Mar 29, 20213 min read

The Magic of the Woods

( And other nature spaces )

“All forests are one… They are all echoes of the first forest that gave birth to Mystery when the world began.” – Charles de Lint

The woods and the forests, and all manner of places where trees dwell and hold sway, have ever stirred the human soul, leading some of us to aspire to become artists, writers, photographers and poets so that we can share this surpassing beauty with the world.

There is something about the woods and the forests that speaks to the human soul with startling – yet welcome and pleasant – ease and swiftness. Perhaps it is the aura of mystery and enchantment that A buckeye bud, looking like a woodland troll often shroud

Sally Brown Nature Preserve March 2021 those woodland halls, inviting eager eyes and wandering feet. Or perhaps it is the deep silence that suffuses the boughs and branches of the trees, promising peace and solitude to weary hearts and overburdened minds.

Spring has sprung and the woods are in bloom, and here's just a fraction of the blooms that will appear within in a month!

The beginnings of spring blooms at Sally Brown Nature Preserve March 2021

After the year of pandemic,quarantine, social distancing and stress, it's time to get some nature therapy. There are so many national parks, nature preserves, and wild spaces to explore right now. Many have just reopened after closing last year due to the pandemic. Taking into account that not everyone has had the vaccine , it is still much easier than last year to responsibly get out and commune with nature.

Sally Brown Nature Preserve

Time in nature offers many benefits, says M. Amos Clifford, founder and director of the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs in Santa Rosa, California. Being out in nature is necessary to the very essence of who we are, he says.

“We’ve evolved as human beings in nature,” Clifford says. “We spent the first several million years of our existence in forests. And it’s only really been for the last minute—on an evolutionary time scale—that we’ve been living in cities and in modern, industrialized life. Our bodies and our nervous systems need nature to recalibrate ourselves.

Nature heals

Being in nature, or even viewing scenes of nature, reduces anger, fear, and stress and increases pleasant feelings. Exposure to nature not only makes you feel better emotionally, it contributes to your physical wellbeing, reducing blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, and the production of stress hormones. It may even reduce mortality, according to scientists such as public health researchers Stamatakis and Mitchell.

Research done in hospitals, offices, and schools has found that even a simple plant in a room can have a significant impact on stress and anxiety.

Nature soothes

In addition, 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. I can personally attest to that!

Nature restores

One of the most intriguing areas of current research is the impact of nature on general wellbeing. In one study in Mind, 95% of those interviewed said their mood improved after spending time outside, changing from depressed, stressed, and anxious to more calm and balanced. Other studies by Ulrich, Kim, and Cervinka show that time in nature or scenes of nature are associated with a positive mood, and psychological well-being, meaningfulness, and vitality.

Furthermore, time in nature or viewing nature scenes increases our ability to pay attention. Because humans find nature inherently interesting, we can naturally focus on what we are experiencing out in nature. This also provides a respite for our overactive minds, refreshing us for new tasks.

In another interesting area, Andrea Taylor’s research on children with ADHD shows that time spent in nature increases their attention span later.

So why not find a trail and follow it into nature?

A few of the trails I've walked in the past year...

Throw on your trusty hat and dress in layers! :)

Make the time and just go,no matter what the season.

There is something about the woods, forests, grasslands, beaches and any natural space that affects the human soul with startling – yet welcome and pleasant – ease and swiftness. Perhaps it is the aura of mystery and enchantment that shroud those pristine places, inviting, beckoning eager eyes and wandering feet. Or perhaps it is the promise of peace and solitude to weary hearts and overburdened minds.