Time For A Nature Break - Feng Shui Can Help Feeling Less Stressed

If you are like most Americans you probably spend most of your time inside your home sleeping, working or watching TV.The Environmental Protection Agency concluded that adults in the United States of America spend more than 90% of their lives inside some type of enclosed structure.

“Spending time outside makes us feel more alive”

By spending all this time inside it could be causing us to miss out on important benefits linked to communing with the natural environment.Spending time outside makes a person feel more alive according to an article in the “Journal of Environmental Psychology”.

The University of Rochester, New York conducted a study on more than 500 college students, suggesting that people feel more energetic when they spend time outdoors as opposed to remaining cooped up in a house or apartment.The study suggests that being outdoors in nature was just enough to dramatically raise energy levels and produce a greater sense of well-being.

A dramatic boost in self-esteem and well being could be observed in people who only engaged in just ten minutes of out-side activities.Sitting outside is good for people, but engaging in physical activity appears to be even more of a health booster.

It is not at all necessary to travel to far away destinations to be able to enjoy the powerful benefits of nature.Spending time in your own back yard, at the beach or in a public park can be as emotionally restoring as a hike in the wilderness.

Researchers suggest that these effects even come in handy while you are driving.  If you are susceptible to road rage it is helpful to glance at the natural scenery rather than glaring at your fellow commuters.Taking a moment to enjoy the beauty of the blue sky or a forest while driving can lower blood pressure and heart rate leading to calmness in the body’s answer to stress.Scientists found that surgical patients staying in a hospital room with windows overlooking nature views recovered much faster than those patients placed in hospital rooms with windows facing concrete walls.

Office workers who are able to enjoy a view of nature from their work station report improved concentration.Most employers still believe that working in an office without a window will deter employees from daydreaming and therefore are considered to be more productive.Various studies have proven that office employees who are able to look outside while working seem to experience less work-related stress while enjoying greater satisfaction on the job.

People who do not have access to relaxing views at their jobs can always improvise with photographs and paintings of nature.Many “Feng Shui Consultants” promote pictures as a Feng Shui Cure.As this is not a Feng Shui Remedy because pictures and paintings do not belong to the Five Elements (Earth, Water, Wood, Fire and Metal). The same rules are applied when adding indoor plants.  As small pots of plants, as well as Lucky Feng Shui Bamboo can not be counted as a Feng Shui Cure, Norwegian researchers suggest that by adding plants and color inside a house, apartment, home office or commercial work place the inhabitants will feel less fatigue, experience fewer headaches and minimize “Feng Shui Depression“.

Next time you feel pressured consider taking time to spend an hour in nature.  One of the quickest steps to take is to consider a OnlineConsultation for your home or business.