7 Reasons Why It's Important to Get Outside During the Time of Covid-19 (With Safe Social Distancing Practices)

​With most of us social distancing at home in the midst of the spread of Covid-19, I want to remind you to get outside each and every day.  Just remember to have a good amount of distance between you and others. 
 
We feel better when we can get outside breathing fresh air, the breeze blowing on our face, and the sunlight warming our bodies.  Now’s the time to enjoy “forest bathing” (walking through a forest) or taking your shoes off and placing your bare feet in the grass of Mother Earth. 

Being outside in nature will help you stay calm and grounded, supporting you to center yourself in this unusual time. The relaxation and negative ions will positively affect your brain and body and improve your immune system, especially after exposure to the positive ions emitted from the electronics we are often needing to use at home these days. 
 
I encourage you to go spend some time in nature, engaging all of your senses! Feel the warm sunlight on your skin.  Smell the aromatic pines and junipers or the first blossoms of spring. Touch the bark of a tree or the edges of a pinecone.  Enjoy the view of the mountains, the streams or trees wherever you may walk. Listen to the sweet songs of the birds. Observe your surroundings in this way, in gratitude for all that you experience. Your body will naturally relax and you will begin to feel a sense of calm and peace. 

  Not convinced yet?  Here are 7 reasons to open that door and head outside. Being outside in nature…..

1. Decreases stress – Studies now show that going out in nature reduces blood pressure and stress hormone levels. 
2. Improves your mood – You’ll be happier!  You’ll experience less anxiety, fear and depression.  You’ll put down your phone and focus less on negativity, resulting in a more positive mood. 
3. Improves your brain function – Studies show that time in nature helps to improve your memory, focus, and work productivity. 
4. Helps you to stay healthy – Exposure to nature improves your immune system and helps you to fight illness. It may even reduce your experience of any pain.
5. Helps you get more from your exercise – Supporting your health, the exercise will not only help your physical body, it will give you a sense of rejuvenation, energy and enjoyment of life. 
6. Connects you with Nature’s Rhythms – Connecting with these rhythms helps you to regulate your sleep, mood, and stress levels. 

     7. Gives you practice in mindfulness – You’ll stay in the present moment as you observe all that is around you in
         nature, with appreciation. The sunlight in the trees, the squirrels chasing each other, the clouds passing by. 

Years ago, St. Hildegard shared with us her idea of Viriditas, translated as “greening power.”  This is the divine life force that lives and breathes within all living beings. This potent force is full of vitality, able to bring healthy abundance into the world. 
It makes all things grow, expand, and thrive.  And it’s the force that returns, after being absent, when healing occurs after an illness.  We experience it in the dynamic growth of plants in nature as well as our own sense of health. ​

“The soul is a breath of living spirit, that with excellent sensitivity, permeates the entire body to give it life.  Just so, the breath of the air makes the earth fruitful.  Thus the air is the soul of the earth, moistening it, greening it.”
 - St. Hildegard of Bingen
For St. Hildegard, the Divine permeated all of life – every plant, every animal, every stone, every human being.  Each was a small part or microcosm of the whole of God that was macrocosm. 
As we head outside to enjoy nature in a time of shelter in place at home, let’s all experience the fiery power of life of which St. Hildegard speaks. Let’s have the possibility to embody this radiant flame in our own balance of health and healing in our lives, aligned with nature. 
Can’t get outside right now for some reason? Open the curtains and look outside.  Bring plants into the room where you are the most.  Even this makes a difference! 
 
Check out my FREE Healing Library for practices that will support you in this time of crisis.