What You See Outside Can Reduce Stress

Finding joy in nature can reduce stress and improve mood.  All you have to do is slow down long enough to notice what you see, hear, smell, feel.  Checking in with your senses drops your mind into the present moment, where your body always is.  That alone can be destressing.

My dog, Pippa, helps me do this very thing.  I walk her multiple times a day.  She is patient and can spot squirrels long before I ever notice them.  She takes her time when there is something new along our path.  She stops in her tracks when she just wants to take it all in.  I think she walks me the more I think about it.  Her sniffer is at work all the time too.  I have heard that dogs have a sense of smell 1,000 times stronger than human beings which is why she loves it so much when winter deep freeze is over, and the spring smells start sprouting.

The great outdoors is our native habitat too.  Because we live indoors in climate control, we risk missing some of what our natural surroundings have to offer unless we make a point of getting out and appreciating what's there.  Our great outdoors are not man-made.  They have an appeal far greater than a pretty house or impressive building.  They are always changing, and so are we.

I love summer.  My garden and yard are changing every day, and I have a front row seat to it all.  I observe how things are looking and growing every single day.  This is a relaxing past time that I don't have in winter when my garden is sleeping.  Even cutting my lawn can bring me into a state of calm.  This week, take some time outdoors.  Take time to notice what you see, hear, smell and feel when you are taking a simple walk or visiting a park or even walking your dog on a well worn path.  Let nature and what it has to show you, impress you.