Unplug and Reconnect!

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Last week I went camping with my family.  Although I had a wifi device with me, I listened to my body’s desire to disconnect.  For five whole days I did not look at a small digital screen .  I looked at trees, rivers, the dirt under my finger nails, the water boiling on the camp stove.  I focused on my family members and listened to the ends of their sentences.  I played charades by the light of the camp fire.  My brain, my eyes, my whole being, responded with an appreciative sigh of gratitude.  When I returned to the digital world this infographic caught my eye on Facebook.  It’s about the value of spending time in nature.  At the bottom right corner emerge three interesting data points on the impact of time in nature and the accompanying value to our health and well being:

  • 2 minutes  = stress relief
  • 2 hours = 20% improvement in memory and attention span
  • 2 days = 50% increase in cancer fighting white blood cells

 Take a moment to go outside.  Even 2 minutes offers significant health benefit.  Breathe.  Follow the length of a tree with your eyes all the way up to sky.  Stand by it.  Listen.

3 replies
  2. Meg
    Meg says:

    Thanks, Catherine. This is a great reminder. I have even found that closing my eyes and remembering a time when I experienced the serenity of nature can momentarily take me back there… I’m not sure if I could quantify the benefits but it does provide a helpful, if momentary, escape from my highly digital world!

  3. Catherine
    Catherine says:

    Thanks Meg. I also continue to remind myself to take moments throughout the day to feel the sun on my skin or the cool air (as in our neck of the woods, most of the time.) I always benefit even in the rain! Thanks for commenting.

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