Our brains are like sponges. Throughout our lifetimes, we process an infinite number of images, sounds, smells, tactile signals, and a huge array of emotions. From before birth to the moment we die, the brain’s gray matter is growing, changing, adapting, and processing. Each of the billions of neurons in the brain sends multiple impulses each second—a truly phenomenal feat. There are times when this constant input and processing of information can feel completely overwhelming and we feel close to burn-out. There are times when we can no longer cope.
A World of Textures
Nature provides us with sounds that relax us. Nature has actually been proven to reduce blood pressure and make people feel at ease. The colors green and blue make us feel calm and unflustered—no surprise, as these are the colors that dominate in nature. Green doesn’t jar your senses like bright yellow or red; it evokes images of forests and grassy meadows.Going on a walk or a bicycle ride all too often involves focusing on the exercise (in my case, how much my joints ache and how much longer I can continue before needing to be carried by some poor, unsuspecting passerby). Often, the “right here, right now” of being in a natural environment loses its impact.
Recently, after years of not cycling, I found myself on my bike, smiling as I pedaled. I was traveling at a leisurely pace and thoroughly enjoying the sensory input of the experience. The warm breeze made the wheat in the fields on either side of me sway and rustle, the evening sky was turning orange, and I could hear birds singing. I felt elated by the time I returned home, albeit a little achy and sweaty. I had made a point of focusing on the environment around me, not on the act of getting from point A to point B.
It’s amazing to think that so quickly, we lose that sense of wonder about the living things around us. As a nature lover, I was struck by the irony of it all. It felt as if my eyesight had grown dull and then suddenly sharpened.
Exercise Your Senses
Next time you are out and about, take a moment to stand still and really listen. What can you hear? The wind in the trees, perhaps, leaves rustling, branches creaking, the sounds of insects chirping or small animals snuffling around in the undergrowth.Years ago, a friend and I were on a quiet forest walk in Armenia when a single dry branch snapped somewhere in the near distance. At that point, I broke out in a cold sweat and felt slightly nauseous—was it a wild bear, or was I going to be forced to reenact a scene from the 1972 survivor thriller film “Deliverance”? I’d take being mauled by a bear any day. Everything turned out fine in the end, but in all seriousness, it’s good to have a friend close by when you’re lost in the moment of soaking in nature!
Playing with perspective is another interesting way of appreciating nature at a new level. Lying on the ground may seem like a strange idea, but looking up at the clouds and seeing the underbelly of birds flying overhead is a whole new experience. Lying down also allows us to take in the musky smells of the earth and feel so many different textures, from springy mosses to dry, spiky grass.
It’s all there for the taking. Go out and wrap yourself in it.