Thursday, March 30, 2017

Wellness tip: Look out the window.
Stepping outside may not be necessary, or sufficient, to get some wellness benefits of experiencing nature. The beneficial mental effects of the outdoors are not just about fresh air; it is about looking up, looking around, noticing the complex forms of nature.


Various studies, of prison inmates, city dwellers, and college students, all show that VISUAL exposure to the complex forms found in nature, such as clouds, animals, streams, and most powerfully, TREES, is enough to reduce stress, aggression, problems in mental performance, an...d complaints of feeling sick. Just seeing trees through a window or on screen was enough for these benefits!
This doesn't mean you should avoid going outside.  If you take a walk outside or even pass by a window, be sure to LOOK UP at complex natural forms such as trees, clouds or even our imperfect, assymetrical faces; it may just add peace of mind, clarity of thought, and coping ability to your day.



Photo taken by Jim Foley in Holmes County Ohio in March 2017. Taken from the window of my car, so in this moment, I was hopefully getting some wellness benefits without going fully outside. 

1 comment:

  1. Our innate neuronal wiring is inextricably linked to the vibrations, rhythms, and frequency of nature. Reconnecting to the calming influence of the multi sensory inputs in the natural world will down regulate the sympathetic overdrive turned on by our modern, overstimulating, “concrete jungle” society.

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