Ship of Fools: Daily exposure to nature: effects on you?

Thread: Daily exposure to nature: effects on you? Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.

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Posted by no prophet (# 15560) on :

A recent study: Location, location, location: How nature affects the way we make decisions says "Previous scientific studies have shown that exposure to nature can both increase self-control and also improve our valuations of the future."

I think in my personal experience this is true. I find that going out along the river with the dog, in all weather and conditions helps me gain perspective on daily stresses. Along the lines of 'I have this big thing to do today, but we saw a deer' or met another doggie, or the snow drifts were rather deep. I feel brought into the moment and into a more tranquil inner space.

I do the same thing when I cycle to work, which I'm doing again this winter. All weather. I find my self in the moment more, and less troubled. I have the luxury of mostly being on quiet park-type pathways though.

Do you find that doing things outside, in the natural world does you some good? Do you think it helps with gaining perspective? Do you do enough of it?

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

This is one of the reasons that convinced me to apply for an allotment. The best way of summing up how I felt after an hour or so working on the allotment was "earthed" or "grounded" (as well as "muddy" and "worn out"), but as a stress-buster it felt really great and I always came home feeling emotionally refreshed.

Posted by no prophet (# 15560) on :

What is allotment? It sounds like a Good Thing.

Posted by Sparrow (# 2458) on :

quote:
Originally posted by no prophet:
What is allotment? It sounds like a Good Thing.

Wikipedia has a good explanation.

Posted by no prophet (# 15560) on :

Allotment appears to be a community garden that you have to pay to use it. Free here.

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

quote:
Originally posted by no prophet:
What is allotment? It sounds like a Good Thing.

It's a collection of small plots in an urban area which gives people with little or no garden a chance to grow stuff.

I do have a garden, but it is a bit removed from the house, so it doesn't offer the instant access to educative impulses from a vernal wood etc.

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

The idea of allotments sprang up during the war as an inexpensive way of increasing self-sufficiency. The local councils basically rent out unused ground to local residents to grow fruit and veg. You do pay, but the annual rent is so minimal (about the price of a CD) that it's hardly an imposition, and you get sufficient land even with a half plot to sustain yourself. There can be a long waiting list for allotments in some areas.

Posted by Kelly Alves (# 2522) on :

Odd-- I was driving on the freeway in the suburbs today and I felt lonely. Then I was coming home, after hanging out in the Santa Cruz mountains, and realized I didn't feel lonely anymore, and I attributed this directly to the fact that I was driving through a long stretch of redwoods.

The Hell?I thought. Why would redwoods make me feel less lonely?

I even tried to provoke thoughts of solitary gloom, and it didn't work-- every time I glanced over at the redwoods, I felt cozy. All I can make of this is that (at least to me, in some crazy way) a grove of redwoods reminds of a bunch of people standing around.

And redwoods, despite the fact that they don't get up and dance around, strike me as very vital, and present,and imposing. They have been hanging around long before I got here, they will be hanging around long after I am gone. Somehow I find that soothing.

Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on :

Nature makes me feel a part of it. A feeing of oneness, of being complete. Dry desert to lush rainforest, to the bougainvillea on the fence, it does not matter.
I only feel alone in nature when I contemplate the company of a large predator.

Posted by Kelly Alves (# 2522) on :

quote:
Originally posted by lilBuddha:

I only feel alone in nature when I contemplate the company of a large predator.

... well, yeah, there's that.

Posted by Palimpsest (# 16772) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Kelly Alves:
Odd-- I was driving on the freeway in the suburbs today and I felt lonely. Then I was coming home, after hanging out in the Santa Cruz mountains, and realized I didn't feel lonely anymore, and I attributed this directly to the fact that I was driving through a long stretch of redwoods.

The Hell?I thought. Why would redwoods make me feel less lonely?

I even tried to provoke thoughts of solitary gloom, and it didn't work-- every time I glanced over at the redwoods, I felt cozy. All I can make of this is that (at least to me, in some crazy way) a grove of redwoods reminds of a bunch of people standing around.

