Written by Anhayla Stanley

Nature is healing. The trees, the water, the open air, the land. Nature connects us...even throughout history and different cultures, we find balance through nature.

If you live in the city, it’s easy to forget that there is a beautiful world out there.

When we think of self care we often think of massages, going to the spa, or other things that deal with the body, however today let’s bring it back to basic human need: Nature.

When we were kids, all we wanted to do was go outside and play. It was something about the fresh air that drew us out of our comfortable houses into the hot or cold temperatures depending on where you lived.

As we got older, we got smarter, we learned how to drive, we started taking transit, we have jobs to get to, we are stressed sometimes, we have bills and life seems to keep going no matter how hard we try to slow it down.

We are so busy in our lives that sometimes the simplicity of life goes unnoticed until it abruptly disappears. We say things like, “The summer just flew by” and we go from season to season sometimes not even being present with what is right in front of us.

Being surrounded by nature has great health benefits like reducing stress, depression, anger, lowering blood pressure and some say it has to power to even change our brain chemistry.

Just getting out 5 minutes a day can help naturally increase serotonin and dopamine in the body. So it doesn't have to be an activity that's strenuous or something that is too challenging. Instead, it can be light, fun, airy and something that brings joy to your day.

How can you incorporate nature and getting outside into your daily practice? Consider what you can do in the next week to interact with nature in a more positive way.

The most important thing to do is make nature work for you. You may not consider yourself an outdoorsy person or someone who likes being outside and that's ok.

When people think of nature they think of hiking or some extreme sport but it doesn't have to be that complex.

Start with something simple and work your way up. When you are comfortable to go further out in nature and take a hike in your favorite park, it’s best to be prepared as possible. That way you will feel safe and your mind will be at ease.

Again, make your time in nature a part of your self care which will spill over into your self-love journey. Map it out. Life is hard and yes.. sometimes the things we go through hurt.

Let nature respond to your pain. Some energy is unspoken and nature has a way of hearing what we need and giving us in return exactly what we need to heal.