Got Stress? Here's the World's Easiest (and Oldest) Stress Remedy
“There are increased benefits of spending more time in nature and leaving technology behind such as improved short term memory, enhanced working memory, better problem solving, greater creativity, lower levels of stress and higher feelings of positive well being.”
It would be fair to say that we live in stressful times.
It would also be fair to say that a world-wide pandemic and global unrest have stepped it up a notch or two. Or ten.
What should we do about it?
Articles and studies abound on the Web.
Jeeze, just reading about it is stressful. Why stress is bad for you. How stress is bad for you. What you should do about it. Meditate, do yoga, practice mindfulness, book a biofeedback session, go to the gym, listen to soothing music, laugh more, walk briskly, do tai chi, do chi gong, take calming herbs, sniff lavender. Each wonderful and effective. But sometimes you just don’t want to have to DO something. It can feel like another addition to the Things I Need To Accomplish list that was making you feel stressed to begin with.
At Italian Village Works we have a favorite remedy. Nature.
The sky, the earth, the trees, the grass, the water and the flowers.
The big, beautiful human brain evolved in nature.. and we have a deep connection to the cosmos that hasn’t changed, despite our transition to a technological world. Almost anyone will admit that they feel good when surrounded by beauty and fresh air.
But it is more than that.
Research has shown that spending time in nature holds more advantages than simply feeling good. (Although that is one of them.) Spending an average of 120 minutes per week outside in a non-urban setting can have a positive impact on feelings of anxiety, fatigue, negative rumination, depression, lack of creativity, angst, feeling disconnected, anti-social, and stressed. (1,2,3)
Even walking 90 minutes through the woods calms the activity in the area of the brain that controls psychological illness and stress-related troubles, scientists report. (4)
Imagine what a week would do!
Of course bringing your phone with you and staring at a screen while sitting in a pretty meadow isn’t going to cut it. It appears that the incredibly positive effect of time spent in nature is in part due to the time spent away from technology. (3) Which is why when you are an Italian Village Works Guest you will experience the full benefit of nature without technology.
Because Italian Village Works is located in a rural setting spending time in nature is pretty much full-time and 360 degrees. Maybe that is why everyone is so happy when they come here. That, and the fact that everything is taken care of.
When travel is safely possible again, we invite you to spend a week with Italian Village Works and the original Dr. Feelgood herself ~ Nature.
Until then, sit on a park bench, take a walk in the woods, a stroll on the sand or simply look up at the sky. Your brain will thank you.
“There is more to life than increasing its speed”