There feels like there is so much that’s happening today. There are more opportunities for the mind to feel that sense of feeling overwhelmed, or like we’re failing in some way. It can feel like navigating every day life can be challenging, and that brought me to find some way outside of wifi, and away from comparing myself to others, as I looked for a way to connect with the world around me. That’s how I came to read about how nature can heal our minds and bodies. Ever since I heard about the personal journeys and the healing power that can be found through nature, I looked further into if it can be as helpful as many claim it to be.

Nature has this amazing ability to heal us. having a relationship with a nature connectedness and to the natural world around us can take away stress from our bodies. So what is nature connectedness, and how can it help us? As someone who likes photography, I thought about how nature connectedness could be if benefit.

Nature connectedness” is the key to benefiting from exposure to nature. That is, reaping the benefits of nature exposure is not dependent upon the amount of time spent in nature or the wildness of the natural environment. Rather, benefits accrue due to our openness and responsiveness to nature in whatever way we are able to experience it, in whatever way we choose to connect to nature. That works for many like myself. I don’t plan on hiking mountains or boating rapid rivers. We can grow our connectedness to nature right where we are, on our communities.

There are so many ways to connect with nature. Perhaps there is a park in your town where you can walk. If this feels like too much, maybe you can sit out in your yard or look out your window. We can view nature pictures, read a book on nature, or look through the many pictures on nature that are online. It’s not about having only a physical connection with nature, but building on your senses that connects you to it.

If you are in your little patch of nature, open your eyes. Do you see color? Do you see movement? Listen. What sounds do you hear? Is there a bird song? Do you hear the leaves rustling in the trees? Smell the air around you. Lean in and smell some flowers. Be attuned to texture: Touch leaves, tree bark, and grass.

If you’re reading a nature book or looking at a picture, use your imagination and place yourself in the scene. What might you be seeing, smelling, tasting, hearing, and touching if you were physically present?

Notice what this sensory attention does to your body and mind. Are you feeling more relaxed? More content? Slow your breathing as you gently open your senses to this moment in time in this particular environment. It’s about deepening your connection.

By thinking of ways to deepen your connection to nature. If you want to learn more about the plants and wildlife you are observing, you can seek out books and apps that provide this information. Take photographs of interesting things you experience in nature, or sketch or paint what you see. Those small changes that we make truly matter.

We are often so discouraged by the ways that illness limits us that we underestimate how we can improve our quality of life with small changes. Let this research inspire you to make one small change this week: Sit on your porch with your coffee, look up the names and pictures of fish or flowers local to your area, or take a walk up the street. Whatever you decide to do, what is meant to be will bring about the change that you are looking for. It will bring you away from that wifi and into a better connection. One that takes away the stress and the feeling of life’s challenges. Just remember to open yourself to connectedness with nature. Enjoy the experience and allow them to positively impact your life. One breath at a time.