How Walking In Nature Changes The Brain

Could Being In Nature Actually Change Our Brains In A Way That Positively Impacts Our Health? Watch to find out more.

A Camera Filmed a Tree for a Year—Here's What It Saw | National Geographic

A camera set up in National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise, Italy, filmed a tree for 365 days. A myriad of animals visited the spot including bears, deer, wild boar, wolves, and badgers.

Merry Christmas!

Best wishes for the Holidays, and for health and happiness throughout the coming year.

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The Health Benefits of Going Outside

As people spend more time indoors, ecotherapy is emerging as a way to help rebuild our relationships with nature—and improve mental and physical health. James Hamblin visits San Francisco to learn more.

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Why Cities Should Plant More Trees

Over 3 million people die annually from air pollution. Planting trees can help lower that number.

What If You Are Stressed Everyday?

Can everyday stress literally kill you? Find out!

At Nearly 1000 Years Old, the Oldest Collection of Oak Trees in Europe Has Been Discovered

After a request to study the oak trees at Blenheim Palace was submitted, they found out they are nearly 1000 years old. Report by Lydia Batham.

Health Benefits of Relaxation

'Relaxing is not the same as collapsing." Movement brings health to the body and helps to relax.

7 Benefits For Being In Nature

Watch and find out about the 7 key benefits of why being in nature will benefit you!

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Happy Thanksgiving!

May you enjoy this celebration with your family full of laughter and peace. Happy Thanksgiving greetings!

Nature: Autumn Colors

"Sunday Morning" takes us to Stinson Lake in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Videographer: Carl Mrozek.

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Beauty and Lightness In your Soul and Spirit

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Travel Deep Inside a Leaf - Annotated Version | California Academy of Sciences

This is an annotated version of the original video (https://youtu.be/Bf-RFPaZeAM) that takes us on a journey inside a leaf of a redwood tree. Enter the stoma and view photosynthesis on a molecular level, knowing that the animation prioritizes scientific accuracy.

Rescued Fox Makes Friends With Everyone She Meets | The Dodo

Rescued Fox Makes Friends With Everyone She Meets | This rescued baby fox goes hiking with her best friends.

Hidden Miracles of the Natural World | Louie Schwartzberg

We live in a world of unseeable beauty, so subtle and delicate that it is imperceptible to the human eye. To bring this invisible world to light, filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg bends the boundaries of time and space with high-speed cameras, time lapses and microscopes. He shares highlights from his project, a 3D film titled "Mysteries of the Unseen World," which slows down, speeds up, and magnifies the astonishing wonders of nature.

Life of 600-Year-Old Oak Tree Comes Full Circle

A Community's Farewell to its Ancient Great Oak. - A historic 600-year-old great oak tree was cut down at the Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church. The iconic tree was believed to have been the oldest in the nation and was the centerpiece of the community. While the loss of the tree was emotional for many, there was a silver lining to this story. The offspring of that ancient tree was planted at the church.  (NJ Advance Media). Andre Malok, Producer/Videographer, Bumper DeJesus, Editor

Nature Advertisement

Nature does not need humanity. Humanity needs nature.

What To Do If You Find A Baby Deer | The Dodo

Here's What To Do If You Find A Baby Deer | It's baby deer season! If you find one alone, here's what to do 💕

What Would Happen if You Didn’t Drink Water? - Mia Nacamulli

Water is essentially everywhere in our world, and the average human is composed of between 55 and 60% water. So what role does water play in our bodies, and how much do we actually need to drink to stay healthy? Mia Nacamulli details the health benefits of hydration.

Lesson by Mia Nacamulli, animation by Chris Bishop.

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Studies Show Living Close to Nature has Health Benefits

Studies show spending time outside makes us feel better and reduces the risk of health problems.

Self Care: 5 Ways To Celebrate YOU!

Article Source: https://www.osmosisskincare.com/Default.aspx

October Specials

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Benefits of Nature for Children

Several studies show the benefits that nature has on children's health and well-being. This video is about a FEW of the benefits of nature (there are several more). Get children outdoors and allow them to experience all the benefits nature has!

How Does Our Skin Turn Sunlight Into Vitamin D?

We know vitamin D is good for us and that we get it from the sun, but how exactly does our skin make it?

