How to Find Empowerment Through Mother Nature
“Moments of solitude with Mother Nature is sunshine to a soul.”
~Anthony Douglas Williams
Image by Sven Lachmann from Pixabay
As Mother’s Day is approaching in this month of May, now is a great time to honor the nurturing nature of our great mother, Mother Nature. Gaia. Earth. In nature, it’s no secret that great healing and peace can be found. We often overlook one of our greatest tools of empowerment, that of being out in nature.
Studies have proven that being out in nature can reduce stress, increase your immune system, help with depression and anxiety, and help ground our energy fields. Here are some ways you can utilize Mother Nature as a way to help reduce anxiety and promote healthy and empowering living.
Forest Bathing (shinrin-yoku) - This concept was born out of Japan as a type of forest-therapy. For the last couple decades Japanese researchers have found that walking in forests can lower levels of stress hormones, which helps with lowering blood pressure and increasing immune-system functionality. Taking extended walks or staying overnight in forests helps changes in the blood, offering protection against cancer. Not only that, but it was also found that being surrounded by trees and plants have aromatic compounds called phytoncides. Similar to the effects of aromatherapy, when these phytoncides are inhaled the physical body shows healthy biological changes. Not only does forest bathing help with physical health and well being, studies have shown that being in nature helps people who have mental health issues, such as being suicidal, high stress and anxiety or even post-traumatic stress disorder.
Photo by Dmitry Gladkikh on Unsplash
The Ocean - The ocean has long been a place of peace and relaxation. The beach offers a multisensory experience that affects our mental and physical bodies. It has been found that just staring at the ocean can affect our brainwaves, helping us to slide into a moderate meditative state. The color blue has been highly documented to evoke feelings of calmness, peace and harmony. The sound of the waves calms our brains and coupled with the visual and audio effects, the ocean can activate our parasympathetic nervous system, allowing a sense of relaxation and being present. Let’s not forget breathing the ocean air. It has been discovered that the oxygen near bodies of water tend to have an increase of negative ions that could be linked to the possibility of treating symptoms of seasonal affective disorder. The ocean is very empowering. Here’s a bit of the ocean for you to experience the feeling of calm and relaxation.
Grounding - One of the ways we can increase our physical, mental and spiritual health is by grounding. Have you ever taken your shoes and socks off and stood barefoot on the ground? Did you know that when you do this you are reconnecting your human body to the earth’s surface electrons? Studies have shown that connecting the body with these electrons help the body sleep better and reduce chronic pain. On an energetic level, grounding meditations help by connecting us to the electrical currents of the earth, aligning our frequencies to a more peaceful and stable feeling. This is helpful to live an empowered life by being present and mentally focused. Here is a grounding Meditation we really love by Stephanie Kojec.
These are just some ways that Mother Nature can be used as a tool of empowerment and help to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. Allowing the healing power of nature offers a multitude of benefits, whether it’s smelling the flowers, taking a walk or hike, putting your feet in the sand or just standing outside and letting the sun kiss your face. Allow Mother Nature to invoke feelings of peace and empowerment and promote natural healing.
And may all the mothers out there feel honored, appreciated and empowered!
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