A Short Invitation for a Nature Experience

We evolved among nature. And, we are nature. We cannot live now without it (thankfully).??So, we should be intentional about being outside with the plants???and water????and to bring these into our homes, workspaces, and community gathering places.?

??Outside air hosts an abundance of microorganisms from the soil and water that are helpful to human health and may resemble those we have evolved with over millions of years. These beneficial microbes, which are lacking in the air of modern indoor environments, are part of and promoting of our immune system.?In fact, study has demonstrated that Natural Killer (NK) immune cell amount and activity is higher after an experience in nature, an effect that may be sustained up to a month after a nature experience.?

??Trees produce aromatic compounds called phytoncides as part of their own health and protection from bacteria, insects, and fungi.?These plant oils are also a part of how they communicate with each other. Breathed in by us, these may help to lower stress hormone Cortisol levels.?Just two hours of a nature experience has been shown to improve mood and positive thoughts, lead to us being more trusting, helpful, and caring, lessen anxiety and stress, improve memory, boost problem solving and creativity, help us to sleep more fully, and so much more.?Yet, it is beyond just the scent of these plant oils that is likely to lead holistically to this wellness.

??The colors, shapes, angles, texture, sounds, scents, and more of plants and other natural phenomena are evolutionarily more familiar to our senses.?Compared with those of modern indoor environments, experiences in nature may have many ways of activating our rest and digest focused parasympathetic nervous system.?Fractal patterns that repeat themselves over and over, such as the branching of trees, the ripples in water, and snowflakes are what we can identify easily from our past.??And, where there is water and there are plants, we know by years of experience that we won’t go hungry.?These are just some of the psychological signals, which may be below our consciousness, that lead to our feeling of comfort among nature.

So many more positive impacts of being among the essence of Earth can be experienced, but my hope is to offer a few exciting ones that may be beyond our usual perception. In addition to our need for connection with Earth previously mentioned, our bodies have not been designed to be isolated from nature, away from our grounding electrical source of the Earth and the negative ions in the air and instead in the presence of artificially created light all day.?My hope is that this will also show that we need not find the most secluded or grand areas to experience the beautiful benefits. A single tree????outside or a single plant???inside can help us.

We can have a nature experience with ourself or with other people. My favorite dates will always be those spent outside by some water or walking among the trees. What a wonderful way to say ‘I love you’ it is to invite someone to have a nature experience with you. I wish you well and I wish you an everlasting connection with nature.?