A Deer Migration You Have to See to Believe | National Geographic

Researchers have only recently found the longest large mammal migration in the continental United States: Mule deer migrate 150 miles (241 kilometers) in western Wyoming each year. And it's no easy task for them—barriers include highways, fences, tough terrain, and bodies of water. In this video by Joe Riis, a National Geographic grantee and regular contributor, see the modern-day obstacles mule deer overcome to make the migratory trek that they likely have been making for generations.

Go Outside.

Go outside into the sunlight; light deprivation is one reason that people feel tired. Research suggests that light stimulates brain chemicals that improve mood and increase motivation.

Stress Reducing Benefits of Time in Nature

Healthytarian Minutes with holistic teacher Evita Ochel. This episode explores how time in nature helps to reduce stress and optimize our health and wellbeing.

How Trees Secretly Talk to Each Other in the Forest | National Geographic

What do trees talk about? In the Douglas fir forests of Canada, see how trees “talk” to each other by forming underground symbiotic relationships—called mycorrhizae—with fungi to relay stress signals and share resources with one another.

Depression: A Walking Prescription

Walking is the cheapest and easiest way to get relief from depression. John Arden, Director of Training for Mental Health at Kaiser Permanente, explains how walking can be an immediate anti-depressant--without the bad side effects of medication. Walking increases endorphin production and neuron development, helping to reduce depression and anxiety and aids in weight loss. Watch the video and check out the related articles for tips on how you can naturally lift your spirits with walking.

Seriously, Trees Are Amazing | Going Deep With David Rees

In the beautiful Muir Woods forest, rockstar arborist "Canopy" Meg teaches "TV Dave" how to use a scientific device called a "pooter" and other amazing things she knows about trees.

Nature Rx: A New Campaign for Nature

Does nature have a marketing problem? Often the messages and headlines we get from the news about climate change and mass extinction can be overwhelming, leaving us wondering what to do.

Behind the humor of Nature Rx is sound science. Research shows that spending more time in nature improves your health, happiness, and importantly leads to making better environmental decisions.

What's Hidden Among the Tallest Trees on Earth? - Wendell Oshiro

When Stephen Sillett was a boy, he took to the forests of Pennsylvania with his brother and grandmother. Looking up into the dense branches and leaves, his curiosity was piqued: What was hidden up there? Wendell Oshiro tells the story of an adult Sillett's bold (if not a little dangerous) exploration of the canopy of an ancient redwood and details some of the fascinating discoveries he made.

Lesson by Wendell Oshiro, animation by Black Powder Design.

The World is Poorly Designed. But Copying Nature Helps.

Japan’s Shinkansen doesn’t look like your typical train. With its long and pointed nose, it can reach top speeds up to 150–200 miles per hour.

It didn’t always look like this. Earlier models were rounder and louder, often suffering from the phenomenon of "tunnel boom," where deafening compressed air would rush out of a tunnel after a train rushed in. But a moment of inspiration from engineer and birdwatcher Eiji Nakatsu led the system to be redesigned based on the aerodynamics of three species of birds.

Nakatsu’s case is a fascinating example of biomimicry, the design movement pioneered by biologist and writer Janine Benyus. She's a co-founder of the Biomimicry Institute, a non-profit encouraging creators to discover how big challenges in design, engineering, and sustainability have often already been solved through 3.8 billion years of evolution on earth. We just have to go out and find them.

What’s So Great about the Great Lakes? - Cheri Dobbs and Jennifer Gabrys

The North American Great Lakes — Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior — are so big that they border 8 states and contain 23 quadrillion liters of water. They span forest, grassland, and wetland habitats, supporting a region that’s home to 3,500 species. But how did such a vast and unique geological feature come to be? Cheri Dobbs and Jennifer Gabrys takes us all the way back to the Ice Age to find out.

Lesson by Cheri Dobbs and Jennifer Gabrys, animation by TED-Ed.

Health Benefits From Walking In Nature

Walking in nature makes us happier and healthier. Spending time around trees and looking at trees reduces stress, lowers blood pressure and improves mood.

How to Relax - 8 Relaxation Tips for Your Mental Health

Exploring relaxation can help you look after your wellbeing when you’re feeling stressed or busy. Have a look at these tips and ideas to see how relaxation can fit into your daily life. Don’t worry if some ideas don’t work for you – just enjoy the ones that do.

Get Outside: How Nature Benefits Our Well-Being

UW Health Senior Psychologist Dr. Shilagh Mirgain reminds you why its important to get outside.

