The Many Benefits of Getting out into Nature
The Many Benefits of Getting out into Nature
June 6, 2011 by Taylor Studios
I learned the benefits of nature as a child. My childhood was spent outside. We raised animals and we respected wildlife. I fell in love with horses the moment my nose touched one. When that first dog nose touched me my heart was captured. I spent any time I could exploring the farm, mostly on horseback. I knew the creeks, pastures and hillsides like the back of my hand. In times of trouble, sadness or trauma I sought out nature and my animal friends. They soothed and healed me.
Today my life is still full of nature. As I’m writing this in my home office, I’m looking out onto a sea of green. My home is full of windows and surrounded by trees looking onto a river.
I also own a little farm with pastures, a river, old oak trees, prairie and more. And I still have my four legged companions. Nature is my therapy. It offers balance, peace, awe and a sense of wonder. It can also bring exhilaration, fear and sadness. Nature can be harsh. I’ve been bucked off horses, bit by wasps, charged by an elephant, lost animal friends, struggled in fast flowing water, seen predators do their thing and walked bare skinned through stinging nettle.
More people live in urban environments now than at any time in human history. People are losing touch with nature. Research indicates kids born in the last three decades have lost touch with nature. Yet the benefits of nature are innumerous. Poets have recognized these benefits for centuries. Nature is beneficial to our mental, physical and spiritual health.
Here are some of the widely proven benefits of getting out into nature:
Taylor Studios will continue the quest to inspire people with our natural history exhibits. How often do you get out into nature?