Appreciation of Nature & Environment
Mental Wellness for the Soul
How many times have you walked past in the woods and seen a bird you have never seen before or had the privilege of watching a bird feed their babies? Perhaps you live in the country and witnessed a foal frolicking around the mother horse, kicking and running with so much energy it brings you a huge smile. Spending time in nature and appreciating the wonders of animals can benefit your mental health and physical wellbeing. There are numerous articles about nature and how paying attention to your environment and bringing green space, gardens, watching animals outdoors will improve your mood, reduce feelings of stress and anger, connect you to your community, reduce loneliness, help you to feel more relaxed and connected to others around you for peer support. In a time when connections are more important than ever, we need to share our experiences about our encounters watching nature and animals in their natural habitat. I was sitting on my patio with my husband watching a squirrel go up the bird feeder pole and slide down the pole as he (or she) tried to jump onto the bird feeder to get the food. My husband watched this squirrel slide over and over sometimes falling to the ground but never gave up until he was able to jump onto the feeder. It was a sight to see that made both of us laugh. Laughter is a great reliever of stress. Laughter stimulates many organs, relax muscles for tension and stress relief, and can stimulate circulation for overall physical wellbeing. So, keep laughing with others, at nature, and find others to laugh along with you.
