Recently I took a trip to the west coast of Michigan, where we stayed on a lake. Each morning, I woke up and took the kayak out. It was just me, gliding through the water which was often like glass, staring at the beautiful surrounding trees and bright blue sky.
As I looked up at the sky, I had an epiphany. I have had chronic cancer for almost 15 years now. I began to realize how these moments out in nature not only calmed my insides, but also comforted me in a way that nothing else does.
I also walk outside almost every day in places where beautiful trees surround me, weather permitting.
I began to think back to when my father-in-law had cancer. He was never a gardener or spent time out in nature, but something triggered him the summer he was going through chemo, and he decided to plant tomato plants in pots on his back porch. When I told him I was surprised that he did this, he told me he felt good doing it. He couldn’t explain why. My husband also loves planting and finds much gratification in his vegetable garden.
When I was first diagnosed, my husband decided to construct a small fishpond to help calm me. We call it the healing pond. He even went as far as to put up a sign on a tree by the pond that read, “Linda’s Healing Pond.” I was very touched, and I put a chair by the pond, where I often just sat and gazed at the beautiful fish and plants in the water. I found it extremely soothing and peaceful to do so. With the help of my watch, I can physically see that my heart rate goes down at these times.
So, as my mind works, I was curious if there is any research on the benefits of nature. I found so much scientific evidence to support this, that it’s hard to narrow it down here, but I will tell you that it lowers your blood pressure, heart rate and stress, as well as improves mental health, immune function and sleep. I read this in multiple articles, so I felt confident conveying these results. Even if only some of these benefits are true, it certainly gives one something to think about, especially if you’re always indoors. It never hurts to give nature healing a chance. Maybe this will encourage you to let the beautiful comfort of nature soothe your inner soul, along with other health benefits.
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