Nature's Healing Feeling

Many plan vacations far afield that enable them to “get away from it all.” But what may need to be understood is what exactly “it all” is and where that reality exists—that is, “out there” in the world or “in here” in the person’s head. A walk-through nature, whether it is a park, an arboretum, or a lake-surrounded sanctuary only a short distance from a person’s house, can exert numerous emotionally-calming, physically healing, and spiritually-restoring effects.

“From a stroll through a city park to a day spent hiking in the wilderness, exposure to nature has been linked to a host of benefits, individually improved attention, lower stress, better mood, reduced risk of psychiatric disorders, and even uptakes in empathy and cooperation,” according to Kirsten Weir’s “Nurtured by Nature” article (American Psychological Association, April 1, 2020).

Nature undoubtedly fosters relaxation, reregulation, and serenity in a person, but exactly why this occurs is not entirely understood.

“The biophilia hypothesis argues that, since our ancestors evolved in wild settings and relied on the environment for survival, we have an innate desire to connect with nature,” Weir continues (ibid).

Doing so can be considered a form of “back to basics,” or, more accurately, “back to our roots.”

That a person’s emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual state can improve with an immersion in nature by modifying his perspective and therefore the reality created inside his head, is proven by a Bible quote, which states, “As you think, so you are” (Proverbs 23:7).

Nature’s outside calm creates an inside one, and, as it does, a person’s thoughts change, prompting a change in his momentary state with them. Its benefits are many.

First and foremost, nature enables him to unplug from his everyday environment and routine—not to mention his electronic devices--fostering a disconnection from his concerns, problems, anxieties, and stresses in the process.

Secondly, a natural setting centers the mind, creating metaphysical benefits. According to the University of Wisconsin’s School of Medicine and Public Health, separation from chronic stress fosters self-focus. As the mind centers, the body naturally relaxes with it, since they are inextricably tied.

Because a walk through a natural setting can be considered “down time” from the things that either keep it engaged or obsessed, it can be the equivalent of recharging, the same way a device can be recharged throughout the night when it is not in use.

Disconnection from the sometimes-subconscious thoughts and triggers that create that internal grind decreases the stress hormone levels that keep the treadmill running.

Aside from school, work, or home life, subtle mental stimulations, particularly in urban settings, can result from traffic congestion, flashing lights, honking horns, whaling fire trucks, ringing cellphones, and pollution.

Nature is green and serene. Leaves silently sway in the breeze. The air is purer and fresher. Flowers infuse it with their perfume. And the sounds may be nothing more than the chirp of a bird or the ripple of a lake as a duck paddles on it.

Stress sensations, which may be so persistent that they are accepted as “normal,” diminish.

Finally, because outdoor settings often promote physical activity, such as walking, hiking, running, bicycle riding, and even swimming, along with numerous sports, cardiovascular functioning increases, resulting in the greater production of endorphins—or the brain neurotransmitters that generate that happy feeling.

For those in recovery from any number of addictions or exposure to alcoholism, para-alcoholism, or dysfunction, nature can clam, quell, and heal.

“I sought solace in nature by spending most of my free time in the woods and fields around my home,” according to one Al-Anon member in the program’s Hope for Today text (Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc., 2002, p. 288). “I rested in the fields and watched the streams. I observed animals in the woods and learned about birds and their calls… The peace I felt when alone with nature helped me forget my pain.”

Nature has often provided the inspiration for and purpose of artists, such as Robert Frost and his poetry and Ansel Adams and his photography.

It is also humbling. In the midst of it, a person may realize how small and insignificant he and his problems are in relation to its vastness. While he may believe that this is a man-made world, nature dispels this myth. He, instead, is in a God-made world, and may actually be able to detect His infiniteness in it.

“The beauty of nature—warm summer breezes and the invigorating snap of cold winter air—had comforted me as nothing else could,” Hope for Today continues (ibid, p. 288). “Without me knowing it, God had allowed me to heal slowly in His natural world.”

Most of all, nature restores the soul, enabling a person to reconnect with the true self that life’s adversities, obstacles, tensions, and falsities gradually take away.

Robert G. Waldvogel has earned the Interdisciplinary Certificate in Behavioral Health for Late Adolescence and the Emerging Adult and a Postgraduate Certificate in the Fundamentals of Cognitive Behavioral Treatment at Adelphi University’s School of Social Work. He has led Twelve-Step support groups on Long Island for the past decade, and created the Adult Child Recovery-through-Writing, and the Strengthening Our Spirituality Programs taught at the Thrive Recovery Community and Outreach Center in Westbury. He is a frequent contributor to Wisdom Magazine.