7 Reasons to re:Connect with Nature
January 28, 2016
Studies have shown that people’s body image improves when we spend time in nature. Perhaps this is due to our lack of distraction from social media, TV & advertising. We are constantly bombarded, often subconsciously with messages that often leave us feeling like we are not enough – not beautiful enough, smart enough, funny enough, likeable enough and so on.Nature displays an incredible array of diversity in all its glory. There are fat trees, skinny ones, tall ones and short ones. Yet we don’t judge these aspects of nature, we admire them. We can observe and accept their uniqueness. This perception can allow us to welcome a sense of ‘non-judgement’ towards ourselves in this web of interconnection between all species.
Spending more time outdoors nurtures the “nature neurons” and our natural innate creativity.The University of Michigan have done studies to show that after just an hour interacting with nature, memory performance and attention spans improved by 20%.We become more present as we immerse ourselves in nature and find our sensory awareness deepens. We quickly begin to become aware of our surroundings. Using sight, sound, touch and smell. Tuning us back into our senses.
Grounding or earthing is defined as placing one's bare feet or hands indeed any part of your bare skin on the ground, it can be onto soil, grass, sand or concrete. When you ground to the electron-enriched earth the nervous system becomes more balanced. Your immune system and circulation also improves when your body has an adequate supply of electrons. It is known that the Earth maintains a negative electrical potential on its surface.When you are in direct contact with the ground (walking, sitting, or laying down on the earth's surface) the earth's electrons are conducted through your body, bringing it to the same electrical potential as the earth.
We don’t have to look far into history to know that humans evolved in natural settings and were deeply connected to their ecological environments.The ‘biophilia hypothesis’, popularised by Edward O. Wilson, suggests that we are hardwired to need time in nature because we evolved in nature. Our need for nature is literally hardwired in our DNA.
In today’s age of high technology, research shows that our hunger for the natural world still endures. In fact, our connections with nature could just be the best medicine for people of all ages - improving our health, happiness, and well-being. Those same connections could also heal the planet.
Vitamin D insufficiency affects almost 50% of the population worldwide.An estimated 1 billion people worldwide, across all ethnicities and age groups, have a vitamin D deficiency (VDD).The increasing deficiency in vitamin D can mainly be attributed to lifestyle (for example, reduced outdoor activities) and environmental (for example, air pollution) factors that reduce exposure to sunlight, which is required for ultraviolet-B (UVB) - induced vitamin D production in the skin. Vitamin D is sometimes called the “sunshine vitamin” because it’s produced in your skin in response to sunlight. The good news is that a little can go a long way: just 10 minutes a day of mid-day sun exposure is plenty, especially if you’re fair-skinned.
The body rhythms are called circadian rhythms. These signals affect every aspect of our life, for example, they govern when to wake up, to sleep and to be active. They determine how much energy we have, influence how we socialize and how we feel.Many people live their lives cut off from the natural rhythms and cycles of nature and of their own bodies. They no longer rise with the sun and they may stay up till the wee hours of the morning. Their pace of life is such that it is inconsequential whether it is night or day, winter or summer. The phases of the moon go unnoticed. Even the stages of their own life go unnoticed. This plays havoc with their body-clocks.Take some time out to recognise the ebb and flow through the seasons. Times when the plants and animals are sleeping and times when they are slowly coming back to life. By observing we may be able to connect to our bodies natural rhythm. Taking some early night in the winter is a helpful place to start.We often forget that we are nature. Nature is not something separate to us. When we choose to strengthen and nurture our connection with nature externally, we are also strengthening our connection to our true selves internally.
