The Healing Power of Nature: How Spending Time Outdoors Reduces Stress and Anxiety

Nature: A Simple Wonder 

Have you ever stopped to consciously appreciate the fact that you are surrounded by nature? We are in it most of the time, and yet, for most of the time, we fail to notice it. There are times when I sit outside, and fixate my gaze on a tree, or a flower, and for those brief moments, I am engrossed in the miracle of nature. All the while, it is reminding me that the world doesn’t need me, and in fact, is functioning just fine without me.  

Last week, while waiting for an appointment, I sat in a small, unbothered area of a park, and I was fortunate enough to witness a flock of birds captivating clouds in gentle formations and patterns against the bright blue sky for a few minutes, and the world slowly began to fall away– the phone in my pocket, the park traffic, and even the approaching thunderstorm in the distance, a welcomed dirty grey. I feared for the birds, and I was greatly distressed to witness the birds and traffic for the approaching storm. I was even angry– the world was going to be working hard, and I was going to be endlessly trying to break the flow. foolishly working against the clouds and trying to rain.

The sounds of the wind or the earthy smell when it rains. They do not really provide any entitlement, but they fill you with calm. They just pass when you do not pay attention.