The Amazing Ways Plants Defend Themselves - Valentin Hammoudi

Plants are constantly under attack. They face threats ranging from microscopic fungi to small herbivores like caterpillars, up to large herbivores like elephants. But plants are ready, with a whole series of internal and external defenses that make them a less appealing meal — or even a deadly one. Valentin Hammoudi explains some of the fascinating ways that plants defend themselves.

Lesson by Valentin Hammoudi, directed by Juan M. Urbina Studios.

Nature Walks Good For Mental Health, Stress A Study Finds

Examining Group Walks in Nature and Multiple Aspects of Well-Being: A Large-Scale Study

Why Is Blue So Rare In Nature?

Among living things, the color blue is oddly rare. Blue rocks, blue sky, blue water, sure. But blue animals? They are few and far between. And the ones that do make blue? They make it in some very strange and special ways compared to other colors. In this video, we'll look at some very cool butterflies to help us learn how living things make blue, and why this beautiful hue is so rare in nature.

Healthy Trees...Healthy People

The relationship between trees and human health.

Prescribing Nature for Health | Nooshin Razani | TEDxNashville

Dr. Nooshin Razani talks about the healing power of nature as well as why it is her mission to prescribe time in nature as a way to treat health conditions. Watch Dr. Nooshin Razani's talk to learn how and why nature can be an essential part of healthy living.

Lack of Sunlight Exposure Linked to Depression and Poor Sleep

Aside from getting your daily dose of Vitamin D, there is now another reason why you need to have yourself exposed to sunlight, our natural light. A new study published by Chronobiology International reveals that lack of natural light exposure increases the risk of developing depression and having poor quality of sleep.

How Stress Affects Your Brain - Madhumita Murgia

Stress isn’t always a bad thing; it can be handy for a burst of extra energy and focus, like when you’re playing a competitive sport or have to speak in public. But when it’s continuous, it actually begins to change your brain. Madhumita Murgia shows how chronic stress can affect brain size, its structure, and how it functions, right down to the level of your genes.

Lesson by Madhumita Murgia, animation by Andrew Zimbelman.

10 Reasons Why Nature is the Best Medicine

10 Reasons Why Nature is the Best Medicine

1. The Closer to Nature, the Healthier You'll Be
Recent studies have shown that the closer you live to nature or green spaces in general the happier you'll be.

2. Nature Changes Your Brain -- For the Better
When you take a walk in nature, electrochemical changes occur in your brain, producing calming and beneficial results.

3. Sunny Skies Give You Vitamin D...
Vitamin D is crucial to humans, helping to prevent disease and infection and improving bone health.

Sunrays provide plenty of vitamin D, so being outdoors during a sunny day can greatly improve your health.

4. ...And a Good Night's Sleep
While it may sound counterproductive, being out in the sun also helps you sleep.

Sunlight, especially in the morning, helps regulate your internal biological clock, making it much easier for you to get your needed rest when bed time rolls around.

5. The Outdoors Can Help You Kiss Your Stress Goodbye
Researchers are finding that being out in nature greatly reduces people's stress levels.

Simply taking in outdoor sights and sounds is relaxing to the body and mind, helping to decrease worry and anxiety.

6. Nature has Astounding Healing Properties
Nature has been shown to directly improve people's physical health, including patients who are recovering from a disease or illness.

Patients who are exposed to the outdoors tend to recover more quickly, use less pain medication, and have shorter hospital stays.

Now, how astounding is that?

7. Being Outside is Good for Your Mental Health
Nature can also help curb mental dieses as well, like depression, ADHD, and other psychiatric problems and illnesses.

The relaxing and calming properties of nature greatly contribute to these results.

8. More Outdoor Activity Makes for a Fitter, Healthier You
Being out in nature often involves some form of physical activity, whether it be strolling through the park, biking through the mountains, or an exciting river raft ride.

This activity both improves physical fitness and can help decrease the likelihood of obesity.

9. Nature Heightens the Senses and Memory
Spending time outdoors can also strengthen your senses and memory.

When in nature, you're exposed to plenty of sights, smells, sounds, and touches and have ample amounts of new things to take in.

These experiences help enhance all your senses, and being outdoors has also been proven to improve short term memory.

10. Happiness -- Pure and Simple
Let's face it, being in nature just makes people happier in general.

The great outdoors changes brain chemistry in a positive way, improves mood, decreases stress, provides opportunities for fun, and is simply downright beautiful.

All this ends up making for a happier and, thus, healthier you.

