Juggling a heavy workload (especially when you work for more than one executive) can be
challenging and fatiguing, no matter how much you love your job. Taking time out in nature to ensure you stay focused, calm and resilient is vital to continued success, says long-time Executive PA professional development writer and board-certified lifestyle medicine physician Dr Jenny Brockis.
“You’ve probably experienced first-hand how life gets in the way of your good intentions. Somehow, the plan to go to the gym three times this week morphs into collapsing on the sofa with wine, pizza and Netflix.
Luckily, there is something that’s readily accessible. No subscription or prescription needed. And it can make the biggest difference to your health, wellbeing and happiness.
It’s called time in nature
This might sound ridiculously simple. And it is. But there’s scientific backing to show it works. Modern society (more hours at work inside and engaged with a screen) has contributed to a nature deficit. We no longer have the luxury of spending more time outside, even though intuitively, we know we feel better when we do.
Overcoming this deficit can:
- Lower stress
- Reduce risk of anxiety, depression, burnout or other chronic illness, such as heart disease, type-two diabetes and certain cancers.
It all begins with stepping out to engage with all your senses fully:
Regain focus
Combat mental fatigue and regain your attention by looking up at the sky and the trees. What do you notice? By softening your gaze, you broaden your perspective, making it easier to focus, prioritise and manage your time most effectively.
Listen up
Nature exposes you to different sounds like birdsong, wind or water. These are soothing to the brain and help counteract the noise pollution you’re exposed to in the office or urban surroundings. Practising listening in this way makes you a better listener to what is or isn’t being said in conversations.
Smell the roses
Your sense of smell (and taste) is strongly linked to emotions and memory. Take a moment to inhale the heady scent of flowering shrubs and trees. Even the smell of the dirt, especially after rain, will remind you of certain events or people. Also, the chemicals you inhale, called phytoncides, affect your immune system, bolstering your natural killer cells that protect you from infection.
Enjoy nature’s touch
Touch is important to your well-being. It provides much-needed information about your environment, reduces stress, alleviates pain and lowers blood pressure. In the same way, we like to pat our pets, staying more in touch with nature connects us with ourselves and the magnificent world we have around us.
Fully engaged for greater calm, inner peace and happiness
- Finding a place; your place, to enjoy full immersion into nature can be your back yard, a local park or even a green nook at work.
- Inviting nature in is as effective as getting out; it is ideal if time is not on your side.
- Contact with nature calms the nervous system shifting you from ‘flight or flight’ towards ‘rest and digest,’ which happens automatically.
- Just three to four minutes outside will bring about the desired impact.
If you’re looking for a better way to balance busy work, there’s nothing better than stepping outside.
