Nature Nurtures
“Attention is the place from which all mental states spring”, stated the cognitive psychologist David Strayer from the University of Utah, who specializes in attention. It may seem obvious, but spending time outdoors can be a simple way to regulate mood and decrease stress and anxiety while helping us come into the present moment. What’s interesting and a sign of the times is that we need books to remind us of such basic human necessities. Why? Well, for starters, the average smartphone user now picks up their phone 150 times per day, equivalent to spending 2.5 hours or 38 days a year. Say what?
That’s the quick and easy answer to my why – common sense doesn’t mean common practice. We’ve been experiencing some unraveling of psychological resilience since we’ve shifted to being indoors more often. With growing cities and increased screen time occupying a third of our days, Nature seems to have taken a backseat. Let’s re-explore the brilliance and beauty of the outdoors to tap into the healing and restorative powers it has to offer.
In her book The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative, Florence Williams shares how our nervous systems are built to resonate with set points derived from the natural world. For example, she explains, “the sun primes the retina’s dopamine receptors, and those, in turn, control the shape of the developing eye.” We’re learning what the absence of being outdoors is doing to our retinal cells, but what about our minds?
Experts argue that “we’ve grown more irritable, less sociable, more narcissistic, more distracted, and less cognitively nimble.” Though we can’t blame this on less nature time, Florence Williams argues that a little dose of nature helps us be less reactive, more empathetic, focused, and grounded.
POSITIVITY OFFSET
In the Guide to Stress-Free Living by the Mayo Clinic, there is a condition psychologists call the “positivity offset” – meaning, in the absence of a threat, people perceive their neutral surroundings as positive. “In this state, people begin exploring, engaging, and interacting. For example, some biologists believe this instinct makes us happy when hiking and prompts toddlers to explore. In other words, we experience greater happiness when we focus our attention externally on nature, away from our psychological threats. By neutralizing the negativity bias (a tendency to focus more on the negative than the positive) and decreasing mind wandering, the positivity offset may help you connect better with your loved ones when you spend time together in nature.”
Recalibration of the Senses
To hear the sounds, smell the smells, feel, touch, and see nature’s living beauty is a great gift. By just breathing the forest air, we’re taking in the scents and smells trees emit called phytoncides (tree oils that are produced by the tree for protection from insects), which boost our immune systems. Nature is alive and breathing and giving us health. We evolved in nature, and spending time in natural settings makes us happy. “Scientists are quantifying nature’s ability on our capacity to think, to remember things, to plan, to create, to daydream and to focus as well as how it impacts our social skills” according to Florence Williams and her team of researchers. And most importantly, it just plain feels good. That’s why I step away from my computer, put down my iPhone, and keep going back again and again.
I wish you a fall season full of beautiful colors, crisp air, sweet sounds, and undivided attention to the subtle and vital healing powers of nature.
Attention is the place from which all mental states spring
~David Strayer Ph.D.