How Plants Tell Time - Dasha Savage

Morning glories unfurl their petals like clockwork in the early morning. A closing white waterlily signals that it’s late afternoon. And moon flowers, as their name suggests, only bloom under the night sky. What gives plants this innate sense of time? Dasha Savage investigates how circadian rhythms act as an internal timekeeper for flora and fauna alike.

Lesson by Dasha Savage, animation by Avi Ofer.

Stanford Researchers Find Mental Health Prescription: Nature

A Stanford-led study finds quantifiable evidence that walking in nature could lead to a lower risk of depression.

Get Your Daily Dose of Trees - Health Benefits Video

Trees and forests create numerous health benefits: cleaner air that lowers childhood asthma rates, less heat exhaustion due to decreased summer air temperatures, blocking UV rays that cause skin cancer, and natural calming effect that decreases stress levels and increases focus. So, get your daily dose of trees.

Nature Is Smarter Than Us

Nature is pretty damn smart. In fact, many modern technologies get their ideas from nature. Trace explores the awesome field of biomimicry.

How Sunlight Affects Your Health

One of the best known benefits of sunlight is its ability to boost the body's vitamin D supply, but what happens when you can't get outside in the sun? George Washington University's Dr. Michael Irwig explains how sunlight, or lack of it, can affect a person's health.

Get Hooked on Nature: Ben Klasky at TEDxRainier

As kids now spend more time with entertainment media, they're getting less and less time outdoors, despite the mental and physical health benefits. Ben Klasky, CEO of IslandWood, a 255-acre outdoor learning center, proposes a free and natural remedy to the physical problems kids face: the Great Outdoors.

The Healing Power Of Mother Nature That Always Gives You Mental Peace

Nature helps us cope with pain. Because we are genetically programmed to find trees, plants, water, and other nature elements engrossing, we are absorbed by nature scenes and distracted from our pain and discomfort.

How Stress Affects Your Body - Sharon Horesh Bergquist

Our hard-wired stress response is designed to gives us the quick burst of heightened alertness and energy needed to perform our best. But stress isn’t all good. When activated too long or too often, stress can damage virtually every part of our body. Sharon Horesh Bergquist gives us a look at what goes on inside our body when we are chronically stressed.

Lesson by Sharon Horesh Bergquist, animation by Adriatic Animation.

The Health Benefits of Trees, Nature and Forests

The Health Benefits of Trees, Nature and Forests

How Do Birds Learn to Sing? - Partha P. Mitra

A brown thrasher knows a thousand songs. A wood thrush can sing two pitches at once. A mockingbird can match the sounds around it — including car alarms. These are just a few of the 4,000 species of songbirds. How do these birds learn songs? How do they know to mimic the songs of their own species? Are they born knowing how to sing? Partha P. Mitra illuminates the beautiful world of birdsong.

Lesson by Partha P. Mitra, animation by TED-Ed.

California's State Flower

Learn about California's state flower with naturalist Michael Ellis.

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What Causes Insomnia? - Dan Kwartler

What keeps you up at night? Pondering deep questions? Excitement about a big trip? Stress about unfinished work? What if the very thing keeping you awake was stress about losing sleep? This seemingly unsolvable loop is at the heart of insomnia, the world’s most common sleep disorder. So what is insomnia? And is there any way to break the cycle? Dan Kwartler details the science of insomnia.

Lesson by Dan Kwartler, animation by Sharon Colman.

Ten Reasons Why We Need More Contact with Nature

 Heron Island on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Photograph: Graeme Robertson

By:Richard Louv 

It improves your memory, helps you recuperate and even makes your sense of smell more acute. So turn off your computer and get outside

• The more high-tech our lives become, the more nature we need

We have a human right to a meaningful connection to nature, and we have the responsibilities that come with that right. Many people today support the notion that every person, especially every young person, has a right to access the internet. How much more should every person have a right to access the natural world, because that connection is part of our humanity?

• Humans are hard-wired to love – and need – exposure to the natural world

Researchers have found that regardless of culture people gravitate to images of nature, especially the savannah. Our inborn affiliation for nature may explain why we prefer to live in houses with particular views of the natural world.

• We suffer when we withdraw from nature

Australian professor Glenn Albrecht, director of the Institute of Sustainability and Technology Policy at Murdoch University, has coined the term solastalgia. He combined the Latin word solacium (comfort — as in solace) and the Greek root – algia (pain) to form solastalgia, which he defines as “the pain experienced when there is recognition that the place where one resides and that one loves is under immediate assault.”