And redwoods, despite the fact that they don't get up and dance around, strike me as very vital, and present,and imposing. They have been hanging around long before I got here, they will be hanging around long after I am gone. Somehow I find that soothing.

Hanging out in a Redwood grove is very soothing, even 50 feet from the road. They aren't just standing around; there is the sound of the trees that are busy dripping down little bits of fireproof bark to squelch upstart competition and fire and busy controlling the humidity and using most of the light. I also know that there's the whole ecosystem of the upper trees that intrepid explorers have found to be small worlds just out of reach.

They are on a different time scale and it makes our human time scale seem tiny.

Posted by quetzalcoatl (# 16740) on :

Nature has a big effect on me. I have a house in a remote part of Norfolk, and if I don't go there frequently I start to feel weird. We walk out to the saltmarsh, and listen to the redshank calling, and the teal whistling, and I feel whole again. It's as if that life is the same as the life in me. Well, there's no as if about it.

Sometimes we go and walk on the huge beaches up there, even in winter, and again, it's healing.

The odd thing is, that I've tried living in the country, and got fed up with it, so I miss the city then.

[ 08. November 2013, 07:36: Message edited by: quetzalcoatl ]

Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :

I'm pretty sure my Dad mentioned his father having an allotment, and as he died before the war, the idea must go back before that.
In fact, I now find the idea went back to the 18th century, but didn't get going until the late 19th.
The size of the plot is based on old measures - the rod (pole or perch) which is 5.5 feet. Usually ten square rods, referred to as 10 rods. Which is quite sizeable if you have to dig it by hand. which is why I am not on the list for one of the local ones.

Posted by quetzalcoatl (# 16740) on :

Our local allotments are being divided now, as so many people want one - all those yuppies! So I have four rods, which is OK - ten is a lot of work. In fact, they're being inspected next week, so I'd better get cracking, tidying up for the winter.

Posted by quetzalcoatl (# 16740) on :

By the way, a rod if 5 yds, not ft, isn't it? Our plot is 4 rods, and it's a lot bigger than 20 by 20 ft! 320 rods to a mile.

Posted by mousethief (# 953) on :

A rod is a measure of length or distance, not area. How wide are your rods?

Posted by Galloping Granny (# 13814) on :

At home in the city we have a fenced suburban house-plot (one eighth acre or 600-odd sq metres) with mostly small trees around but an over-arching kowhai tree.
Every evening before I go to bed I step out into the dimness (not dark – 'street-lights' on the public steps above us). I listen for the sounds of the wind in the trees, distant traffic or voices, sometimes the morepork calling up the hill; I note the lights on or off in neighbours' houses and see familiar stars or the branches above me; breath in the green taste of the night; feel the gentle breeze (like the touch of the Spirit) and the coolness of the night. And I wonder how anyone can bear to live in towering apartment buildings in the cities.
At Matarangi: different sights, sounds, smells but same healing.

GG

Posted by quetzalcoatl (# 16740) on :

quote:
Originally posted by mousethief:
A rod is a measure of length or distance, not area. How wide are your rods?

Ah yes, we use 'rod' to mean square rod, so a plot of 4 rods is actually 4 by 4 rods. A square rod is roughly 25 sq yds or metres, 160 to an acre, I think.

I vaguely remember chains, poles and perches from being a kid. A rod is supposed to be the distance from the plough to the oxen's nose.

Posted by TonyK (# 35) on :

For the avoidance of confusion regarding Imperial Measurements see here. The definition of a rod is on second 'page'.

I particularly liked

quote:
In the 16th century the lawful rod was decreed to be the combined length of the left feet of 16 men as they left church on a Sunday morning.

It was Penny S who pointed out above that allotments are quoted as 10 rods, being an area measurement. The National Allotment website gives the average allotment as being about 250 square metres - i.e. 10 X 1 Rods.

And no - I haven't got an allotment - I hate gardening!!

Posted by quetzalcoatl (# 16740) on :

Yeah, they used to be 10 (sq) rods, but times are hard, and the middle classes realized that they could grow free veg, and would also benefit from fresh air, digging, and so on, so the queues for a plot are now several years. So they started chopping them up in some areas; we got 4 rods, but I've seen 10 rod plots chopped into 3 pieces. It does make for interesting social mixes now, the traditional old guy (that's me), the old West Indian guy who's an expert, plus the yuppy in his designer jeans and holey sweater. Nice people.

