By Marnie Houston, Certified LOA Life Coach & Founder of Harmonic Success Coaching
Over the last week I’ve had plenty of opportunity to spend time outdoors at the lake.
With time to reflect and reconnect with nature and myself.
I remember when I would head out of the city after work on Friday that I could literally feel the stress sliding off my shoulders and upper back as I drove towards the lake.
It was if my whole body felt a sense of relief as it looked forward to “relaxing time” in nature.
There is a scientific reason why we ache for vacation. An article in “Best Health” talked about adults and children suffering from Nature Deficit Disorder which is a medical condition for spending too much time indoors. The article talked about being disconnected from nature and how it affects their emotional and physical well-being. It also doesn’t surprise me that there is a direct correlation between the declining time spent outdoors and the decline of emotional and physical well being.
The article pointed out that with more and more people working with computers and being connect 24/7 to some form of electronics (cell phones, PDA’s or video games) that they are becoming more physically unfit and more emotionally disconnected.
It also pointed out that there are now special therapist called ecotherapist who now help people reconnect with nature. The importance of nature has a huge effect in everyone’s life. Apparently people who take as little time as an hour a week saw a benefit and after continued exposure to nature was able to decrease the anti-depressant medications they were taking.
So it only makes sense if you want to connect with yourself more to spend time in nature and enjoy the beauty around you. Turn off your cell phone, PDA, laptop or any other devices that could distract you from nature. Sit down in a beautiful place, pause, take deep breaths, admire the simple things you see around you. Open up all your senses and connect to your heart center. Imagine your heart opening up like a beautiful lotus flower. Your heart center is absorbing in all the beauty and serenity around you.
The next time you see a spider web, stop and admire the intricately of it. Or the next time you see a beautiful rainbow or sunset. Stop, take a minute or two to just take the beauty of nature in and connect with the beauty of it. Let it be absorbed within your heart.
It only takes a minute or two and it is the best thing you could do for your health and yourself!
I will not be writing my next blog until Aug. 22nd. So please stay tune, I look forward to reconnecting with my readers!
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