The Nature Effect is for Grown-Ups, Too

There exists a vital characteristic of human nature that compels us to continually seek balance in our lives—an equilibrium instinct, if you will. As soon as we feel ourselves getting too immersed in work, hobby, or habit, we can sense our lives becoming slightly out of tune; and we pause to ask ourselves how we can restore harmony. We don’t always attain balance, however, and that feeling of being on the heavy side of the see-saw, unable to push up, leads to all sorts of unhealthy things: sleeplessness, moodiness, depression, and anxiety—even physical illness.

As society moves ever-faster toward a high-tech, hyper-connected, instant-gratification existence, it’s no surprise to hear the inner voice in all of us calling out for a simpler, slower way of life. The Nature Movement is part of that. And for good reason. Nature brings us peace and healing, a true respite from "the real world."

I liken the nature effect to traveling on an airplane by myself (bear with me on this). For me, an admitted do-it-all, yes-person (like most moms), the moment the plane takes off is very relaxing for me because suddenly there is nothing I can do on that plane but sit and stare out the window, maybe listen to some music. I can close my eyes and almost see the words on the to-do list break apart into letters and float away, because I am trapped 34,000 feet above where those tasks reside, and I can’t tackle a single one of them even if I wanted to. It’s forced down time. Of course, I don’t fly too often so this treasured bit of time is certainly not enough to restore balance.

What I’ve found on our recent journeys, however, is that being in a quiet place outdoors has this same effect on me. The difference is that I can make it happen, not by force, but whenever I need it, and wherever I am. Quite frankly, that’s the wonderful part about it. I have found a place, accessible any time, where my body and mind willingly and graciously submit to letting go. Just yesterday, I found myself trapped up in thought and worry to the point I was feeling overwhelmed. I had the luxury of alone time, so I stood up, put on my shoes, grabbed my camera and just started walking around town. I felt the sun. I breathed the air. Surveyed the summer clouds. And, then I ended up taking photos of random flowers and window boxes around town—just going street-to-street and stopping whenever I felt inspired by the colors or the arrangement or the contrast of the flowers against peeling wooden siding. It was instant-gratification and I didn’t even need a password to access it. When I came home, if my spirit could have texted me, it would have said THX : ).

We all have busy lives. And inevitably into those already hectic lives hard times will fall. Some long-lasting, some we have no real control over. Those can be highly challenging and confusing times when we will look anywhere and everywhere for answers, yet they still do not come. Logging into the computer for distraction, solution or solace is something I think we can agree is not always the answer, sometimes it’s just more chatter for an already taxed mind. But re-engaging the part of us that connects organically with the quiet and harmony of the natural world is a possible answer, and we must make time for it.

It is my hope that the nature effect will be a tool for my children, as it has proven to be for me, that they will carry with them as they grow up into a world that will be vastly different from the one we grew up in, and that our parents grew up in. The only way to do that is to commit to exposing them to nature and to allow them to cultivate their own personal relationships with it ... and to be an example of the effect in action. We need to show them that a search engine does not hold all the answers they seek, and how could it? We are individuals, and the wondrous thing about nature is that we connect with it in individual ways and we, therefore, find in it truly personalized healing and balance.

I'm about to begin reading Richard Louv's latest book, "The Nature Principle," to explore the many ways we can all benefit from what he calls Vitamin-N. I hope you will read it along with me.