Can nature bring happiness and healing?
Everything in nature has a unique relationship within the natural system and we often forget we are part of this. "Consciously cultivating that relationship - our ecological identity - is critical," says Dr. Hilary Leighton, eco-psychologist and director of Continuing Studies at Royal Roads University. The patterns we see in nature mirror the patterns in our own worlds. Leighton says, and this knowledge should claim us. Part of wellness is to realize that while we may be experiencing depressing events in our lives, like everything that is of nature, the cycle will eventually spin us back up into a place of light. Spending more time outdoors, in nature, is a powerful way to reacquaint ourselves with this knowledge.
How to be Happy
1. Ditch busyness.
Figure out how little you can get away with doing and still do a good job, says sociologist and happiness expert Christine Carter in her new book The Sweet Spot: How to Find Your Groove at Home and Work. Let's drop "I'm so busy" as a point of pride in our culture.
2. Take it outside.
Go hiking. Paddle. Surf. Sit on a beach. Leighton recommends her patients cultivate a site-sitting practice, where they return to the same place in nature every day, to reacquaint themselves with the cycles of day/night, the seasons, birth/death/rebirth, and to reflect on how everything in our human experience is cyclical. And remember, turn your phone OFF!
3. Take it off.
Go barefoot as much as you can; recent research into the practice of "earthing" indicates that the electrical energy exchange between our feet and the earth reduces inflammation and cortisol levels, and promotes healing.
4. Practice gratitude.
It's not just an Oprah-ism. The more you can be thankful for, the happier you'll be. Instead of blowing a gasket over the driver who cut you off, be glad you're fast on the brake. Give happy things more space to overpower the negativity bias.
5. Build your tribe.
As much as you go inside to meditate, devote just as much energy to connecting with others. "Few of us are really connected to a tribe, if you will," says Segal. "A sense of community and connection and gratitude is a brake on the anxious mind."
6. Eat. Sleep. Repeat.
If you fill your car's gas tank with Diet Coke, you won't make it to Tofino, right? So why fill our bodies with food that doesn't optimize our performance? Figure out how to recalibrate what you take in, because we are systems, and everything that enters the system is processed. And since we're in the detox chamber, let's talk about sleep, the grand dame of system renewal. You need it to consolidate learning, metabolize food, manage anxiety and renew your cells.
7. Meditate.
As little as five minutes twice a day has been shown to create positive changes, says Tamara Lechner, a happiness expert and Chopra-certified meditation instructor who starts each day with 30 minutes of meditation and tacks on another 20 minutes later as space allows. Don't think you can find time? Return to the beginning of this list and start over.
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