As the dead of winter approaches New England, we are all clamoring for those sunny days when we can allow our faces to get a bit of sun, albeit through cold, sometimes damp snowy clouds. Our bodies and minds thrive on getting that bit of sun on our skin and outdoor air in our systems. Nature may boost our moods by quieting certain brain activity that is responsible for that “negative nelly” that sometimes rears her ugly head/causes her voice to be heard- your “inner critic” that self wallows, ruminates and replays unpleasant feelings, emotions or situations over and over again. The Self Talk pattern activates a region in the prefrontal cortex that has been linked to developing sadness, withdrawal, depression and anxiety. Being able to visualize water, landscapes, forests and trees often quiets this brain loop and allows for a reduction in negative feelings. If that is not a reason to spend more time outdoors despite the cold, I am not sure what is!
I recently did a presentation to a group of up and coming leaders on Inclusive Leadership. It is a difficult topic and we were just starting to talk about caring for others from your “Compassionate Center”- that place inside you where the inner critic voice is quelled and you have no judgement either for yourself or for others. I bravely asked the group, “Who has that inner critic, negative voice inside their heads?”. I wasn’t sure what I was going to get- sometimes groups are a little bit shy to answer this question. The majority of the group shot their hands up immediately!
For the longest time, I thought that I was the only one walking around in life with that negative voice inside my head. She would say nasty things- mostly about me, not others. It was very difficult at times to turn her off. In learning, with help from my friend (Thank you April!) and my coach (Thank you Sharon!), I have started to soften her attitude by answering her questions in a positive way. When she asks “Who the hell do you think you are?”. I answer, “I am learning who I am everyday”! I am also so relieved that others experience this inner critic/chatter as much as I do and I am grateful for the help of friends along the way to help me!
There are many different tactics to quell your inner critic, reduce stress and combat the winter doldrums. Nature is one of those ways. Even in wintertime, it does our bodies so much good to get out in the snowy cold!
Forest Walks have been shown to decrease sympathetic nervous system activity (place us back into “relax and digest mode”, relieving us of the “fight or flight of acute and chronic stress), decrease heart rate and blood pressure, decrease cortisol levels and increase our level of natural killer cells in our blood circulation. Natural Killer Cells (NKC) are a type of cell in our immune system (lymphocyte) that control cancer cell growth and proliferation of infections, such as viral and bacterial infections. These effects were seen with research participants spending time outside each day, the study found that effects can be felt with 5 hours per month as a minimum, the more time in nature, the better you will feel. The goal would be a half an hour per day.
How to accomplish this with our busy, hectic lives that are mostly spent in doors? Finding a favorite outdoor place, a place that makes you feel good (not only in mood, but also in body), spend some time in that space and just let yourself be. Social walking with a friend in nature helps to boost mood. Walking alone helps with self reflection and solving problems. Walking outside combines exercise with the mood boosting effects of nature.
Sometimes we are not able to get outside, because of injury or weather. Perhaps bringing a little bit of nature inside would also help? Utilizing essential oils can bring the scents of the outdoors inside when we are unable to go outside and smell the roses! Specifically, the essential oil of trees has shown an increase in 20% of NKC and a reported feeling of less fatigue and stress. Using wood essential oils can help to mitigate stress by lowering levels of cortisol when the oil is exhaled, through a diffuser method, steam bath, or when applying oils.
I am working on creating some new essential oil blends for body oils, bubble baths and linen sprays for the Farm Store. More to come!
Nature Resources (same as last blog):
The Nature Fix, Why Nature Makes Us Feel Happier, Healthier and More Creative, Florence Williams
Return to Nature, The New Science of how Natural Landscapes Restore Us, Emma Loewe
Rewilding. Meditations, Practices and Skills for Awakening in Nature, Micha Mortali
Passmore, et al. An extended replication study of the well being intervention, the noticing nature interventions. Journal of Happiness Studies, 23, 2663-2638 (2022).
The Wild Trees, Richard Preston
Seaweed Chronicles, A World at the Water’s Edge. Susan Hand Shetterly
We Took to the Woods, Louise Dickinson Rich
Upwards, The Story of the First Woman to Solo Paddle the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, Laurie Apgar Chandler
Entangled Life, How Fungi Make our Worlds, Change our Minds and Share our Futures, Merlin Sheldrake.