My Peonies

I looked out of my bedroom window this morning and was awed by my own peonies plant. Awe!
We used to have a big Linden tree in the middle of our garden whose overbearing shadow stunted this plant for years - allowing it only three blooms at the most.
Now that we removed the tree, it is just blooming, wildly, freely and spectacularly, grabbing the centre of attention.
I love it. I am in awe!
I just read that in the 1980s, the Japanese developed Shinrin-yoku, or “forest bathing.”. It’s about feeling the wind, hearing the stream, and smelling the pine. It’s as simple as watching the trees while taking massive gulps of the fresh air they help create.
From the East to the West, more data shows that time spent in nature helps people combat high stress, high blood pressure, and depressed moods. How many times have we, or someone we know, reached for medications or supplements to treat these symptoms?
This isn’t to say that medications and professional therapies aren’t necessary for some. But for many of us who have searched for something to take the edge off of daily stress or anxiety, the answer could be waiting on the other side of our front door.
It may seem counterintuitive, but the easiest way to reconnect with ourselves on a personal level is by detaching from our personal point of view. Standing among the trees, under the stars, or on a mountain peak forces us to take pause. It reminds us that we’re part of something bigger than ourselves.
Taken from: Your Brain On Nature: How Scientists Are Learning What Writers Have Known All Along, Corey McComb
We used to have a big Linden tree in the middle of our garden whose overbearing shadow stunted this plant for years - allowing it only three blooms at the most.
Now that we removed the tree, it is just blooming, wildly, freely and spectacularly, grabbing the centre of attention.
I love it. I am in awe!
I just read that in the 1980s, the Japanese developed Shinrin-yoku, or “forest bathing.”. It’s about feeling the wind, hearing the stream, and smelling the pine. It’s as simple as watching the trees while taking massive gulps of the fresh air they help create.
From the East to the West, more data shows that time spent in nature helps people combat high stress, high blood pressure, and depressed moods. How many times have we, or someone we know, reached for medications or supplements to treat these symptoms?
This isn’t to say that medications and professional therapies aren’t necessary for some. But for many of us who have searched for something to take the edge off of daily stress or anxiety, the answer could be waiting on the other side of our front door.
It may seem counterintuitive, but the easiest way to reconnect with ourselves on a personal level is by detaching from our personal point of view. Standing among the trees, under the stars, or on a mountain peak forces us to take pause. It reminds us that we’re part of something bigger than ourselves.
Taken from: Your Brain On Nature: How Scientists Are Learning What Writers Have Known All Along, Corey McComb