Make a Pit-Stop with Nature
If you’re reading this piece on your way to work or back, or if you’re in the comfort of your four walls, spare a minute to do this. It’ll be worth it, I promise.
Sit up straight, pause, breathe and look around you or fix your gaze outside. If possible, look outside a window. Is the wind making leaves on the trees shiver? Can you see a bird chasing a bee in glee? Look how nature acts and reacts with all its subjects. Spend a good minute noticing everything around you. Try not to think about anything. Just notice.
There. Are you back to this? Okay, good. Did you feel something? Even for a minute, were you able to disconnect with everything else and truly connect with yourself? If not, by the end of this you might just be able to.
What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
– Leisure by William Henry Davies
In a world as fast as this, how often does one get to truly have leisure time outdoors? It’s rare. And if you’re a parent at that, the concept of leisure might not even occur to you on a daily basis. As the lines above suggest, if life doesn’t allow one to stand, stare and soak it all in, how does one expect to truly live. Even machines in a factory get a break. So why shouldn’t you?
This is a question for all the parents out there. How many times has your child asked you to spend some time with them chasing the sun, or roam barefoot on the freshly cut grass? And how many times have you had to give your schedule as a reason, even if you didn’t want to?
The reality is that no matter how hard you try, something will always come in the way of you wanting to spend your day with your child sitting under a tree. So what is the solution? No no, we’re not another one of those to preach about “finding a balance”. Instead, we’ll talk data and suggestions to you. Let us show you how taking a break might actually be the way to get more work done.
Several studies suggest that quality time spent outdoors in nature can lead to reduced stress hormone levels, improved motor skills and overall good physical and mental health among adults. Both adults and children with access to green spaces are shown to exhibit increased attention span and reduced symptoms of ADHD and hyperactivity.
Now what does quality time actually mean? It’s not just about accompanying your kids to the park or listening to your audiobook the whole time you’re on a walk. It’s about disconnecting with your world so heavily inundated with technology to just look up, around and take it all in. It’s about connecting with nature and thereby, yourself and with your loved ones.
The process is simple:
Pause. Breathe. Look. Breathe. Observe
So the next time you’re out in the open, do these things with yourself and your kids.
Get a notepad and a pen. Make a note of 5 things you see around you in nature. Ask your kids the same and make a note. Once you’re home, talk about those 5 things and how you felt.
Let’s show you an example. A 4 year-old Pooja is out with her mother in a dog park.
Pooja’s list:
- Flowers
- Dried Leaves
- Dogs
- Pond
- The red sun
Pooja’s mom’s list:
- Banyan tree
- Ripples in water
- Moss on stones
- Green blades of grass
- Heavy wind
They exchange what they see and what they feel about each of the things they noticed.
As a result, you’ll realise you’re not only strengthening your child’s memory, creativity and sharpness but also your own ability to truly get away from everything and be one with the outdoors, closer to your children.
Because what is life but a poor one if we have no time to stand and spare!
Here’s to celebrating the small pauses of everyday, that actually make the biggest impact in bettering our childrens and our own life .
Happy pausing to you!