Now I know that’s obvious right? Everyone wants to do that – whether that be fishing in an ocean or lake, camping in the mountains, bushwalking through a nature park. It’s a primal thing I think we all have – that innate desire to be in nature. But what if I told you it was absolutely necessary to our survival? You would no doubt think I was being ridiculous and maybe just a little dictatorial. Well it is. Have you noticed more so than ever before in the history of humanity, that mental illness is the number one in terms of how many people are medicated? Did you know that? More people are taking anti-depressants than ever before in history. Why is that? I have some theories on that. I don’t know the exact statistics, however what I do know is that there are also record numbers of people leaving cities for a tree or sea change – more than ever before. See a connection there? Our cities are bigger than ever before. More people, more infrastructure, more traffic, more congestion, more stress. Even with technology supposedly making our lives easier than before, it also garners with it a serious dark side. Notice the suicide rate in teenagers has also spiked? The blame for that lies squarely with technology. Not only can kids get bullied at school and on their way to and from school, but they can be quite literally bullied 24/7 via social media. There is no escape for them. And this is an age-old problem that isn’t about to disappear. So why am I painting all of this doom and gloom picture for you? It’s not to have you heading to the Doctor for your own prescription of anti-depressants, it’s to help you to see that sometimes the simple things in life are quite often the most therapeutic. Now most of you who read my regular posts know that I am a Christian. I talk with my God several times every single day and we have conversations similar to how two friends would talk. I can tell you that since moving to the country, His voice has become a whole lot loader than when I ever lived in the city. And what comes with that is peace for me on many levels. When I lived in the city, I worked in a corporate job that came with all of the usual stresses – long hours, crap pay, negative work colleagues, draconian management, not enough quality time with my son and living pay cheque to pay cheque. Thankfully I made a clear decision that I didn’t want to live the next 30 years of my life that way and made some changes. Now I am not criticizing people that work in jobs in the city. However, having said that, it is a statistic reality that a very high percentage of people are unhappy for a variety of reasons. And for many, this means turning to anti-depressants. It’s a very sad reality for many. No doubt you, like me, have family members and/or friends taking them. It’s a bit like cancer – mental illness is starting to touch the lives of everyone. And we no longer live this community-like existence that our Grandparents and ancestors used to. They say it took an entire community to raise a child and I believe that 100%. I can say from personal experience, when there is an absence of family and friends to help out with a difficult child, it can feel very isolated and stressful. I truly do believe that we, as a society, have become so predisposed with doing so much that have quite literally forgotten all about the simple things of life. Just being in nature is a huge one. It brings so much to us. Firstly, it quietens our mind. Just breathing in the fresh air and watching a very serene landscape can’t help but do that. When our mind is quiet, it’s impossible to not relax. For me, this is when ideas come, solutions to problems, new ways of looking at situations. Secondly, the fresh air is good for not just your mind, it’s good for your body too. Pollution is not good for you. Period. And constant exposure to it over time has proven to exacerbate certain health conditions. For me, I would far prefer to breathe in cow shit than diesel fumes! Thirdly, whether you believe in God or a High Presence or whatever or not, it will heighten your ability to listen to that inner voice which will, if not for a short period of time, transform the way you think about certain circumstances of your life. Imagine how being in that state every single day could affect you and those around you? Being in nature is our natural state. Being cooped up in a tiny apartment in a massive high rise in the middle of a CBD constantly is not natural. Some love it and that is fine. But balance is out by regularly making sure you get out in nature. Try bushwalking, 4WDriving or just sitting on a quiet beach somewhere. You will be astonished by how good you feel. And combining it with exercise has been proven to be the single biggest mental health medication there is. So try it. Regularly. Your mental, psychological and spiritual health depends on it.
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