[ 08. November 2013, 08:57: Message edited by: quetzalcoatl ]

Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on :

Walking round the village or cycling down to the river or, if we have time, a drive out to another village then a walk across The Backwaters to some land we own there - totally refreshing.

Then we got to the mountains and there is a 2 - 3 hour walk from the hotel we use up through the tea gardens, round and back again to where we started.

Great recharging moments.

Posted by MrsBeaky (# 17663) on :

I go bonkers, if I can't be outside each day. Small is beautiful but big is a fantastic treat:
Even in a city, I'll look for a place where I can watch a bird in tree and when I get given something like the spectacular view of the Rift valley here, I can feast on the memory for days.
Nature is a source of spiritual nourishment for me and also a stimulus to worship.

Posted by Jack the Lass (# 3415) on :

I know this isn't supposed to be just about allotments, but just to add my 2p, we got a part-plot a year ago and I have absolutely loved being out in the open air trying to grow stuff. It's been a learning experience as not everything worked, but every week since early summer we've brought something home to eat which has been so satisfying. We don't live in a big city but both commute to bigger cities for work, and our garden is tiny, so being on the allotment has been a real tonic.

Posted by Drifting Star (# 12799) on :

Nature doesn't let you down. It gives of itself - food, beauty, shelter, scent - and asks nothing of you. It is reliable, flexible and ever-changing. It gives you space to think - or to not think. Space to be yourself. It makes no judgement.

However, in some parts of the world it may also want to eat you.

Posted by kingsfold (# 1726) on :

quote:
posted by drifting star:
However, in some parts of the world it may also want to eat you

You've met the Scottish midgie then [Biased]

Posted by quetzalcoatl (# 16740) on :

And the Essex mosquito.

Posted by Drifting Star (# 12799) on :

Apparently I'm not very palatable. [Big Grin]

Starman, however, appears to be haute cuisine. [Eek!]

Posted by quetzalcoatl (# 16740) on :

Yes, people seem to vary. My son was completely freaked out by mozzies when he was little, and we had to buy him a net, so he could sleep. But I've heard in parts of Essex, you can't garden in summer, in a hot summer, because of them. Anecdote alert!

Posted by Moo (# 107) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Penny S:
I'm pretty sure my Dad mentioned his father having an allotment, and as he died before the war, the idea must go back before that.

One of Charles Williams' novels, which was written before WW2, mentions allotments.

Moo

Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Kelly Alves:

The Hell?I thought. Why would redwoods make me feel less lonely? .

Redwoods are big and round and fuzzy. Like most of the comfortable people i know.it's true, you can't feel lonely with them.

Posted by quetzalcoatl (# 16740) on :

Common land for grazing goes back a long way, at least to medieval times, but as land was enclosed, some plots were reserved for rural labourers; but there were also some for town-dwellers, and there were 'town gardens' used by middle class people in the 19th century.

So I suppose the modern idea of the allotment began in the 18th century, as land enclosure gathered pace, and some landowners had a conscience!

I think some allotments in some towns do have a long history, for example, the St Anns Allotments in Nottingham are supposed to go back at least 600 years as land for the use of locals. First enclosures here were in 1604, according to their website.

http://www.staa-allotments.org.uk/heritage/history.htm

Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :

Kelly Alves:

quote:
And redwoods, despite the fact that they don't get up and dance around, strike me as very vital, and present,and imposing. They have been hanging around long before I got here, they will be hanging around long after I am gone. Somehow I find that soothing.

I fell in love with Humboldt State U, initially because it was situated among the redwoods. Then I checked to see if it taught my major. [Big Grin]

Posted by The Undercover Christian (# 17875) on :

quote:
"Previous scientific studies have shown that exposure to nature can both increase self-control and also improve our valuations of the future."

I exposed myself to nature once.

Got arrested.

Posted by rolyn (# 16840) on :

Nature, as in the great outdoors, is very important to me aswell .

