The Beneficial Effects of Being One with Nature

Speak to just about every walker, camper, hunter, or nature lover you know of, and most likely, they will begin to tell you about the numerous positive effects it has on their overall wellbeing. Mike Honeycutt, a critically-acclaimed author and an avid outdoorsman, hunter, explorer, and survivalist, can ultimately attest to this, as seen in his books. 

In circumstances where you’ll be consumed by problems of your current career or social life, have you never felt the primal desire for that refreshing change in scenery and lung-full of clean air to get your thoughts off of it all—that brief chance to get away from everyone else and restart your system? Even if you’re going outdoors to expand your mind amid a busy day of working, you’re witnessing what can be seen in the reality of other people daily, but on a much lesser level.

People use a significant amount of their day inside during work and private life, particularly citizens residing in urban and metropolitan centers. When the stress factors of the day mount and burden our heads, our emotional and physical wellbeing begins to deteriorate as the stress takes its toll on our health. We establish a perfect inner environment for pressure, fear, exhaustion, and sadness because we do not take good care of our mental and physical health at times. 

Prominent outdoorsmen throughout history have adamantly reinforced the idea that nature has healing powers. In modern times as medical science and technology continue to make breakthroughs in all corners of study, we may now thoroughly observe and prove the beneficial properties of being outdoors on a human being’s health.

Recent research has yielded evidence that alludes to the idea that humans are more physically and mentally stable when situated and integrated into nature. Our biological functions respond positively to natural stimuli, no matter how long the exposure may last – meaning the longer that we stay interacting with nature, the longer we enjoy its regenerative benefits on our health. 

Many scientists debate this theory, and only a few of them genuinely agree with it. However, subjectivity is at play in this specific endeavor, and if being outdoors makes one feel happier and healthier, then, by all means, they should have every right to do so to their benefit. 

One central aspect of the healing properties of nature is the way it augments our mental health. Taking a walk through nature can significantly relieve the symptoms of depression, overthinking, and stress. 

You may assume that a quick stroll somewhere outdoors qualifies as your “natural remedy,” but it depends where you stroll. People are far less satisfied than those who enjoy a jog in a nature reserve compared to wandering through communities dominated by cars and houses. You may think it will be enough for a fast stroll through your neighborhood to free your mind, but your subconscious could still hone in on any noisy disruptions and disturbance going on in your immediate or distant surroundings. Although you may not be actively interested in the commotion, your capacity to wind down is still hampered; your subconscious can’t be at ease, nor can your physical self.

At the same time, being integrated into nature connects us with other fellow humans. Similar to the profound and beneficially introspective thoughts of self-improvement and self-realization that certain natural substances may manifest in human consumers’ minds, the mere exposure to nature and unity of one with nature is a powerfully-healing force in itself, one that ancient shamans have believed in for thousands of years.

The clarity of mind that stems from the refreshing embrace of an outdoor trip may resensitize us to who we are as human beings – it briefly takes away the barrier between ourselves and the world that society has forged into our minds and removes the lenses of cultural conditioning, reminding us that we are ultimately all human and that meaningful relationships with other humans are something to treasure and reinforce. By disconnecting ourselves from society’s complicated fabrications, we may start to develop more intimate connections with the people in our lives that matter, and in turn, with everyone in general. 

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