11 Reasons To Connect With Nature

We are largely influenced by our environment. We develop habits similar to our closest loved ones, talk most like the people around us, and dress according to the weather. Our environment helps to define who we are, and we owe it to ourselves to connect more with our natural world.

Health

It should come as no surprise that spending time in nature has health benefits. From improving our cognitive abilities to helping relieve the symptoms of illnesses like depression, spending a little time in the natural world each day can brighten your entire life.

Peace

If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present. -Lao Tzu. Maybe it’s fact that other animals don’t make nearly as much noise as humans, but for whatever reason, nature is extremely peaceful. Spending time in nature allows us to be free of the clutter of everyday society and connect with our deeper selves.

Purity

Nature is raw, uninhibited, and open. Spending time with nature helps to unlock the purity within you as well, freeing your mind and spirit of negativity.

Respect Life

If you’ve ever taken the time to simply observe the plants and other creatures in nature, you’ve probably been awe-stricken by how much life surrounds us. Connecting with nature exposes us to the various forms of life and helps us to gain a deeper respect for all life.

Stress Relief

Spending time with nature allows you to clear your mind, relax, and relieve stress.

Inspiration

Just the other day, I was sitting outside enjoying the warm weather and admiring the trees. I’d been unable to write inside but less than 20 minutes after sitting outdoors, I’d written an entire poem. Nature is full of beauty and creativity to stimulate your senses as well as your mind.

Exercise

Being outside encourages exercise, particularly walking, and has been shown to further increase the overall health, mood and performance of people who exercise outdoors compared with people who exercise inside. It’s definitely a lot more fun to climb a hill and explore what’s on the other side than to up the incline on the treadmill.

Focus

Interacting with nature helps the body and mind regroup, improving focus as well as heightening the senses. Research has also shown that after an hour interacting with nature, memory performance and attention span of the participants improved by 20%.

Healing Power

There are innumerable natural remedies for curing various diseases and ailments, and perhaps the best and simplest one is to just go outside for awhile. Researchers in Pennsylvania have found that patients in rooms with views of trees had shorter hospitalizations, less need for pain medications, and fewer negative comments in the nurses’ notes compared with patients who had views of brick.

Social Bonds

Spending time in nature also helps to connect us with each other as people. Many outdoor activities are great for bonding, like camping and hiking, and research at the University of Rochester has shown that exposure to a natural environment leads people to nurture close relationships with fellow humans, value community, and be more generous with money.

Save It

Our environment – our world – needs to be loved just as much as we need its love. Without our environment, we could not survive. Spending time in and with nature helps us to understand our place in this world and how we can continue the circle of life long after we’ve left it. It’s up to us to make a difference, and the difference we make will change us for the better, too.