Nature heals!

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Nature has been proven, time and time again, to reduce depression, anxiety, stress, and anger, as well as generally boost psychological wellbeing. Nature can help make you feel happier and more content as a person, which can improve many areas of your life. This is why I always try to immerse myself in nature when travelling, even when in a big city.

Just a walk in the woods or a stroll by the beach on a sunny morning can awaken the innermost feelings of happiness and peace. Our affinity toward nature is genetic and deep-rooted in evolution. For example, have you ever wondered why most people prefer to book accommodation that has a great view from the balcony or terrace? Why patients who get a natural view from their hospital bed recover sooner than others? Or why does it happen that when stress takes a toll on our mind, we crave for time to figure out things amidst nature?

Being above an amazing canyon with eagles soaring overhead – pure bliss! Looking at a stunning waterfall or undulating countryside can do more than enrich your Instagram feed: it can also elicit feelings of awe that bring a number of health benefits. In a 2015 study, researcher Paul Piff of the University of California, Irvine, found that people who spent 60 seconds looking up at towering trees were more likely to report feeling awe, after which they were more likely to help a stranger than people who looked at an equally tall but far less awe-inspiring building.

Gorges du Verdon – France – February 2020

“Experiences of awe attune people to things larger than themselves,” says Piff. “They cause individuals to feel less entitled, less selfish, and to behave in more generous and helping ways.” The benefits of awe are physical too: regularly experiencing moments of awe has been linked to lower levels of inflammatory compounds in the body.

Here are some reasons why nature is beneficial to us all and why I seek it out whenever possible when I travel.

Nature teaches you that there is nothing wrong with you.

When you’re in nature, you don’t have to look in mirrors. Instead, you’re either focused on the setting around you, or on what you are doing, like climbing, setting up a tent, or gardening. Studies show that people’s body image improves when we spend time in nature, and I think this is part of the reason why.

When you’re alone in nature, or with a loving friend or group of people, you get sweet relief from sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, classism, and all the other ways we oppress, stigmatize and belittle one another.
On the contrary, nature displays incredible diversity in all her glory. There are fat trees and skinny ones, short ones and tall ones. Within a single clump of yellow flowers, you might see a pink one and realize that it’s a mutation. In nature, we don’t say ‘How wrong! That flower is different; that tree is fat!’ Instead, we say, ‘How beautiful!’ This impacts us below the level of thought.

Rumelihisarı – Istanbul – Turkey – May 2019

Time slows down.

Urgency, deadlines and “clock time,” as measured by hours, minutes and seconds, melt away. Clocks teach us to abandon the natural rhythms of our bodies and the Earth and conform to a schedule rooted in our economic system. That creates a lot of stress.

On the flip side, nature models a healthier pace of life. Trees and plants grow s – l – o – w – l – y. Deer graze calmly. Rabbits and squirrels scamper about, but that is their natural pace. Everyone is moving according to their natural rhythm, and you begin to do the same.

Nature models “just enough” sustainability.

Our culture teaches us that we never have enough. We strive to make more money, buy more things, eat more delicious food. Mainstream culture also encourages us not to think about how this over-consumption affects others, such as the sweatshop laborers who make our clothes, or the people and animals who depend on a climate in balance.

In contrast, ecosystems embody harmony and balance. Trees grow to a height that reflects the nutrients and water immediately available. Squirrels store the right amount of food to get them through the winter. (Imagine how absurd it would be if squirrels expected their collection of nuts to grow exponentially without any effort on their part – as we do with our investments!) Quietly witnessing this balance and harmony is like a salve in the wound of over consumption.

You surrender comfort and control.

Our culture propagates the harmful myth that we should strive to be as comfortable as possible, to make life as pleasurable as possible, and to resist hardship as much as possible. No myth has made us unhappier as a people. We simply can’t be pleasured or comfortable all the time. We can’t control everything. Trying to achieve permanent comfort and control leads to a dull, meaningless life that kills the soul.

Nature calls you back to reality. You can’t stop it from raining. You can’t delay the setting sun. You can’t set the temperature to a comfortable 21 degrees Celcius. If you’re climbing a mountain, your muscles are going to burn. But with this surrender comes relief! You awaken from a dream and realise how little control you really have. You remember that hardship and lack of control are part of life, and accepting this reality makes it not only bearable, but possible to feel the joy of being alive.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen – Germany – October 2009

Nature reminds you of death so you can appreciate your life and its natural cycles.

In most parts of the world, we do everything we can to avoid the knowledge that we, and everyone we love, are going to die. In nature, you encounter dead trees all the time. And, behold!—they’re nursing young plants to life. You walk through a burnt-up area and see a profusion of wildflowers thriving in the newly enriched soil. You might even see animal skulls and bones. When we come face to face with death, we value our own life more, the present moment more, and experience surges of joy to be alive. Many cancer survivors know this truth well from a harsh encounter with death. Nature eases us into this reality.

As the noise of our crazy culture fades, your mind calms and you experience silence and stillness.

What a relief! Enough said.

You behold the beauty of nature.

How is such majesty possible? The strength of that mountain, standing there for all those years! The miracle of this single flower, infused with sunlight. The revelation of a tree, rooted deep in the earth, stretching to the sky, and bearing silent witness to the world around it! You feel awe and joy and are whole again.

You remember that you are connected to all living things.

You feel that you belong to this Earth. That you are part of the community of nature. You are made of the same substance, and that you are no better – and no worse – than that bird, that tree, that other human walking up the trail.

You remember who you truly are.

You feel comfortable in your own skin, you experience your own quiet peace and strength, you sense the inner you that is the true you. The mask you present to the outer world is irrelevant for a time, and put in its proper place.

Matka Canyon – North Macedonia – January 2020

You experience the Divine.

Whether you call it God, Mother Earth, the Great Mystery or by another name, nature helps you connect with this powerful, loving presence. You might feel this presence loving and supporting you. You might receive guidance and wisdom. Nature brings you closer to our own spirit and to Spirit.