I admit too much of it can sometimes feel vaguely agoraphobic . However, to be denied evening walks , (from cool Summer evenings to dark wet and windy Winter ones), would indeed be a torment for someone such as myself.

Posted by Kelly Alves (# 2522) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Lamb Chopped:

quote:
Originally posted by Kelly Alves:

The Hell?I thought. Why would redwoods make me feel less lonely? .
Redwoods are big and round and fuzzy. Like most of the comfortable people i know.it's true, you can't feel lonely with them.

Yeah. Yeah!

Posted by georgiaboy (# 11294) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Kelly Alves:
Odd-- I was driving on the freeway in the suburbs today and I felt lonely. Then I was coming home, after hanging out in the Santa Cruz mountains, and realized I didn't feel lonely anymore, and I attributed this directly to the fact that I was driving through a long stretch of redwoods.

The Hell?I thought. Why would redwoods make me feel less lonely?

I even tried to provoke thoughts of solitary gloom, and it didn't work-- every time I glanced over at the redwoods, I felt cozy. All I can make of this is that (at least to me, in some crazy way) a grove of redwoods reminds of a bunch of people standing around.

And redwoods, despite the fact that they don't get up and dance around, strike me as very vital, and present,and imposing. They have been hanging around long before I got here, they will be hanging around long after I am gone. Somehow I find that soothing.

Perhaps it was an Ent wood? (As in LOTRings)

Posted by no prophet (# 15560) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Kelly Alves:

quote:
Originally posted by lilBuddha:

I only feel alone in nature when I contemplate the company of a large predator.
... well, yeah, there's that.

It is possible over time for that to be less important, I mean the possible fears involved. I've sat and watched grizzly bears eat the tops off of flowers in Snake Indian Pass We were about 100 yards away as the crow flies and about 400 as the trail would require. I think about 3 hours went by.

I've been a little more nervous watching wolves eat. The killing is not pretty and the tendency is to project my human perception on what's happenning. I think that this is also why it's good. My human perception is what gets me into trouble. A jolt of rough nature gets me to view it more external to myself. Which is the benefit I derive that applies to my perception of the divine.

Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :

It's a pity that there are moves afoot to encroach on London open spaces, established as a resource for the city dwellers who could not afford garden space. Recently a community orchard in Camberwell has been felled to make room for a new library. (Difficult to fight that one, of course.)

Posted by Desert Daughter (# 13635) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Kelly Alves:
Why would redwoods make me feel less lonely?

oh, I understand that. I prefer trees to people...

-but seriously. I flee to nature if and when I can. It gives me solace. It connects me to life. When it's just nature and me, the rest of the world can take a hike.

Posted by nickel (# 8363) on :

I was happier at work when I had a window to look out of. The view wasn't great, but I could see over the roof to a row of tree tops. Ospreys and eagles were (still are) locally common, so I saw alot of those soaring around. And even if the sky was empty it was restful to my eyes, to look out into a distance once in a while. Not sure it made a difference in the quality of my work output, however.

Posted by Carex (# 9643) on :

I used to spend the better part of an hour driving to work each day, but most of the land was rural and it was a treat to watch it change with the seasons - especially when the trees bloomed in Spring.

We've now moved to the city suburbs, but even here we have a lot of trees and green spaces all around us. My morning run through the park by the river was always invigorating and renewing. Now that I have to be out before park opens at dawn there are lots of trees and empty spaces even when running along the roads - it somehow feels more expansive and alive than with just buildings. I've spent a lot of time outdoors in the forests since I was young, and love it when I get the chance.

Allotments? After maintaining a full hectare (3 acres) for 20+ years, I'm happy not to to give up my space to someone else. Our vegetable patch will be a 1m x 2.5m raised bed in the back yard.

