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Nature – Body Connection

Dec 14, 2017

“Go play outside!” I remember this from my childhood when we would spend nearly all hours of daylight, in the summer, biking, swinging, running, slip-n-sliding and swimming and then want to stay out late to play night games! I loved being outside, and when I wasn’t I was driving my mother nearly mad playing dress up with all of her clothes, jewelry, gloves and shoes.

As we grow up, we spend more time in front of screens, computers, phones, TV’s, exactly what our parents didn’t want us to do. Did you know that our body is genetically composed to seek out nature? We find nature inherently interesting and the effects of increasingly diminishing exposure to nature is quite honestly, deadly.

I notice that after I’ve spent a week, or even a few hours, trompsing around the woods, I develop a more visceral mindset and find my brain moving in new and exciting paths! I want to spread my beliefs in how nature universally heals.

Either way, here are a few quick FACTS about nature & the mind/body connection.

  • People who were shown pictures of scenic, natural landscapes had heightened activity in areas of the brain associated with recall of happy memories (Korean Journal of Radiology)
  • Measurements of stress hormones, respiration, heart rate, and sweating suggest that short doses of nature—or even pictures of the natural world—can calm people down and sharpen their performance. (National Geographic)
  • Being in nature, or even viewing scenes of nature, reduces anger, fear, and stress and increases pleasant feelings. (University of Minnesota)

While these are just a few of the may facts I’ve uncovered, they provide proof that nature heals, in more ways than we know.

How can you start reversing stress, lowering blood pressure & increasing attention spans?

  • Take yourself & your family outside at least 3 times a week to enjoy nature
  • Change your screen savers to a nature inspired theme
  • Buy several natural landscape images to hang in your home and office spaces

If hospitals, doctors & researchers have started prescribing nature as opposed to pills, shouldn’t we all make the change to go all natural?

Yours in the woods,

Sarah Grace

P.S. Here’s an SGP landscape image to boost your immune system!