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Dear Friends and Clients,

My husband and I commute between hectic, career-focused weekdays in Washington, DC, and relaxed weekends in rural Virginia. (Well, to be honest, my life in the country now extends for weeks at a time.)

One thing we discuss with other weekenders is how much nicer we all are when we’re in the country. It’s not just because we’re away from job pressures. Even if we bring along briefcases and colleagues, clients and deadlines, once the scenery is dominated by the Blue Ridge Mountains we all seem to turn into kinder, gentler people.

We notice a similar phenomenon with house guests. They may bustle in with stacks of work or detailed proposed agendas, but once they take a walk or simply settle onto the porch their perspectives change.

And I love to visit with clients at our farm. I find that when people spend time outdoors their problems become more manageable and they achieve new insights with ease.

Being outside surrounded by nature can transform us. Poets have often explored that transformation, and now scientists are studying how and why time in nature can reduce our stress and change our attitude. And that is what I will write about in this issue.

Warmly, Bev

Time Spent in Nature Can
Reduce Stress and Negativity

August 7th, 2007 * Number 64

A recent British study suggests that vigorous outdoor activity may be just as effective as drugs in treating mild depression.

Researchers at Essex University recently asked one group of mildly depressed subjects to walk in the country, while another group walked in a shopping center. Of the people who took country walks, 71 percent reported decreased levels of depression. Some mall walkers – 45 percent – also experienced reduced depression, but half of them said that they felt more tense, and 44 percent said that their self-esteem decreased after walking in the shopping center.

Mind, the foundation that sponsored the Essex study, conducted additional surveys and concluded that it is the combination of exercise and being in nature that is most effective in reducing mild depression. Mind argues that, for mildly depressed patients, engaging in outdoor activities, particularly with other people, is more effective at lifting one’s spirits than taking antidepressants (like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors).

While American medical researchers have typically not embraced “eco-therapy,” researchers in the U.K. and Western Europe are seriously studying emersion in nature as an alternative to pharmaceuticals for managing stress, depression and many other health challenges.

An underlying theory – which dates back to Freud – is that humans are born with a “unity consciousness.” In other words, we have an in-born sense that we are connected with nature and the Earth, and by getting in touch with that connection we can soothe much of what might ail us.

There is much evidence that, for many people, spending time in a natural environment can promote well-being. If you are thinking about ways to keep yourself and your family happy and healthy, consider these strategies:

Promote healing by looking at nature. A landmark British study in the 1980s demonstrated that hospital patients who viewed natural scenes – like trees and animals – recovered faster, spent less time in the hospital and were less likely to experience complications than patients who looked out their windows on buildings and other urban scenery.

Care for your garden. You can foster your health by raising your own organic vegetables. And proponents of “horticulture therapy” say that you can get health benefits from gardening regardless of what you grow. They argue that gardening therapies can promote healing, reduce stress and promote well being and social interaction for people with physical or mental illness. And some workplace studies suggest that green plants in an office environment can improve air quality, increase productivity and facilitate positive relations among workers.

Raise healthy kids. Nature writer Richard Louv has coined the term “nature deficit disorder” to describe what can happen to kids who spend all their time indoors, playing with computers and other electronics. Louv argues that kids who don’t get outdoors are more prone to a range of problems, including obesity, depression and attention disorders. A growing number of advocates for children are saying that indoor kids will face challenges affecting their emotional well-being, physical health and ability to learn.

Get a pet. Major studies demonstrate that engaging with animals – even by simply filling bird feeders – can lower our blood pressure and our cholesterol. Many pet owners recognize the healing power of time spent with a beloved dog or cat, and trained companion animals are now helping elderly and other patients to recover after operations.

Drive safer. Highway researchers have found that drivers’ blood pressure, heart rate and other stress indicators are reduced when they pass through green areas. Viewing nature from the driver’s seat seems to reduce anger and anxiety, sustain attention and interest, and enhance feelings of pleasure.

Want to Read More About
Connecting With Nature?

Below is a brief description of a book, as well as a link that will allow you to buy the book directly from Amazon.com. For reviews of other helpful books, along with Amazon links go to: ClearWays Books and Services. If you buy any book through this link to Amazon it will contribute to the cost of distributing Bev's Tips, and be much appreciated.

Holding the Center – Sanctuary in a Time of Confusion, by Richard Strozzi Heckler, 1997.

Heckler is a psychotherapist with a deep knowledge of Eastern philosophy. In this lovely little book he draws on his broad experience to explore ways in which we are connected to places, to communities and to our own bodies.

We are connected to others and the world, he writes, through a vast resonating field of energy. We have the potential to transcend the boundaries of self, and experience our membership in the universal community of space, wisdom and being.

Heckler offers some practical suggestions about how to achieve our transcendent moments and become grounded in our own lives. For example, he says, it is fundamental for all people to have a sense of place. And “place” is located in the natural world, in communities and in the body.

He suggests that nature has the power to change our lives, but only if we are open to it. He says that the “power of landscape to restore and strengthen, to mend a spirit in turmoil, rests primarily on one thing: a receptivity to the medicine it has to offer.”

Click here to buy this book.

Are you looking for a coach or speaker? Bev not only is an executive coach but also is available to speak about a broad range of issues related to leadership and your work life. Visit her website at www.ClearWaysConsulting.com or email to Bev directly. Bev is associated with Executive Coaching & Consulting Associates.

Bev’s Tips for a Better Work Life is published on the first and third Tuesday of each month by Beverly E. Jones of ClearWays Consulting, LLC. Bev is a lawyer and former executive who now coaches accomplished CEO's, public afffairs executives, and other professionals to bring new direction, energy and enjoyment to their work lives.

All rights in all media reserved. However, the content of Bev’s Tips for a Better Work Life may be forwarded in full without special permission on the condition that (1) it is for non-profit use and (2) full attribution and copyright notice are given. For other uses please contact Bev Jones.

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