Awe, Nature, and Exercise

I'm going to throw a challenge your way and the challenge involves combining exercise, nature, and awe into your self care practice. I'll start by sharing the basics for how each improves your mental health.

Awe is the positive emotion you experience when you suddenly feel like a small speck in the universe. Think about the goosebumps you get standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon, looking over the vast Indian Ocean, or riding your bicycle surrounded by the Tirol mountains. Awe might happen while being somewhere in nature; observing a mind blowing piece of art or architecture; listening to someone's theories, musical compositions, or inspirational speeches; or sensing a divine intervention. Researchers are finding that beyond the benefits of experiencing positive emotions, experiencing awe lowers cytokine levels. Why is this important for you to know? Elevated levels of cytokine are common in people with depression. The increased cytokine levels block the release of serotonin and dopamine, which help regulate moods, appetite, memory, and sleep (Anwar, 2015). Experiencing awe is natural mood booster, as I'm sure you've experienced.

​Doctors are recognizing the benefits of nature to the point where some are writing prescriptions for patients to get outside. Beyond physical health benefits, nature is proven to:

• reduce feelings of anger, stress, anxiety and fear
• increase pleasant feelings
• help us tolerate pain
• give us a sense of calm and balance
• inspire feelings of connection (activates the love and empathy parts of the brain)
• make us feel alive
• refresh our minds for new tasks
• improve our focus (Meadows, 2014).

(Thank you, Erica, for sharing this funny clip with me.)

Moderate exercise is where you increase your heart rate while maintaining the ability to talk to an exercise buddy. Moderate exercise, like walking briskly, is better than intense exercise if you are struggling with your mood. The mental health benefits include the release of dopamine and serotonin, stimulation of other chemicals that promote growth of new brain cells, and reducing negative changes in the brain caused by stress (Taylor, 2012). There is strong evidence that moderately active people are less depressed than inactive people and therapists are now recommended to get inactive clients moving.
One key when starting out is to ensure that you do remember to exercise moderately because getting above the point where you can talk to someone means your mood enhancing benefits are delayed by thirty minutes after your exercise, while moderate exercise allows the benefits to kick in five minutes after you finish (Weir, 2016). Perhaps this will be more encouraging. Sometimes the first time you head out to exercise after being inactive, you go overboard. Sore muscles the next day might be a deterrent. Start slow and be patient with yourself, but get moving.

I recognize that this is the time of year where those of you in the Northern Hemisphere are experiencing more darkness. It's quite possible that you wake up in the dark and head home from work in the dark. Trust me, I know this can be a challenging time of the year for some. What better way to get natural mood boosts than to combine your moderate exercise with getting out in nature during the times of the day where you do have access to daylight hours. Get a group of people you work with to walk in nature during your lunch break or right at the end of the day. Have walking meetings instead of spending more time staring at a screen. Think through your weekend plans and see if you can incorporate awe into your exercise in nature. Can you walk on a beach and take in the sounds of the waves? Can you hike, ski, or bike to a spot that makes you feel like you are at the edge of the world? If you happen to live in a place where pollution makes exercising challenging, be creative with ways you can sneak in your moderate exercise. Perhaps you walk around a museum and take in some art. In Dhaka, I found playing tennis in a club with courts surrounded by gorgeous flowers helpful. I made sure my vacations involved spots where I could take in nature in large doses. You won't always be able to combine awe and nature while getting your daily exercise. See if you can manage to do so once a week and make note of your mood during and after.
Get moving and take care,
Sharon

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Anwar, Yasmin. "Can Awe Boost Health?" Mind and Body. Greater Good The Science of Meaningful Life, 12, Feb. 2015. Web. 8 Jan. 2016.
Meadows,Charlson. "How Does Nature Impact Our Wellbeing?" Taking Charge of Your Health & Wellbeing. University of Minnesota, 25 June 2014. Web. 8 Jan. 2016.
"Feeling Tired, Irritable, Stressed Out? Try Nature." National Geographic. YouTube, 15 Sept. 2015. Web. 10 Jan. 2016.
Taylor, Adrian. "Physical Activity and Mental Health." Physical Activity and Mental Health. RC Psych, 1 Nov. 2012. Web. 8 Jan. 2016.
​Weir, Kirsten. "The Exercise Effect." Monitor on Psychology. APA, ​December 2011. Web. 8 Jan.2016.
Photos are mine.