There are so many benefits to spending time in nature! It can help increase the quality of your sleep, reduce depression, and improve mental health. Being in nature can also help control pain and negative stress.
In our high-tech society, it appears to be increasingly difficult to connect with nature, even for kids. Why So Many Kids Don’t Play Outside by Kat Ascharya completely astonished me. She describes twin boys who didn’t know how to play outside and what it took to get them to play in their new treehouse. Today’s children spent little time in unstructured play outdoors even though physical activity helps improve learning, creativity and social skills. I believe the same is true for adults.
As a child, I didn’t have many outdoor experiences, although I did go out and ride my bike and play in the yard with friends. We lived in the suburbs of a large, metropolitan city. I felt an acute longing to play in the woods but my mother didn’t believe it was safe. She told me there were “escaped convicts” in there.
My parents didn’t enjoy the outdoors as much as they enjoyed cultural events. My family loved going to the beach for two weeks in the summer where my sister and I enjoyed the scent of salty air, hot sand, jumping waves, building sand castles, walking on the boardwalk and eating doughnuts. I was in my 20’s before I experienced living in a country settle. Since then, my love and understanding of nature continue to deepen.
Spending time in the mountains this summer has been wonderful. I love the fresh air, changing skies and abundant wildflowers. Allow me play a symphony from Little Goose Falls for you.
No matter where you live, you can spend time outside without spending a lot of money.
- Walk outside, barefoot on your lawn, if you can.
- If you don’t have a lawn, visit a friend who does.
- Or, go to a local park.
- Hike or bike a trail.
- Sit outside quietly.
- Look up at the sky and listen to the birds.
I’m keeping this post short so I can go have some more fun outside! What about you?