There’s so much evidence to show we are designed to not just survive, but thrive in our natural world. Just being in nature; countryside or woodland enhances our energy and mood with several physiological changes. And the more we 'engage' with it, the more we benefit.
Nature provides us with the important nourishment to live and to thrive; the food of the earth, oxygen, sunlight, water. The Western, rather reductionist approach often wants measures - Vitamin D levels, hydration, calories - and if we have these, were set. But food is more than calories, sunlight is more than vitamin D and being in nature is nourishing us in a far more complex and diverse way. We cannot simply extract bits and hermit away in our houses!
When we stop and think about our modern living, it can feel like we are in the Truman show (on an artificial film set). We are far away from how we have evolved or been designed.
We live in a heated box, under unnatural lighting amongst a concrete world and can potentially go for days, weeks without even a brief touch of the natural earth or feeling the warmth of the sun on our skin. Contrasting to the image of our ancestors, roaming the land, picking the wild fruits of the earth, living aligned to the seasons and the daylight hours.
It seems as though nature has been so intricately designed to be so perfectly nourishing for not only us humans, but to consider humans as a cog in the most complex machinery of the ecosystem. With the cycle of nutrients being passed through and recycled in the most unbelievable concept that is not even fully understood.
Since we are considered as the most intelligent of the animal kingdom (questionable?), we can be disrespectful of nature and think we can use engineering to ‘cheat’ nature, but mostly, there are lots of examples of how man ‘messing’ with nature has not only been unsuccessful but has been damaging.
We mess with food production and design our land in such as way to ‘save’ our energy and reduce our contacts with the natural world which ultimately seems to be seeing us faultering. In fact, we are changing things in a way that is killing us and our planet.
We've become disconnected from our natural world
We need to reconnect
We need to come to our senses – quite literally. We are, as one species, killing our own habitat. Our worldwide population has grown so much so, that our individual behaviours are having a significant impact.
When you think the impact of one person we have to multiply that by 7 billion - its a significant imprint! Conversely, if we can all collectively positively imprint the earth, that ripple effect can be so powerful in reverse.
It has become apparent we need to make changes quickly - there is hope. Like the re-emerging wildlife coming back to the Chernobyl nuclear disaster site. We need to preserve and rebuild the biodiversity of the wildlife and plants in areas that have been affected. This will not only allow our planet to thrive, but this will mean we thrive as a species too.
We can all start to make small steps to connecting back to nature; In fact research has shown looking at images of the natural world and having plants in our living environment has shown to have some beneficial effects but there's nothing like getting out in the 'real thing' whenever you can!
Simple ways to connect to nature
Get direct sunlight onto our skin by simply getting outside more - important in the morning to help with your bodies natural circadian rhythm
Walks in the woods, countryside and green spaces
Get in the garden - touch the soil!
Cold exposure to get away from the comfort of the warmth - cold showers are a great start
Go barefoot on natural ground - grass, sand, beach amazing for grounding
Having plants in the home.
Even looking at pictures of beautiful landscapes have been shown to be beneficial - when you can get out in the real thing!
Try to avoid always going out with earphones/technology. We benefit from more engagement - hearing the sounds, noticing the birds, appreciating the beauty etc.
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