• Nature brings our senses alive

Scientists recently found that humans have the ability to track by scent alone. Some humans rival bats in echolocation or biosonar abilities. Military studies show that some soldiers in war zones see nuances others miss, and can spot hidden bombs; by and large these individuals tend to be rural or inner city soldiers, who grew up more conscious of their surroundings.

• Individuals and businesses can become nature smart

Spending more time outdoors nurtures our “nature neurons” and our natural creativity. For example, at the University of Michigan, researchers demonstrated that, after just an hour interacting with nature, memory performance and attention spans improved by 20%. In workplaces designed with nature in mind, employees are more productive and take less sick time.

• Nature heals

Pennsylvania researchers found that patients in rooms with tree views had shorter hospitalisations, less need for pain medications and fewer negative comments in the nurses’ notes, compared to patients with views of brick.

• Nature can reduce depression and improve psychological wellbeing

Researchers in Sweden have found joggers who exercise in a natural green setting feel more restored and less anxious, angry, or depressed than people who burn the same amount of calories jogging in a built urban setting.

• Nature builds community bonds

Levels of neurochemicals and hormones associated with social bonding are elevated during animal-human interactions. Researchers at the University of Rochester report that exposure to the natural environment leads people to nurture close relationships with fellow human beings, value community, and to be more generous with money.

• Nature bonds families and friends

New ways are emerging to make that bond, such as family nature clubs, through which multiple families go hiking, gardening or engage in other outdoor activities together. In the UK, families are forming “green gyms” to bring people of all ages together to do green exercise.

• The future is at stake

The natural world’s benefits to our cognition and health will be irrelevant if we continue to destroy the nature around us, but that destruction is assured without a human reconnection to nature.

Article Source: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/feb/13/10-reasons-why-we-need-more-contact-with-nature

What Are the Health Benefits of Unplugging?

So far, there’s not much strong science suggesting a direct connection between taking regular breaks from digital devices and your health. Investigation of this issue is still in its nascent stage.

There have, of course, been multiple studies suggesting that over-involvement with our digital devices can create or exacerbate problems.

• One study found that young people who are heavy technology users have a higher risk of sleep disturbances and mental health issues.
• Other research found that the so-called “Google effect” is remember information.
• Still another study showed that the mere presence of a cell phone is distracting enough to impede performance on mental tasks.
• And other studies have shown that browsing light-emitting devices like iPads and e-readers at bedtime disrupts sleep.

But so far, there’s no research telling us that making a concerted effort to “unplug” from our devices for any specific period of time—whether it’s for one day or one week or for a couple of hours every day—will do anything to benefit your health.

Are screens the problem or a symptom?

It’s become part of our culture to think that being “too plugged in” and too dependent on our devices is the root of our problems, rather than a manifestation of other problems. Is constantly checking your phone during dinner with your family causing you to be less close to them? Or are you constantly checking your phone because it’s a convenient way to avoid conversations? Are you anxious and having trouble sleeping because you’re spending too much time online? Or are you spending lots of time online to try to tune out your anxiety?

We humans are social animals, and to the extent that our social interactions with other people are being replaced by interactions with devices, that may have detrimental effects on our health. But I’d have to underline that word “may.” It certainly seems to make sense, but it hasn’t yet been proven. If a patient told me, “I spend almost all my day online, doing either work or social activities, and my life’s pretty good,” I don’t know that I as his or her doctor would push for changing that.

None of this is to say that I think it’s a good thing that so many of us are so constantly connected to our devices. If we spend too much time staring at a screen, the life that is happening right in front of us—our kids’ childhoods, conversations with our partners, work that we can do to help make the world better—may just pass us by.

Setting aside protected time each day for direct interaction with people—or for solitude and meditation without the interruption of a Facebook feed or a stream of texts—instinctively feels like a good thing. But we shouldn’t make unwarranted claims or assumptions about what these tech breaks might or might not do for our physical and mental health.

Unplugging by itself probably won’t work some magic in your life. But if you spend that digital-free time focusing on your relationships and activities you enjoy, now that can make your life better.

Article Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/berkeley-wellness/what-are-the-health-benefits-of-unplugging_b_8917956.html

How Hangin’ In A Hammock Can Help Your Health

What is better for sleep: hammocks or beds? We’re accustomed to beds, but the benefits of sleeping in a hammock should be taken seriously.

