Connecting to Nature

CONNECTING TO NATURE AND SELF

Living in nature, being at the mercy of it belonged to humans all throughout history. However the last century brought about a change: a great part of humanity left the natural environment. People living in the country, especially those working on the fields still consider nature as an integral part of their life. They don’t work in wild nature anymore, but they still do have a close connection with natural forces like plants, animals, water, rivers, sun, wind, etc. A city at the same time consists of mainly brick, cement, and iron.             

The population in cities is continually growing. According to World Urbanization United Nations Prospects today the 73% of the population lives in towns and cities. This number is increasing at a steady pace. This shift has a great impact on society and natural environments because people and not getting what they need to stay emotionally, physically, and spiritually balanced.  Natural environment are being destroyed to create cities. Along with this, there is a decreasing sense of community and a breakdown of the traditional family unit. Most people in the cities are disconnected their neighbors leaving a lack of the community feeling. It also creates disconnect with self a creates a disconnect with self  as humans are designed with the rhythms of nature.

Studies  have shown that being in natural environments can have positive effects on the mind, body, and soul. Natural environments have calming effect and automatically reduce stress which in turn automatically improves the functioning of the mind which effects the functioning of the body and soul. This all happens with no effort. This is due to phytoncides being released by plants. Phytoncides are airborne chemical compounds that protect trees and other plants from bacterial, fungal, and insect attacks. As they are absorbed through our olfactory glands, these same compounds that protect trees from disease can also boost our human immune system, keeping it strong for days after a single outing. Spending time in nature decreases the levels of cortisol, a stress hormone/anti-depressant, increased skin health, better sleep, lowered blood glucose levels and lessened inflammation. Phytoncide chemicals encourage natural killer (NK) cell activity in the human body. Go for a walk in a wooded area and note how you feel.