I’ve been working on an article about outdoor vacations and in my googling about (or that process otherwise known as research) I came across this study. Proof yet again that we are organic creatures and very connected to our environment. Or put more correctly, very much in need of being connected to our environment.
I know for a fact that when I can’t sleep, I just need to place all my focus on the ocean waves rushing at the shore outside our window, and even if it doesn’t put me to sleep, I can feel the deepening of my breath to match the surge and pull of the waves. It is immediately easier to relax.
And on Fridays when I hike with my friends in the nearby moss and fern forest, it is not just because of the great discussions we have that we’ve dubbed it Trail Therapy. Nature is restorative. We are linked in more ways than we’ve begun to understand. Maybe hugging a tree isn’t such a bad idea…
Interesting article and it makes sense. Many criminologists also believe that the same urban issues that you describe contribute to crime.
Yes, thanks for your comment. The crime connection makes complete sense. There is just so much evidence that we cannot afford to be cut off from the natural environment.