A University of Geneva Study found that the gentle rocking motion of a hammock helps people fall asleep faster and encourages a deeper state of sleep. Research conducted on 12 healthy adults noted that they fell asleep quicker in a rocking bed, and the rocking also boosted certain types of sleep-related brain wave oscillations. It increased slow oscillations and bursts of activity in the brain known as sleep spindles, which are associated with deep sleep and memory consolidation.

The researchers also found the swaying motion increased the duration of stage N2 sleep, a type of non-rapid eye movement sleep that usually takes up about half of a night’s worth of good sleep.

Though the study was small, it could mean that hammocks should be considered in treating insomnia and other sleep disorders. Further, a good night’s sleep has all sorts of benefits, such as greater ability to concentrate, a better mood, better body repair and recovery and increased learning.

It’s worthwhile to note hammocks may be good for back pain, they are dust-mite free, and breathe well in hot weather.

Hammocks are also a solution to disrupted sleep because of tossing and turning. When you sleep on a flat bed, your body weight collects in different areas, called pressure points, as explained by Hammock Life Tips. That leads to moving around all night as you try to relieve tension and discomfort to different areas and parts of your body. A hammock, however, adjusts to your body shape.

Likewise, a hammock facilitates sleeping in what is considered the healthiest position: flat on your back with the head slightly elevated. The position gives the brain optimal blood circulation, and allows for unobstructed breathing, according to one doctor at the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Other non-health-related benefits of hammocks include convenience and affordability. When camping, pitching a hammock is quick, and there won’t be any rocks sticking in your back as you sleep. And in hot weather, there’s great air circulation; while in cold weather, just stay in your sleeping bag, in the hammock.

And then there’s the view. One of my most memorable nights was spent in a hammock on the patio of a palafito (house on stilts in the middle of a lake) in Venezuela, watching the midnight Catatumbo lightning.

How to sleep in a hammock

Whether on your balcony, in your bedroom or camping, you should make sure your hammock is hung with a nice loose curve. The curve will prevent any shoulder squeeze, and will ensure you don’t fall out, according to The Ultimate Hang. Sleep in it diagonally for a flat position, and bring in a pillow, if you like (though a hammock does naturally elevate your head).

The diagonal line works equally for those who prefer to sleep on their side, or even in fetal position. However, with the way the netting holds you, conforming to your natural curves and removing pressure points, a hammock will often keep you happily sleeping on your back, even if that’s not your usual style.

Avoid hammocks that have horizontal rods at each end (spreader-bar hammock): They are unstable, and won’t bring the same positive benefits, though they may look nice.

Hammock history

Hammocks appear to date back around a thousand years, to when the Maya and other indigenous groups in Central America and the Caribbean used them. Hung from trees, they offered distance from the dirty ground and from snakes and spiders. Sometimes people would place hot coals or kindle small fires under the hammocks in order to stay warm or ward off insects.

The earliest hammocks were woven from the bark of the Hamak tree. Then fibers from the Sisal plant were used as they could be softened quite easily. Cotton rope hammocks have only really been around for the last 60 years.

The word “hammock” may come from the Taino people of the Caribbean, who used the word hamaca to refer to fish nets, or it might come from the Hamak tree.

Seaside Hammocks estimates that at least 100 million people around the world use hammocks as their beds. But if you want to take a gentle sleep to an amazing extreme, you can copy the participants in the International Highline Meeting in Italy, and sleep in a hammock suspended thousands of feet in the air, with a great view of the Italian Alps.

Whatever your preference, it’s worth thinking about alternative ways to sleep instead of the typical bed. Sometimes there are better ways to do things — don’t be afraid to try them!

Article Source: https://www.thealternativedaily.com/how-hangin-in-a-hammock-can-help-your-health/

How to Stay Calm Under Pressure - Noa Kageyama and Pen-Pen Chen

Your favorite athlete closes in for a win; the crowd holds its breath, and at the crucial moment ... she misses the shot. That competitor just experienced the phenomenon known as “choking,” where despite months, even years, of practice, a person fails right when it matters most. Why does this happen, and what can we do to avoid it? Noa Kageyama and Pen-Pen Chen explain why we choke under pressure. 

Lesson by Noa Kageyama and Pen-Pen Chen, animation by Olesya Shchukina.

Black-Tailed Deer

Find out more about our neighbors the Black-Tailed Deer, with naturalist Michael Ellis.

