Repetitive contact with nature can help prevent mental illness, and something welcomed in today’s ever-changing digital world.
Walking, jogging, or riding a bike in nature has potent benefits for the nervous system. As objects in nature pass by the peripheral visual field, it creates an optic flow. This movement reduces neural activity in the amygdala, whereby existing fears and anxieties can dissipate.
In addition to nature‘s visual impact on mental health, studies also show that nature’s sounds are healing. Two hours a day of nature sounds can decrease stress hormones up to 800%, activating DNA that can assist in healing and repairing the body. Research shows that listening to birds and their songs can transcend negative emotions into peaceful positive ones.
Today, people often struggle with the societal demands placed on them, with no good outlet to metabolize difficult emotions.
Emotions are simply energy in motion, so if there is no way to move them out, they get stuck in the body. Painful emotions stored in the body create illness and eventual disease over time if not recognized and treated. To avoid that, I highly recommend movement therapy in one’s life as a preventative measure.
Being by the sea is not just a beautiful and enjoyable experience. Numerous studies have proven that being by the sea positively affects your brain and mental health. The air alone has a charge of healthy negative ions that help make us feel at ease. Negative ions also balance serotonin levels, which creates a natural antidepressant effect.
Walking on the sand barefoot provides a reviving effect. Feet contain a network of nerves that absorb free ions from the surface of the earth. This also strengthens the muscles. Grounding in nature (near a forest or the sea) is essential as it creates a calm, soothing and therapeutic feeling.
The water has several minerals, such as iodine, potassium, and magnesium. These minerals also help in healing and detoxification.
Swimming is movement therapy, a powerful source of metabolizing our emotions and increasing our well-being.
Waves crashing is sound therapy that helps to unwind our mind, creating a relaxing meditative state that helps reduce stress.
Depression and anxiety can come at any season or time in life when triggers or PTSD are present. Therefore these natural healing modalities are best to utilize upon such onset of states. The effects are immediate but not permanent.
As emotional states are simply energy in motion, they come and go just like seasons. Sometimes people can get “stuck.” These natural modalities are merely nature’s tools available when one has difficulty metabolizing their strong emotions or wants to uplift their emotional well-being.
