Immersing yourself in nature can have a real therapeutic effect on your wellness. I found this out this past Labor Day weekend. My wife and I visited one of our daughters and her husband and their four young girls at their campground a few hours from our home. We spent most of the day with them. It was extremely relaxing and calming to sit near their campfire and talk and also to later walk about the forest area with the grand children.
This son-in-law has a very stressful job. He is in the construction business; I mean the big commercial buildings and complexes type of construction business. He has a very responsible position. And, he has a very highly overstressed overachiever and micromanager for a supervisor. This leaves him very stressed out at the end of most days—and that affects his whole family. That was the reason behind their decision to purchase a nice camping trailer. They wanted to “get away from it all” whenever they needed to.
At first I was somewhat skeptical of their decision. I thought it was a lot of money to spend just to go to various campgrounds from time to time to “just relax,” as they put it. But after this past weekend, I certainly changed my mind. I could see the good effects on my son-in-law. And my daughter and grand children all seemed to be more relaxed—mainly because “daddy” was.
As we drove home, I thought about it more. What is it about the natural surroundings, as in that campground area, that causes such a good effect? It has to be “nature’s” special ingredients. They are in fact quite simple: the quiet ruffling of the leaves in the wind, the clean crisp outdoor air, the sweet smell of flowers and spruce trees. All that in itself seemed like a good dose of “aroma” therapy.
Add to all that, just being away from the hustle and bustle of everyday chores and assignments and responsibilities give you a certain peace. I certainly felt that. And don’t forget the quiet talk and fellowship enjoyed in such a serene setting. It not only gives you a chance to talk, but also to think. It is almost magical.
What is my point in all this? It certainly is not to sell you on the idea of buying a camping trailer or a camping tent and equipment. It is just to share with you my realization of the importance of immersing yourself in nature’s backyard every chance you can. It will really help relieve the stress that may have built up within you.
There are other ways, of course, to reap the benefits of nature and its effect on a person’s stress levels. I know. I personally like to walk through our local park which isn’t far from our home. It has a nice mile or so long path around a large pond with fish jumping and ducks swimming and turtles sunning themselves. It is especially nice under the blue skies and floating clouds, but I seem to enjoy those walks through nature even if it is a cloudy and drab day. It still seems to relieve the stress that had built up in me.
My other children also have their touch with nature’s help in relieving the stress that has built up within them. We have joggers in our family. Some like to hike through the woods. And, of course, we all love those outdoor picnics in the fresh air and near the forests in and around our area.
The only way we can benefit by nature’s answer to stress is by making sure that we make good use of it. In our busy schedules, taking the time to do that can be difficult, especially for many of us and our families that seem to be so driven at their jobs and school work and the like. But it needs to be done for our wellness sake.
I have referenced in this blog the poems of Helen Lowrie Marshall in one of her books, A Gift So Rare. One of those poems addresses this very thought that we are trying to make here. Here it is for your eyes.
BACK FROM THE ROAD
Let me go back from the traveled roadAway from the crowds pushing by,To a quiet hill where the woods are still,Serene ‘neath a clean, blue sky.I would go back, far back from the road,
Away from the haunts of men,
I would find peace of mind
where the hidden trails wind,
And strength to return again.
That poem certainly makes the point, doesn’t it? When the stresses of life weaken us, it is certainly the time to go someplace where nature has a chance to undo, or at least dissipate, some of that stress giving us the strength to carry on.
Tags: nature, natures answer to stress, relief from stress, relieve our stress, relieve the stress, relieve your stress, stress, stressed outThis entry was posted on September 7, 2010 at 7:18 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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