Nature – The Ultimate Stress Reliever

Modern life that persuades you to stay indoors most of the time does cause a fair amount of stress. The long working hours that you may have, working against time to meet deadlines, and never-ending meeting and discussions take a toll on physical as well as mental health. Confined air conditioned offices also add to physical stress since the body does not get enough fresh air.

Nature, in fact, is the ultimate stress reliever. Dealing with stress can be as simple as sitting outdoors and reveling at the beauty in things that you see around you.

You simply need to step out and marvel at the beauty of nature to relieve stress. The world out there can play a soothing and calm symphony to ease tense nerves. Hear the sound of wind drifting through the branches of trees or hear the nice quite air. See the orange-red leaves of autumn falling down, the contrasting grey breast of blue-jays in the backdrop of bright blue body and the beauty of blossoming flowers and experience the difference it makes to your mood.

You are lucky if you live near flowing water. Take delight in seeing how a brook crosses hurdles and flows through pebbles and rocks and revel at the thought of the poet who wrote, "For men may come and go, I go on forever."

Respond to the call of the mountains and whoop it up when you see the immense beauty of the hills. Take a seaside vacation and see cute dolphins playing and squeaking with joy in the ocean. That joy can be yours if you want to.

You have lots of opportunities for getting relief from stress even when you are going to work, for shopping or even walking to your neighbor's house. Don't hurry but observe things around you: stop if you see a spider's web ? see how lovely it looks and marvel at the insect's engineering feat.

Invite birds to be with you by putting a bird feeder in your backyard. Take up gardening or consider a vegetable garden. Believe it or not you will derive great pleasure from seeing the saplings grow into flowering or fruit bearing plants.

Modern life has turned into a cauldron of stress. When you confine yourself indoors you are actually doing great disservice to yourself and adding to the stress that you experience. If you must stay indoors, get yourselves nature sounds on a compact disc. Switch it on, close your eyes, listen and breathe deeply. Relate to the experience of being outdoors and experience how nature relieves your stress as work becomes a distant memory for few minutes.

Back to Dealing with Stress.