ALL NATURE SINGS

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it.  Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. – Psalm 96:11-12

We were absolutely, positively meant to spend time outside.

Being in nature has numerous benefits for anyone, but especially those of us who’ve been diagnosed with cancer.  “Forest Bathing,” or the practice of going out into nature, has been shown to increase the quality and quantity of our Nature Killer cells (we want those) as our bodies literally “borrow” the immunity that the trees have!  Also, a study in Frontiers in Psychology found that spending time in nature significantly lowers levels of cortisol, the stress hormone (Hartig et al., 2014), and we know that stress is one of the enemies of cancer healing. Another study in the Journal of Environmental Psychology revealed that nature exposure improves mood and overall well-being (Capaldi et al., 2015).  I mean…DUH!  Even the FRAGRANCE of trees has been shown to boost Natural Killer cells!  Nature is a reminder of God’s love and life’s beauty, offering us peace, strength, and a sense of renewal.

And if you’re wondering what to do outside, WHY NOT GO FOR A WALK?!?  Anything outside is good, sitting, gardening, anything outside is good stuff.  But there are some incredible, unexpected benefits to walking, especially walking in nature.  The podcast below is pretty mindblowing, ESPECIALLY the “chemicals in trees (terpenes)” info that starts about 23 minutes in…

Talk to a doctor who knows whether you have allergies, a sunlight sensitivity, or anything that might mean you should hold off on that nature walk, or at least take precautions when you go!  And hey, if you’re healing from surgery or in any other way have been told to REST, do that for now, right?

And on THAT note…

The video above discusses how even THINKING about being in nature is a benefit.  So, if you’re recovering from surgery or treatment, if the weather is bad, and/or if you just can’t get outside, why not enjoy the videos below?

AMAZON LINKS

Citations:

Capaldi, C. A., Dopko, R. L., & Zelenski, J. M. (2015). The relationship between nature connectedness and happiness: A meta-analysis. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 42, 63-71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2015.01.002

Hartig, T., Mitchell, R., de Vries, S., & Frumkin, H. (2014). Nature and health. Annual Review of Public Health, 35, 207-228. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-032013-182443