Why Relaxation Is So Important

It’s Not Lazy — It’s Healthy

While billions of dollars are spent annually in the pursuit of happiness and relaxation, most people fail to obtain those elusive goals. Knowing about the necessity of relaxation fails to convince many of us to take time out and simply be.

In fact, most people pride themselves on being “unable to simply sit still.” Unfortunately the frantic pursuit of happiness often leads to disappointment, fatigue and ill health. Many responsible adults would not consider taking a day off from work simply so they could relax, yet they would consider it irresponsible not to take necessary medication.

Relaxation is critical for personal well-being, health maintenance, and for life itself. If you are among the majority of individuals who do not make relaxation a priority, it may be time to reevaluate your perspective on this critical subject. Your happiness, health and very life depend on it.

Relaxation Can Keep You Well

Many minor and life-threatening illnesses are stress-related. Stress and the lack of regular relaxation harms your immune system. As a result, you catch colds, get cold sores, and contract common illnesses more readily.

If you are a person who feels you are doing your co-workers a favor by going to work when you are not completely well, you are actually harming yourself and fellow workers. When you are sick, stay home and rest.

Unfortunately, employees are sometimes looked upon favorably when they struggle through the day, coming to work when ill. The health care industry is a particularly bad example of this practice.

Health care providers, like those in other industries, are often encouraged to go to work whenever possible, regardless of how they feel, because otherwise facilities will be short staffed. It is up to you to look out for your own well-being.

Take Care of Yourself

Burn-out is rampant among caregivers, partially as a result of a relaxation deficit. Many caregivers burn out because they feel guilty taking care of themselves when they “should” be caring for others.

Job satisfaction, relationships, and the ability to care for others suffer when caregivers are not provided with regular relaxation times. Caregivers must learn how to balance responsibilities with self-care.

I know this may seem impossible, but it can be done. Self-care requires dedication and commitment.

Support groups can be very beneficial as other members understand what you are going through. You may pick up helpful tips, feel less isolated, and no longer feel guilty for looking out for yourself.

Replenish the Sourdough

We are each responsible for taking time out every day so we can relax. A wise friend once told me we each must learn to “replenish the sourdough.”

Sourdough bread is made with a yeast starter. Every time a loaf of bread is made, a little bit of the starter is reserved. The reserved starter is then replenished with flour so there will be enough starter to make the next batch of bread.

If all of the starter is used up and not replenished, there will be no bread in the future. In human terms, this means we must each take responsibility for keeping a bit of ourselves back when we care for others. We need to nourish ourselves so we will be able to help others.

If we do not replenish ourselves, we will be exhausted and have nothing left to give. Self-care and relaxation are not selfish; they are responsible and essential actions that benefit you and those who you encounter.

Learn to Relax

A lack of relaxation leads to multiple emotional and stress-related illnesses. Panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and depression are rampant. Stress depletes the body of endorphins and can lead to insomnia, and fatigue contributes to mood and relationship disorders.

Anxiety and mood disorders don’t just make you feel bad, they are harmful for your health. For example, people who suffer from panic disorder are twice as likely as the general public to suffer from potentially fatal coronary artery disease.

Seemingly unrelated illnesses may arise or worsen when you cannot relax. Migraine headaches, heart attacks, stroke, COPD, and irritable bowel syndrome are all negatively impacted by stress.

Lack of Relaxation Impacts Relationships

Living with high levels of stress can be difficult for you and those you come in contact with. Your ability to work and support yourself financially may be impacted; you may feel irritable and helpless; and family members may experience similar issues. If you have children, it is essential you model behaviors that teach them how to relax in healthy ways.

Relax and Live Well

As you can see, if you do not take time out for relaxing, your health may be impaired. Fortunately the decision to make sure you stay well and get relaxation time is entirely yours.

Relaxing may not only save your life, it can make it more enjoyable and help you create the life you want to live.

Establish a routine for relaxing. When you first begin to relax, it may be as simple as taking a few deep breaths several times per day. You might enjoy a sitting for 10 minutes after work while you put your feet up and sip on herbal tea.

While watching a favorite television program or reading a book can be enjoyable, take time to relax by doing “nothing.” Doing nothing for a few minutes each day allows you time to notice how you feel physically , mentally and spiritually. You will begin to recognize aspects of your life that bring you pleasure and areas that need changing.

Article Source: http://healthliving.today/why-relaxation-is-so-important/