Currently I'm in a existencial crisis and rocking through it. Don't worry I have a counselor and I'm doing fine so far even though it's not easy. The reason I mentioned this is because I noticed a few weeks ago how out of touch I was with nature.
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If you want to believe it or not we humans were always close to nature throughout our existence. But in the past one hundred years +/- this has changed substantially. Some people live in cities and don't go into nature like at all.
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I was one of them... Busy with my career as a software developer, trying to be cool, drinking with friends, living in midst of a big city and rarely going outside to witness and experience nature.
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Nature has a hugely calming effect. 30 minutes inside a forest per week drops your cortisol levels by a great portion. Which means you'll lower the risk of heart disease, stroke and mental ilnesses. Everyone has 30 minutes per week to immerse him or herself in nature.
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Now here's how to really get the most out of your 30 minutes:
- Turn off your phone or at least use a app like "Forest" and don't touch it (if you're worried someone needs to call you)
- Listen to the sounds (birds, wind, rain)
- Smell the forest
- Be here (try to not think of things you have to do next or what happened in the past)
- Move through the forest
- Be a kid and climb up rocks etc. (As long as it's safe and you're not hurting nature)
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I love it and I do it weekly now. The only thing that makes me really sad is seeing trash outside. If you can pick it up but then again don't think too much about it and don't stress yourself about it.
Have a wonderful day!