Nature Is Inviting Us Every Day

By Yar Zar Myint Zan

EVERYONE wants to possess good health. As long as they live in the world, they want to be healthy, wealthy, and happy. It is not amazing that an enjoyable life cannot be obtained by everyone. Many of them are under the torture of their infirmity. To reduce or to escape such a situation, the following article will make you somewhat benefit, I think.

When you imagine a therapy session, what do you see? A calm office interior, or a quiet consulting room? While this may indeed be the typical setup for counselling, many therapists are now offering alternative environments to support their clients. And stepping outside of these traditional expectations enables professionals to bring the human/nature connection into the present.

Nature therapy, also known as walking therapy, wilderness therapy, and eco-therapy - is the practice of being outside surrounded by nature. This can be in any open space, whether that be in a garden, a park, or the countryside, and is usually facilitated by a therapist who will be there to support and help the growth of the client.

Of course, this concept is nothing new, although it is now gaining more popularity. Nature and the natural world is a wonderful resource, which has always been available to us, and it offers us the opportunity for a connection to enable us to gain clarity, create perspective, feel inner calm, and aid growth and healing. Trees, plants, animals, birds, the elements, and not forgetting the cycle of the seasons - all of these can be our teachers. They can mirror our feelings, and offer us the opportunity to increase our self-awareness.

Try nature therapy for yourself

Take a moment today to step outside - if you have a garden, you could head there, or to a local park if there’s one nearby. Even if this is not possible, simply being outside in the fresh air can be a good starting point. Once outside, close your eyes and take several deep breaths.

Focus on listening to the sounds around you, and feel your body relaxing and responding to your breath. By removing ourselves from the confines and brick boundaries of a building, and instead of transporting ourselves outside into an open space and filling our lungs with fresh air, we can immediately feel the benefit and a sense of wellbeing.

With various activities available such as walking, observing, and meditating, we are able to involve all of our senses, which then helps us to develop our connection to the natural world that surrounds us - of which we are an intricate part. Often this is something we forget, or indeed we believe our busy lifestyles do not allow for it.

The next time you are out, perhaps for a walk or just sitting on a bench, you can make a conscious effort to notice the beauty of nature by listening to a bird sing, or maybe touch the trunk of an ancient tree; both these experiences connect our emotional attachment to that which surrounds us in nature.

This experience of connection may be further explained by studies that have been done using fMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scans to measure the brain’s activity. When participants viewed various nature scenes, the parts of the brain that are associated with empathy and love were shown to light up, however when the participants then went on to view urban scenes, the parts of the brain associated with anxiety and fear were activated. This suggests that nature really does inspire feelings that connect us not only to one another but also to our environment. It is in this environment that we are able to work through our issues, and find our own unique potential and sense of wellbeing; the outdoors offers us a safe and inspiring space in which to do just this.

How does nature therapy differ from traditional, indoor therapy?

There are numerous scientific studies that have delved into the benefits of nature, with the payoffs including improved mood, motivation, concentration, and creativity, as well as our ability to problem-solve. There is even evidence from a 2016 study in Environmental Health Perspectives which suggest that exposure to green spaces can help you live longer!

Furthermore, our physical health also benefits as, amongst other things, our heart rate and blood pressure are reduced, with research published in the Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation finding that spending time in a horticulture therapy program following a cardiac event even supported patients’ recovery.

Just by being outside, and perhaps walking at a gentle pace, this informal and less intense approach can feel less intimidating to the client, and they can often find it easier to begin talking about their feelings and experiences.

In fact, the act of walking itself can be meditative, and for some people, the talking element and opening up can be much easier when done side by side, rather than when facing one another. If speaking face-to-face is something that might concern or intimidate you, nature therapy could be a good avenue to explore to help you feel more comfortable.

Do Plus, in a very literal sense, the act of standing upright, and putting one foot in front of the other, is the most positive and primal way of stepping out on the path toward self-discovery and fulfilment. Both the body and mind are inextricably linked, so to move forward physically can also metaphorically help one mentally. To be able to combine these two processes can help further the progress.

This is particularly the case when we feel ‘stuck’, or that we have little control over our personal situation. In these instances, this form of therapy can often bring an added sense of freedom over conventional therapy in an indoor space, when done side by side, rather than when facing one another.

If speaking face-to-face is something that might concern or intimidate you, nature therapy could be a good avenue to explore to help you feel more comfortable.

Therapy outdoors also encourages natural and social interactions and a feeling of ‘connection’ with the wider world. This reconnection reminds us humans that we really are all part of the ecosystems around us, rather than separate from them. Here, I would like to mention my own experience with it. I have cardiovascular disease. I have had a little difficulty with breathing for about a few years. As soon as I knew it was in my body, first I consulted a doctor and got a treatment of chemotherapy. However, some pills make me disorders of the bowel as the period of taking medicine got long. Then I headed to our traditional medicine. It also did not also make my agony reduced.

lked frail. I thought it was not suitable I left it as it was. At last, I tried to walk into a room at my house. The room is about 36 feet in length. I walked there up and down for about 30 minutes. While walking, I got dizziness at the time of exercising for about 20 minutes but I went on walking. Then, I decided to get outside to walk. The road in front of my house is a concrete one. It is wide and smooth. At daybreak, there are no traffic and few passersby. I saw it was very convenient. I chose two lamp posts nearest to my house. Although it was not in the forest, in the park, or in the fields, it was also therapying outdoors. First, I could not walk for 30 minutes. I tried for 20 minutes, then 25 minutes. In 20 minutes, I could walk 12 up and down times between two lamp posts. I took notice that I did not get dizziness outdoors.

I would like to mention another example. It is a man who is 10 years older than me but he is much fitter than I am. His house is on the road that leads to the outside of the town. His family made a concrete lane around the fence of their house compound. As there are no big trees in the house compound, it is clear and can get enough fresh air. Every day when there is no rain, he walks around the house for about 30 minutes. He seems alert and fresh and whenever I see him always with a pleasant smile. He is now 77 but taking township-level duties.

All in all, we were born in Nature, live in Nature, and die in Nature. Although it is really natural, Nature is always inviting us every day.