A lot of people reading this blog post live in a (major) city, and nature may be a drive away. As much as we love congregating with other human beings, we’re not sure the healthiest, optimal structure for longevity is a high-rise apartments separated by drywall and concrete.
Unquestionably, everyone recognizes the healing power of nature; we travel to places with bodies of water, forests, trees, and wildlife. In fact, moving water constitutes one of the top methods for stress reduction available to us. We recommend go sit in sand during sunrise and watch the waves crash ashore for 30-45 minutes. A night spent under the stars is all it takes to forget about the trivialities of your day to day for a few hours.
Despite knowing this, we lock ourselves in tall office buildings (yes, we understand out of necessity to make a living). We are trapped with artificial light, eat snacks that are wrapped in plastic, and lack the time for movement.
What if you could swap just an hour or two of time spent inside and go find nature? How might you feel different? How might your mood change?
First, spend some time thinking about how you might achieve this and when heading outside into nature might be most beneficial for you. Can you wake up for sunrise? Take a walk after lunch?
Bring Nature to the Office
One of our friends in Chicago is doing something really interesting for work teams; “walking meetings.” Spot (https://www.meetwithspot.com/), the company, has software that transcribes call audio into notes as well as tracks steps and movement activity across teams. No laptops needed! It is a great way to get a little friendly competition in the work place. We love this.
To clarify, you don’t need to vacation to an ocean somewhere to “find nature.” Seek out your nearest park, garden, river, lake, or grassy area and relax for a few minutes. Maybe even slip your shoes off and walk barefoot!
The goal is natural light and natural surfaces with bonus points for consuming whole foods (fruits, vegetables, and other foods that don’t have color added…) on your break.
Set the Time
Second, set a goal for the amount of time per week that you’d like to be outside on purpose. Put this time into your calendar, or create rules for specific activities (e.g., “Every earnings call I’m listening to I’ll walk to this park and sit here for X minutes”).
Lastly, want today to be the best day ever? Go find nature.
Are you looking to connect with nature this November? Join us in El Salvador for our Fall Wellness Retreat. Inquire here!
