{"id":41790,"date":"2024-10-19T23:09:49","date_gmt":"2024-10-19T23:09:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mishajan.com\/?p=41790"},"modified":"2024-10-19T23:09:49","modified_gmt":"2024-10-19T23:09:49","slug":"what-is-more-open-than-the-great-outdoors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mishajan.com\/what-is-more-open-than-the-great-outdoors\/","title":{"rendered":"What is more open than the great outdoors?\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In Canada, health-care professionals can now officially prescribe time in nature. This speaks volumes to the mountain of research suggesting the benefits of nature for our mental and physical health. Nature is more alive and intelligent than we can imagine (Schlanger, 2024), so it is no surprise that spending time with a tree can restore our energy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nature: A State Beyond Relaxation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve seen that nature exposure leads to increased empathy and creativity by helping us find patterns that we\u2019d otherwise miss (Piff et al., 2015, Stanovic, 2022, p. 36). Perhaps this is due to the mixture of elements in nature that provide just the right amount of stimulation and novelty in a healthy way, allowing us to enter a meditative flow state: the breeze, colours, sound of birds, and the smell of the great outdoors (Xie et al., 2022). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This meditative flow state slows down our brainwaves and allows our body to enter parasympathetic mode, promoting neurogenesis and neuroplasticity in the brain while the body relaxes enough to repair itself (Aust et al., 2022).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nature: The Gift of Vitality<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we experience stress, trauma, burnout or depression, we lack the energy to express emotions or accomplish necessary tasks because our energy is being diverted elsewhere. As a result, we may feel lethargic and have difficulty focusing. This is where the power of outdoor activities can help us shake off the stored tension and restore our vitality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Great Release & Reset <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After animals escape from a predator, they often shake their entire bodies to release the pent-up stress. For example, after gazelles escape an attack, they shake to reset their nervous system and restore a state of calm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does this say about us? Well, as humans we accumulate stress every single day whether we realize it or not. Now presenting: unrecognized daily stressors such as waiting in a boring line, anticipating an email, or directly fearing the consequences after being pulled over by a police officer. These are moments of stress that we all experience varying in duration, intensity, and specificity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Running From Stress<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we do not have a consistent tool in place to release this stress, it may begin to suck us of our vitality. This happens in various ways such as tension in muscles, emotional apathy, fatigue, and a lack of concentration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outdoor Running For Vitality and Freedom<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is one simple tool that can dramatically improve the amount of energy we have for the day: a 10 minute outdoor run in the morning (Oswald et al., p.10). There are lots of studies that provide evidence for outdoor running positively increasing mood, as seen in a scoping review of 116 papers<\/a> (Oswald et al., 2020). Here are two of the many fascinating effects explained at a deeper level:<\/p>\n\n\n\n