Hang with Mother Nature

Let nature transform your health.

There is nothing like getting out in the fresh air. It’s refreshing and invigorating and can really lift your mood. It’s not just in your head though; researchers and scientists have actually proven that nature offers tons of health benefits for your body and mind.

In fact, the effects of nature are so powerful that some researchers think we need to conserve our environment for the good of public health.

Nature seems to offer the following benefits:

Stress relief. Being in nature helps you to relax and chill out. It seems to help people to switch off from their worries and stressful routines.

Improved mental clarity. This is a fancy way of saying that being out in nature clears your head. One study showed that after intense mental work (i.e. study), a walk in nature was more restorative than listening to music or reading magazines.

Improved sense of well being. Being out in nature seems to help people just plain feel good.

Improved healing. Being in nature seems to help sick people get well. Some studies have shown that patients heal more quickly on wards with garden views than on regular wards. Even being around plants seems to improve the well being of patients in hospitals.

Increased confidence and levels of self belief. Spending time in nature seems to make people feel that they have more control over their lives and that they can get things accomplished.

It focuses the mind. If you’re walking through a city, you’ll likely encounter obstacles such as cars, pedestrians and lights. These obstacles are not present in nature (unless you fall over a rock of course), and this lack of obstacles seems to recharge mental batteries.

Spiritual benefits. Many people report feeling peaceful and connected to the wider world out in nature.

Better immune system functioning. Getting out in the fresh air really can help shore up your immune system, so that you are less likely to catch that nasty winter cold. There are many reasons for this, but plants particularly seem to help the immune system. They emit certain chemicals to protect them from rotting and these seem to have certain benefits for humans.