I recently attended a professional training where I learned so much more about the powerful benefits of being in nature during walk & talk sessions. And I’m delighted to be able to pass on some of the simple concepts.
One of the primary reasons that these sessions are so strong, is simply that they are held in nature. As a culture, we are significantly cut off from nature for many reasons, including: our stressed and busy lifestyles; the massive trend of urbanisation; and (the primary cause) the huge advances in technology over the last 100 years and more. All of these factors have dramatically changed our lives. We largely live indoors, where we for many hours, focus on our screens and bathe in the electromagnetic fields of our internet, not to mention the fields of our mobile phones and our electric power.
Internationally awarded journalist and author, Richard Louv (Last Child in the Woods) calls the effects of our indoor lifestyle, ‘nature deficient disorder’ believing that we become deficient in the healing energies of nature, through our largely indoor lifestyles.
So, what are the benefits of connection with nature that we’re largely missing out on? There are many, but here’s a list of some of the important ways in which our time in nature supports us:
Mental and emotional health – time in nature reduces our anxiety, stress and depression, improves our cognition and attention, enhances our memory, and improves our sense of satisfaction and wellbeing
Physical health – we experience a lower risk of developing diabetes, high blood pressure or obesity from spending time outdoors. Time in nature increases our cardiovascular health, and supports better sleep.
Social health – we feel more connected to our environment and with the people around us when we spend time in nature. Our capacity for cooperation and helpful behaviour increases, and we develop more environmentally responsible behaviours.
Occupational health – we reduce our need for sick leave. Time outdoors has been found to increase our job satisfaction, improve our productivity, and support our recovery from work-related stress.
And given that spending time outdoors in nature has been found to improve our overall mental health, no wonder walk & talk sessions are so successful. These amazing counselling sessions give you many more benefits other than the counselling session itself! And this is what I love about this form of counselling. My walk and talk sessions in Ballina, NSW, are held either by the river on one of the gorgeous local beaches, and they are just beautiful. Jennifer Cameron, Outshine Counselling
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