Are you Taking Advantage of Nature's Health Benefits?

More nature equals more health and well-being

The alarm goes off and the morning sun is shining on the window. It feels good to wake up into the light after a long and dark winter. Yet, I still can’t stay in bed and enjoy the sun because I already am in a hurry. My morning routines are taking too long and I feel stressed. I’m late. I run from the front door to the car and drive to work. Did I see a yellow coltsfoot on the side of the ditch?

Commuting is painful. Too many cars and too much exhaust smoke. The grey freeway is bordered with concrete noise barriers. The sun dazzles and my head begins to ache. I arrive at the gloomy office and dive in to the busy atmosphere. The following eight hours will be spent in pale artificial light and stuffy indoor air.

The rush doesn't show the signs of abating even after work. I've promised to play a couple of rounds of badminton but my head still aches. After coming home late in the evening it’s raining but I’m too tired to rush into the house. I see again the yellow coltsfoot. I feel like to calm down and look around. Sturdy trees and bare shrubs are looking somehow so kind and friendly. I find myself longing for nature and its growth and freshness. Oh, if I could get the vitality of nature near me more often.

Could this everyday story be a fragment of your life? Chronic hurry bothers many of us nowadays. Work and hobbies fill the time we are awake and the last third of the day we spend under the blanket hoping to get enough rest to cope the next busy day.

Even seeing green plants decreases the heart rate and blood pressure, relieves muscle tension and increases precision

Even though outdoor activities and spending time in nature increases wellbeing we still spend 90% of our time indoors. When was the last time you sensed the genuine closeness to nature and its charming fragrances?

Bring nature inside

Liisa Tyrväinen, a professor in Forest Research Institute says that closeness to nature is an effective way to recover from stress and strain. Even seeing green plants decreases the heart rate and blood pressure, relieves muscle tension and increases precision.

At work we often need to push hard and use all of our brain power. We may not realize that recovering from mental work is just as important as from physical slog. There is no reason to wonder the shattered feeling after a long working day, even if the day is spent sitting and writing reports. Stamping grounds close to nature also helps you to deal with negative thoughts and feelings and anxious mood.

Nature hikes and even quick visits outside the office calms both the mind and the body. In the middle of the intense daily routine and tight schedule heading towards forest path might feel like a distant dream. Bringing the genuine nature inside is no longer future. Or what would you say about the work day breathing the purest indoor air in the atmosphere bursting with the greenery?

Read here what Olli Iso-Mustajärvi from the health and wellbeing training house Mobra Finland Ltd tells about the benefits of natural indoor air and green plants growing without soil.

Source: Lecture by Liisa Tyrväinen, the professor in Forest Research Institute (in Finnish)