Embracing Spiritual Wellness in Nature
By Brooke Girse
Connect with nature today!
Connect with the great outdoors
One of the best things you can do for your mental health and well-being is to find ways to connect with something bigger than yourself. It is a great way to learn more about yourself and those around you, and it also keeps you connected to like-minded people and gives you a sense of purpose. There are countless ways to feel connected. Many people feel connected through their church or religious beliefs; others feel connected by volunteering for their community and helping their neighbors. My personal favorite is finding ways to connect with nature, and there are many ways you can do this. Nature is all around us, even in a big city there are ways a person can connect. All you need is some fresh air, a little sunlight, and a true appreciation for the great outdoors.
Enjoy the sunshine
Have you ever felt the need to be outside on a nice, warm sunny day? Or felt depressed or anxious and found that just going out for a short walk in the sunshine seemed to make you feel better? This is because the sunlight makes us happier.! It gives you a nice healthy dose of Vitamin D and this essential vitamin has been known to help your body produce and release serotonin, which is a hormone that can improve our mood, and leave you feeling calmer and more focused. Actually, getting a little bit of sunlight, just about 10-30 minutes a day, several times a week can have many benefits! The vitamin D from sunlight can help control your blood pressure and blood sugar, it improves your immune system and it’s good for your brain and bone health. This kind of connection to the sun is beneficial for your body and your mind.
Connecting to the earth
Grounding, also known as earthing, is a great way to connect with nature, and just like the sunshine, it can have health benefits. Grounding is when you come into physical contact with the elements of the earth. You can walk barefoot in the grass or sand, lie flat on the ground, or swim in a natural body of water such as a pond, lake, hot spring, or ocean. Very little research has been done on this topic, but those who have been practicing grounding have found an improvement in their depression, anxiety, blood pressure, and much more. Additionally, people have reported feeling better after doing some form of grounding. Overall, grounding has been known to benefit mental and physical well-being. Meanwhile, you can find us outside grounding our feet in the grass while we wait for more research on the topic!
Gardening is another great way to feel more connected with nature. Digging in and getting your hands into the dirt, planting seeds, watering them, nurturing them, and watching your plants grow gives you a sense of accomplishment and a connection to nature. You don’t even need to have a yard to grow plants. There are so many creative ideas for creating your own garden indoors. You can have house plants in every room, grow your own herbs on the windowsill of your kitchen, and you can even grow some vegetables in your apartment with the right setup and sunlight.
Look to the sky
Connecting with nature doesn’t have to be confined to Earth, star gazing and looking for the next astrological event is something that helps me connect with nature; a solar eclipse, meteor showers, lunar eclipses, and most recently the Aurora Borealis (the Northern Lights), are a few examples of what to watch for in the night sky. I had the fortunate experience of seeing the northern lights recently. It was a very magical and spiritual experience. They were clear enough to see with the naked eye, and I didn’t need a camera to see them. The lights were bright, colorful, and high above in the sky. It was amazing to be able to see something like that in my own backyard in Idaho, and it gave me a sense of peace and connection to not only the earth but to the universe as well.
These are only a few examples of ways you can connect with nature. What are some of your favorite ways? Camping? Hiking? Fishing? The options are endless. And all of them come with benefits for the mind and body. It’s a great way disconnect from your screens, and to connect with something bigger than yourself, something you can participate in regardless of your financial situation. So, get outside, get some fresh air and vitamin D, admire the stars from a hot spring, and enjoy all that nature has to offer.
References:
https://www.healthline.com/health/grounding#benefits
https://www.goodrx.com/health-topic/environmental/benefits-of-sunlight
Photos:
https://parade.com/1034896/marynliles/nature-quotes/
https://www.istockphoto.com/search/2/image-film?phrase=barefoot+grass