How Nature Resets Our Minds and Bodies

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March 12, 2016

a project of ServiceSpace

Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.

- Rachel Carson -

How Nature Resets Our Minds and Bodies

"Nature restores mental functioning in the same way that food and water restore bodies. The business of everyday life -- dodging traffic, making decisions and judgment calls, interacting with strangers -- is depleting, and what man-made environments take away from us, nature gives back. There's something mystical and, you might say, unscientific about this claim, but its heart actually rests in what psychologists call attention restoration theory, or ART. According to ART, urban environments are draining because they force us to direct our attention to specific tasks (e.g., avoiding the onslaught of traffic) and grab our attention dynamically, compelling us to "look here!" before telling us to instead "look over there!" These demands are draining -- and they're also absent in natural environments. Forests, streams, rivers, lakes, and oceans demand very little from us, though they're still engaging, ever changing, and attention-grabbing. The difference between natural and urban landscapes is how they command our attention." This fascinating article from the Atlantic explores how Nature resets our minds and bodies. { read more }

Be The Change

Make time for a Nature walk this weekend. Notice what effect it has on your mind when you direct your attention towards the sky, a tree, the sound of the birds, or the flowers in your neighborhood.

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