If you ask almost anyone what they want out of life, the first thing they would probably say is to live it well. Usually, this involves a desire for good health and a certain level of contentment – an ability to weather the storms. And perhaps a desire for community, a connection with those around us.
Can you believe that we can find all of those things in nature?
1 – Nature Heals
Time spent outdoors in nature is time spent investing in your health. Not only because it promotes getting some fresh air and exercise like we were raised to believe, but because it’s genuinely good for us. Green spaces reduce stress. Our immune system gets a boost, and the exposure to various chemicals found in plants is beneficial.
Those both enable us to better fight issues like inflammation or allergies – and even cancer! People who spend a lot of time in heavily forested areas tend to live longer.
2 – Nature Soothes
Being out in the great outdoors doesn’t just help your body, but it does wonders for your mental and emotional health. Nature has a way of reducing stress. But more than that, studies have shown that it also reduces depression and anxiety, cuts through brain fog, and can even help you to be more creative.
The nice part? The effects of spending a day in the great outdoors will last up to a full week afterward, so you’ll be feeling the benefits for a while to come.
3 – Nature Helps Us to ‘Find Ourselves’
Hand in hand with the last point is the knowledge that not only is nature good for your peace of mind but that the calm it provides also extends to a certain peacefulness within ourselves. It puts us back into balance and centers us in the way that few other things do.
With stress melted away and depression and anxiety at bay, you’re free to finally focus and discover who you are and better define where you want to go.
4 – Nature Connects Us with the Rest of the World
Various studies have proven that spending time in nature builds feelings of empathy and love. When we step out into the world, we’re also stepping out into a larger community who likewise care about these green spaces. It’s this community that unites us with those around us.
With so many benefits, it’s easy to see how nature improves our quality of life. With something so simple as spending time outside, surrounded by the beauty of the growing, vibrant world, we cannot help but grow ourselves and take some of that vibrancy into ourselves.
Nature, then, is what helps us to live our lives to the fullest, on every level.
