The Sun is shining where I am. The leaves are green, flowers have bloomed and the air smells fresh.
My family and I have decided we are going to be spending a lot of time outdoors this summer. We’ll be camping, hiking, and kayaking at our local state parks (It’s alot cheaper than a trip to the Grand Canyon). A walk in the woods can be so invigorating!
I’d say it’s probably one of the easiest and cheapest way’s there is to lift your mood.
It’s a scientific fact that nature can boost your spirits!
Check out this snippet from an article I found at http://www.johnvdavis.com/ep/benefits.htm
Decreased mental fatigue, restored mental clarity, and increased sense of well-being. Steven and Rachel Kaplan, of the University of Michigan, and Terry Hartig, of Uppsala University, have shown that nature experiences relieve mental fatigue. As a balance of too much directed attention, nature offers intrinsic interest and a sense of fascination. The restorative effects of a natural environment (whether time in a wilderness setting or a walk in a local nature preserve) leads to renewed attention and positive affect. For example, after 45 minutes of taxing mental work, a walk in a natural area led to better recovery than a walk in an urban area or reading magazines and listening to music (Hartig). Merely looking at pictures of nature scenes (compared to urban scenes) leads to increased sense of well-being. This increased awareness in natural environments ties nature experiences to the strong body of research on Gendlin's Focusing, sensory awareness, and mindfulness (Gendline; Schroder; Sewall).
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