The Power of Nature and Awe for Physical and Mental Health

I try to never take for granted that I have this beauty in my town.

Today’s adventure for this “Moon Mom” – Schooley’s Mountain Park. My favorite is the Electric Brook Trail. Waterfall after waterfall. Then up the steep hill to the rocks overlooking the quaint downtown and beautiful countryside of Long Valley.

Trees, water, and awe in nature are naturally healing. I love the science behind it all.

It’s helpful to know that there’s science behind what we intuitively know to be true.

Check these resources out for more information on The Power of Nature and Awe for Physical and Mental Health

Podcasts

• Good Life Podcast – 7/6/23 – “How Awe Can Change Your Life” with Dacher Keltner
• Feel Better Live More podcast – #340 2/28/23 – “The New Science of Awe and How it Improves Your Physical and Mental Wellbeing with Dacher Keltner”
• The Science of Happiness – episode #13, 11/21/19 “Can You Find Wonder in the Ordinary”
• The Science of Happiness “Find Beauty in the Every Day” 10/10/19
• Live Happy Now – Episode #50 7/12/22 – “Embracing the Power of Nature With Laura Allen and Courtney Crim”

Books

• Daniel Levitin, Successful Aging – benefits of hiking
• Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness by Qing Li – “40 Beautiful Forests Across the World”
• Blue Mind: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do by Wallace Nichols
• Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life by Dacher Keltner

Articles

• Melissa Marselle, Katherine Irvine, & Sara Warber, “Examining Group Walks in Nature and Multiple Aspects of Well-Being: A Large-Scale Study,” Ecopsychology 6, (2014): 134–147.
• Richard J. Mitchell, Elizabeth A. Richardson, Niahmh K. Shortt, & Jamie R. Pearce, “Neighborhood Environments and Socioeconomic Inequalities in Mental Well-being,” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 49, (2015): 80–88.
• Jo Thompson Coon, Kate Boddy, Ken Stein, & Rebecca Whear, “Does Participating in Physical Activity in Outdoor Natural Environments Have a Greater Effect on Physical and Mental Wellbeing Than Physical Activity Indoors? A Systematic Review,” Environmental Science and Technology 45, (2011): 1761–1772.
• Gregory N. Bratman, Gretchen Daily, Benjamin Levy, & James Gross, “The Benefits of Nature Experience: Improved Affect and Cognition,” Landscape and Urban Planning 138, (2015): 41–50.
• Guy Winch, Emotional First Aid: Healing Rejection, Guilt, Failure, and Other Everyday Hurts (New York: Hudson Street Press, 2013).
• Holli-Ann Passmore & Mark Holder, “Noticing Nature: Individual and Social Benefits of a Two-Week Intervention,” Journal of Positive Psychology 12, no. 6 (2017): 537-546.
• Midhiel van Elk, M. Andrea Arciniegas Gomez, Wietske Vander Zwaag, Hein T. Van Schie, and Disa Sauter, “The Neural Correlates of the Awe Experience: Reduced Default Mode Network Activity During Feelings of Awe,” Human Brain Mapping 40, no. 12 (2019): 3561-3574.
• Michael P. Kelley, Robert D. Coursey, & Peter M. Selby, “Therapeutic Adventures Outdoors: A Demonstration of Benefits for People with Mental Illness,” Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal 20, no. 4, (1997): 61-73.

Beautiful essay

https://humanparts.medium.com/walking-is-medicine-why-long-walks-will-change-your-life-59297e955a49