What if I told you there is something scientifically proven to reduce stress, improve your health, and improve your productivity and focus? And it’s available to everyone, and sometimes it’s even free? I’m sure you’d want to get yourself some of that, yes?
Well it turns out that there is something, and it’s right under your nose. The answer is nature.
Let me demonstrate. Imagine yourself for a moment in a forest, sitting comfortably underneath a large tree. Flowers dot the grass around you, a gentle breeze strokes your face, birds and insects chirp in the background. Do you notice how your body relaxed as you imagined yourself there? The fact is, nature has such a powerful effect on us, even imagining it can slow our breathing, reduce our blood pressure, and improve our focus!
Now when I say nature, I don’t mean you need to live in a forest to be happy. It appears that anything from nature, or even having an organic appearance has a positive effect on us. Some landmark research back in 1984 showed that people who could see a tree outside their window while recovering from surgery recovered much more quickly, and needed less pain medication than those who could see a brick wall. Since then we have even learnt that just watching a film of a walk through a forest has a positive benefit.
So why is nature good for us? The theory is that man-made environments actively grab our attention and this leads to mental fatigue. Natural environments on the other hand, whilst stimulating our senses, do not demand our attention in any particular direction. This gives us a rest which enables our mental and emotional resources to replenish. So that unwinding that you experience when you are in nature is not just because you’re on holidays and you’ve put auto reply on your work email. It is actually your brain and body responding to an undemanding environment.
Prior to the industrial revolution, we lived surrounded by nature. Our urban environments have become increasingly devoid of nature since then. Visual connection to nature gives a sense of time, weather and seasons. It gives us perspective on our scale and the scale of our problems. Is it any wonder that as we live with less of it we are becoming an increasingly stressed society?
So, how can we apply some of this to our lives? A holiday somewhere beautiful is always nice, but if nature has such a profound effect on us, then a weekend away every now and again just isn’t going to cut it. We need a daily dose of this medicine if we want to thrive. Let’s have a look at some simple ways to incorporate more of this good stuff for all our senses.
VISION
We are primarily visual creatures, so seeing nature is particularly powerful. If you don’t have a natural view, you can manufacture one with pot-plants, choosing natural materials such as stone, wood and leather, and incorporating some natural shapes. If you can’t keep plants alive, a bunch of leaves or flowers in a vase are a good quick fix.
SOUND
We often forget about the soundscape of our homes, but sound can have a profound effect on us. The sound of running water (unless it’s because you left the hose on), birdsong and wind through the leaves are all soothing. But if a water feature is out of the question, and opening a window only gives you traffic sounds, don’t forget the power of music. There are some wonderful ambient soundtracks online now, and while it seems a little manufactured, they do actually help.
TOUCH
Irregular breezes on our skin are much more relaxing than the constant mechanised air from fans. Again, opening the window will help with this if you can. It is also important to remember the surfaces that we touch. If you’ve wondered why some spaces feel clinical, it is usually due to a lack of texture. A blanket on the couch, a woven basket for your books, and bed sheets in natural fibres for example will all give you a lift. And if you’re building or renovating, don’t forget how your surface choices will feel to live with, not just how they will look.
SMELL
There are a number of synthetic fragrances and chemicals in our homes that don’t do us a lot of favours. So once again I’d say open those windows as often as you can. Considering we spend most of our time indoors now, it’s really important to keep the fresh air flowing in. With the rise in popularity of aromatherapy, we are also a little more aware of the power of smell these days. And while not all aromatherapy claims have scientific backing, some do and are worth considering. What we do know for sure is that smell is very strongly linked to memory, so we can use it to remind us of good times, and also to create new associated memories with a fragrance
TASTE
I’m not sure about you, but many of my most relaxing times have involved good food! And some of my best food memories are of beautiful fresh produce. Even if you are not a foodie, you know that the closer to nature the food is, the better it is for you. And nothing tastes better than something freshly picked. You don’t even have to be an expert gardener to pull this off. It can be as simple as growing a pot or two of herbs on a sunny windowsill. It is not expensive to replace them regularly if you kill them, and your taste buds will thank you.
Incorporating nature in our homes can seem like a non-essential, and might be forgotten in the busyness of life. But if you’ve made it all the way through this post I want to congratulate you, because you’ve taken the time to think about it, and I’m sure you’ve already found a couple of ideas you can use. Let me challenge you to apply one of these ideas to your home and see if it makes a difference. Even just a little more nature into your everyday will do your health and wellbeing a great favour.
I’d love to hear how you have incorporated nature into your home, so please drop a comment in the box below!
xxx
