half-hour lunch break at work, and enjoy yourself. Walk around, sit still, meditate, do whatever – take in the sun’s rays. If you spend your day in an office, sitting near a window can help get some sunshine into your life as well. If you’ve got a beach nearby, try to get out there as often as possible, because it offers all of the best aspects of nature in one convenient location – water, sunshine, and fresh air blowing across the land!