Posted by Lothiriel (# 15561) on :

We live next to a large park that has fairly wild wooded areas for the middle of a city. I used to walk with my dog for an hour or so every day in the woods. As he approached doggy old age (he's a labrador and now almost 12) and his hips began to go, our walks got shorter, and we rarely could make it to the woods. After a stretch of several months away from the woods, he had a good day and we were able to get to the beginning of the wood. As I stood under the trees, I could feel a physical change in me -- I breathed more deeply, I relaxed -- and I felt that I had glimpsed again an enchanted world of poetry and meaning. It's hard to describe, but it was a mystical moment, and I realized that I'd been missing that contact with nature in all those months.

Posted by Kelly Alves (# 2522) on :

Acording to the book "Last Child in the Woods" healthy foilage is indeed something that is supposed to reset our dials, psychologically. Something to do with being settled in an area that promises to be abundant with resources. The authors talk about significant changes in the behavior of at-risk schoolchildren when taken on "outdoor ed" experiences.

Anyway-- I have mentioned this a couple times-- some people get it some don't-- I would have a real problem living somewhere out of sight of a large body of water. Doesn't matter what kind-- preferably an ocean, but a big lake or river would work, too. But it would have to be big.

Posted by Edith (# 16978) on :

I've just read a beautiful (short) book by Richard Mabey called Turned Out Nice Again. It's a paean of praise to the weather and our responses to it. It has such thoughtful reflections on the vagaries of our weather, is deeply embedded in not just poetry but science, that even reading it without a walk outdoors calms and uplifts the spirits.

Posted by Boogie (# 13538) on :

I live in a valley near the Pennines, so I walk the dog round five different reservoirs, a nature reserve and a lake. I try to vary the walks and go a different route every day.

Here she is by one of them.

She is only allowed 35 minutes at the moment (due to large growing bones and joints) but I can't wait 'till we can do a couple of hours.

I come back refreshed and cheerful. The good thing about having a pooch is that we walk in ALL weathers. I love the rainy walks, all done up in waterproof everything. And Tatze, being a water dog, adores them!

Posted by Moo (# 107) on :

As I sit at my computer, I can look out the window and see a huge Norway maple tree that is sixty-five years old. Right now, all the leaves are yellow, and they are falling fast.

Even in winter I enjoy it; I love looking at the bare branches. Every year the tree gets new leaves and loses them in the fall. There's a timelessness about the process that puts my day-to-day concerns in perspective.

Moo

Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on :

Kelly,

An interesting view of a redwood tree.

Posted by Sir Kevin (# 3492) on :

I feel closer to my parents when I am by the sea.

That is where they are buried.

Posted by Huia (# 3473) on :

The local supermarket is currently being rebuilt [Yipee]

This will mean I can walk there along the river enjoying the mallards, scaups, shags and paradise shelducks and walk back beside the wetlands with various gulls and the pukeko (which are known as swamp hens in some countries).

This makes the grocery shopping - a job I hate - enjoyable.

GG I envy you the morepork. Their call is one of the first sounds I remember as a very young child.

Huia

Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on :

When I was still working for my living, in Birkenhead, just across the Mersey from Liverpool, I was lucky enough to be based just near Hamilton Square [which isn't quite a square in the classic sense of the word but it'll do] and even a quick walk around the square at lunchtime set me up for the afternoon.

For a long time I had a dog who necessitated me walking several times a day, rain or shine and I lived near The Arno is Birkenhead then later near Newsham Park in Liverpool so I got out and about and the walks benefitted me as much as they did the dog. At weekends a longer walk either down at Otterspool or in Croxteth Hall Country Park was bliss for both of us.

Posted by L'organist (# 17338) on :

My daily exposure to nature at this time of year is something I could do without.

Every year shrews will do their best to come into the house from the garden - and once in they get into small spaces between the walls and jump about wearing hobnailed boots.

I've tried everything from humane traps to sonic rodent repellers: the latter are supposed to broadcast on a frequency only the rodents can hear but I am aware of a background eldritch screeching which sets the teeth on edge. The shrews, of course, are immune to such frippery.

So, its back to making sure that only windows without an outer ledge are opened, making sure the door to the garden is never left ajar and then praying that lack of food will drive them out, ether back to the garden from whence they came or to enjoy the delights of my next-door neighbour's property which boasts a crisp-eating (and therefore crumb-dropping) 9 year old. [Roll Eyes]

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