FROM SCREEN TO GREEN: REVITALIZE YOUR HEALTH WITH THE HEALING BENEFITS OF NATURE
It’s time to set aside the screens that dominate our lives and dedicate some moments to nature, the ultimate healer.
Tech Revolution: Drifting Away from Nature's Embrace
Once upon a time, life was so simple, but with the advent of technology, life has become mechanical. We can conveniently order what we need online. It can be said that we have become the slaves of technology instead of vice versa. No doubt, time is saved but at the cost of our health.
A plethora of online applications cater to various aspects of our lives, from health and sleep to exercise, shopping for daily essentials, luxury items, medications, and groceries. They extend to meditation, navigation, tracking, sales, work management, traffic updates, music, and beyond. The prevalence of artificial intelligence (AI) is steadily increasing.
It’s imperative to recognize that constant engagement with keyboards, touch screens, and touchpads while navigating through these applications, may be causing more harm than benefit. Our reliance on the speed dial has led to a decline in our ability to recall phone numbers, adversely affecting our memory retention capabilities.
We no longer indulge in that ice cream cone after hours of tagging beside our mother in the market, from one store to another, till she finds the perfect lamp for our home. This diminishes our sense of enjoyment. We no longer enjoy the car-rides to our grand-parents, as we now Face-time them. This diminishes our sense of adventure.
High Time to Put Away the Screens
The time has come to put away the screens that are ruling us and spend some time in Nature, the best healer of all time. When was the last time you took a walk in the park? When was the last time you walked barefoot on the grass? When was the last time you sat on a bench in silence, watching the world go by? When was the last time you felt calm and relaxed? When was the last time you let the sun soak you in its rays? In most cases, the answer will be “I don’t remember”.
“Time spent among trees is never wasted time”
Now is the best time, to increase your focus on Nature and reap its benefits and heal yourself.
Benefits Of Nature
There are myriad benefits of Nature on children and adults.
- CALMNESS: Spending time in Nature calms us and we feel so much at peace, as we are far away from the hustle and bustle of our screen driven lives.
- HAPPINESS: We feel happier as our endorphin and dopamine levels increase in the proximity of nature.
- REDUCES ANXIETY: Our stress and anxiety levels reach an all time low, as are sitting back and relaxing on the midst of greenery.
- LESSENS IRRITABILITY: Our irritability levels subside making us feel more amicable.
- LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE: Our blood pressure and cortisol levels are lowered thereby negating stress and freeing us from the tension of our bustling life.
- BOOSTS IMMUNITY: Our immunity levels touch the ceiling as our health improves, as we are no longer stuck to our chairs!
- BOOSTS COGNITIVES: Our cognitive functions get the much required boost.
- ENHANCES CREATIVITY: Our creative side shows itself as we bask in the glory of Nature, as we are able to focus on other things other than our home and work responsibilities. Children think of new ways to engage themselves in natural surroundings.
- MANAGES PAIN: Our aches and pains gradually diminish and vanish as we are resting our bodies.
- EASES MUSCLE TENSIONS: Our muscles feel more relaxed and freer.
- IMPROVED CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH: Our heart rate stabilises as we are calm and relaxed, thereby improving our cardiovascular health.
- LESSER STRESS PRODUCING HORMONES: Our body produces lesser stress producing hormones, thereby controlling our stress/anxiety levels.
- INCREASED CONCENTRATION: Our concentration span improves, as we can calmly think.
- IMPROVES BONE HEALTH: Exposure to sunrays imparts Vitamin D synthesis that promotes bone health and overall growth in children and adults.
- MINDFULNESS: Nature makes us mindful of ourselves and our surroundings.
- POSITIVITY : Proximity to nature makes us feel more positive and ready to face life.
“It never hurts to keep looking for sunshine”
All in all, Nature keeps our physical and mental facilities in check hereby boosting our self-confidence and self-esteem. Our confidence increases and we are able to look at the bigger picture.
Scientific Studies
In fact studies have time and again supported that Nature heals! It has been observed in a study of 20,000 individuals, that those who spent at least 120 minutes (2 hours) a week in the lap of Nature, be it a park or elsewhere, showed better health and well-being.
In a 2022 study, published in “International Journal of Mental Health and Addition” it was observed that “Nature therapy is an effective short-term treatment for mental health conditions, most notably anxiety. Participants felt positive after spending 15 minutes in natural surroundings for nine consecutive days.
It can be said that when we focus on our sensory organs like sight, sound, smell taste and touch (being mindful) or spend some time in a garden or such natural habitat, depression and anxiety levels are greatly reduced.
Nature Heals Our Planet
Nature provides various benefits to our planet.
- Increases green cover: The more the number of trees, the more pure is our air. The increase of green patches in our cities cools the atmosphere and brings down the temperatures, which is very much required.
- Pure water: The wetlands purify the drain water and natural waterways with the help of reeds, plants and algae that filter toxins, chemicals, harmful bacteria and sediments, further broken down by small animals and microorganisms present in the silt. This purifies the water in our rivers, lakes, creeks and waterways.
- Climate: The wetlands break down and store carbon instead of releasing it all in the atmosphere. This increases the oxygen levels in the air, making it easier to breathe.
- Flood management: The green cover soaks up excess water from heavy rainfall which is gradually released in the environment and stabilizes the creek/lake and river banks. The marshes and mangroves protect the shorelines by slowing the process of erosion from floods. “Storms makes trees take deeper roots” – Dolly Parton.
- Crops: The more natural the surroundings, the more the use of lesser chemicals in fertilizers/pesticides, thereby enhancing the natural flavour of the crops, which are healthier.
- Dairy: The use of natural food for the livestock increases their yield and gives us fresh and unadulterated produce like milk, eggs etc.
- Medicine: There are numerous herbs and plants have medicinal healing properties as propagated by Ayurveda. Proper upkeep of such herbs and plants is beneficial to us.
The Solace of Nature
All we need to do is move out from our cement and brick abodes, and revel in nature. A walk in the park, a visit to a village, a hike on the hills, a picnic in the garden, a weekend at a farmhouse etc. After all, if we are getting the benefits of a healthier life, why shouldn’t we adopt this lifestyle? Moreover, being close to nature makes us ponder about our life and learn ways to deal with our day-to-day life challenges. “I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles. – Anne Frank.
No wonder we call it “Mother Nature” as it nurtures. Nature heals us but we should also allow it to heal itself by protecting the environment, reducing toxic and plastic waste, conserving natural resources, planting more saplings, curtailing the construction of buildings (as we are living in a concrete jungle), preserving the existing green cover, reducing carbon footprints, reducing pollution, ensuring that the earth is safe for itself and for us.
“Choose only one master – Nature”
So get, set, go and do your thing – run in the fields, sit under a tree, plant saplings, tend to your terrace garden, soak up the sun on a park bench, watch the waves on a seaside, climb a tree, go camping, take a hike, whatever you are most happy doing.
“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.
Let us all nurture ourselves in nature and live happily ever after.
- Medicine
- Nutrition And Diet
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Couldn’t agree more !
So true
Very informative, knowledgeable and impressive blog. I learned new things about holistic approach to a balanced balanced development of the body, mind and soul. Thanks and best wishes.