Nature: a Gateway to the Present

I notice a difference if I don’t get outside for a few days. I feel more tired and lethargic, my mood is lower, I’m easily irritated and I lose perspective more often, getting stuck in thoughts.

Little do you realise how powerful nature can be until you notice how you feel without it. 

There is no better feeling than that of the sun on your face. Or, in Scotland, the wind in your hair! I’m extremely lucky that I live in a rural part of the Highlands and have easy access to wild places. Standing on top of a mountain, looking out over a panoramic view of hills and lochs, with blood pumping through your body from the climb is a very effective way of clearing your head. Of course, it doesn’t need to be so extreme - a short walk through a city park, a bit of yoga in the garden, a cycle, a run along the beach, even just sitting on the grass and relaxing have similar effects on me. 

This is true for most people. It’s not that being in nature is the ultimate cure to all mental health conditions, but a growing body of research indicates that nature exposure is linked to many mental health benefits. 1 in 4 people in Scotland are affected by mental health problems. Even if unaffected by a diagnosable condition, everyone feels down, stressed and anxious from time to time - especially during this past year. 

In this modern world, vast amounts of information are constantly thrown at our brains to process, whether we have intentionally sought it out or not. Our lives are complicated. Media is everywhere and communication is instant and wide reaching. Think about how many pictures, news stories, people’s opinions, videos and advertisements you see during a 5 minute scroll on social media (when you think you are relaxing!). 

Nature offers a way to immerse yourself in the present. To really feel your lungs expanding and contracting as they breathe in the fresh air, the sun warm your skin and the breeze cool it; to really listen to the sound of the river flowing, the birdsong, the raindrops; to really see the intensity of colour on a petal, the intricacy of veins on a leaf, the wonder of the range of different plants species around you; to smell the perfume of flowers and the aroma of pine needles. For even just a few moments, you can experience the joy and relief of just being in the present rather than thinking about the past, future, worries or something you need to do.

I find that by cultivating mindfulness in the present moment I can notice and let problematic thoughts go more easily. Nature is my gateway to the present and focussing on the present reminds me that thoughts are just thoughts, not facts. All the “what ifs?” in my head are not actually happening right now and may never happen. 

We tend to think of the human race separately from nature. We forget that we evolved in nature and ARE nature. At the end of the day, we depend on the sun for warmth, the air to breathe and water to drink. We depend on other living organisms to support our ecosystems, pollinate our crops, fertilise our soil and capture and transfer the sun’s energy to us. No species can survive on this planet alone, life can only exist in this interconnected way. When you strip it back to that, it makes complete sense that we need exposure to nature in our daily lives to feel good.

Kirsty Mackay