ecologyofcaringblog.com

Researchers have found interacting with nature to have similar effects as meditation. (Marc Berman, Univ of Michigan).  I don’t know about you but every time I try meditation to relieve stress or relax, I find myself more anxious than ever before.  “Stilling the mind” almost drives me mad!  I recognize that meditation takes practice.  I just personally don’t have the patience.  So when I read this research it really excited me.  It shouldn’t have surprised me because I regularly stare out into nature, watch the birds, ducks, deer or other wildlife outside my window when I’m feeling totally stressed or just can’t come up with a creative idea if my life depended on it.  And it rarely fails me.

The View from my window

Somehow though, to have those feelings validated through research causes me to want to intentionally acess nature more often.  Who among us couldn’t use a 20% increase in memory performance and attention span after an investment of just one hour?  I invite you to try it and share your results.  I’ll do the same.  (Just a note:  the benefits were the same when temperatures dropped to 25 degrees as when it was 80 degrees and sunny.)