An Amazing Drug

[Photos from Carolyn Pierpont taken on the property of Camp Barakel.]

THIS CAME IN MY E-MAIL TODAY

(From Thinker’s Notebook)

What if I told you …
There is a drug that is been shown to:
–Restore your attention,
–Improve your performance on tasks, and improve your resistance to and recovery from stressful live events.

Early research is also promising regarding this drug’s beneficial effects on problem-solving.

Given the societal challenges we all face in avoiding distractions, dealing with anxiety, and thinking critically, it sounds like this might be a modern-day miracle drug for better thinking, right? Well, in a sense, it is.
But there’s a catch:

It doesn’t come in a pill.
it doesn’t come in a shot.

And it doesn’t require any kind of expensive, high-intensity workout to achieve.

This drug is so much less complex than any of those options, and you could probably access its power in the next hour if you really wanted to.

So what is this miracle drug?
It’s not a drug at all.
It’s nature.

And you can actually start feeling its restorative effects in as little as five minutes of intentional exposure.
As psychotherapist and former monk Donald Altman writes for Psychology Today:

“Work in the field of Attention Restoration Theory was developed in the 1980s by two psychologists, Rachel and Stephen Kaplan. Their research and the work of others now shows that nature quickly restores depleted mental energy and the ability to feel refreshed and concentrate again. In other words, it helps you to think more clearly, as well as makes space for greater creativity.

“No wonder we intuitively know that going in nature helps to ‘clear our heads.’ This lets the brain pause and deeply immerse itself in nature’s many colors and shapes. For example, there are thousands of natural shades of green that soothe the brain. Keep in mind, too, that going into nature, even for a short walk, changes your environment. Even a change of context is valuable for recharging.”

Altman recommends a simple 3-step practice for clearing your head in nature when you need to refocus, and it takes just five minutes to complete. All you need to do is to take a walk in nature (or sit down in nature) with your focus attuned to some natural element in your surroundings.

In other words, listening to a podcast, making a phone call, or thinking about something work-related isn’t likely to give you the same restorative benefits.

But giving yourself direct access to nature, and fully engaging in the experience, can work wonders.