This past weekend I was watching a very enlightening interview with James Cameron, the director. If you are saying who is James Cameron well he directed The Terminator, The Abyss, Titanic and the magical Avatar movies. Interestingly enough most of his movie ideas originate in his dreams. The Terminator movie came to existence after James Cameron had a dream about a metal robot that becomes almost human. Seriously, could you imagine if we wrote our dreams down and then created a movie from it? This is a novel idea don’t you think? The movie Avatar was created from his many dreams about nature. He now lives in New Zealand for their appreciation of nature. My ears really began to perk up when he used the term Nature-Deprivation Disorder. I had never heard of the reference of nature used in this terminology.
I couldn’t let my thoughts end there, so I began to research. The term Nature-Deprivation Disorder is not an official diagnosis. In 2005 the author Richard Louv coined the term in his book “The Last Child in the Woods.” I believe that most of us suffer from Nature-Deprivation Disorder. The rise of this disorder is largely due to the use of our computers, tablets and smart phones. Come on if you are denying this fact you are just deceiving yourself. The average screen time usage is Six Hours a Day! Holy hell, that is an extreme amount of time that our entire focus is spent on electronics and the virtual world. The biggest toll is on the children of today because they don’t know a world any different. These six hours are taking you away from meaningful and needed time of self-care. Unless, you are a complete Nature Enthusiast then you have Nature Deprivation.
There are some common signs of Nature Deprivation that you can look for inside yourself or your children. These are as follows: The sun is not just a planet that just warms the earth and gives us daylight. The sun also provides our bodies with the all important Vitamin D. Studies have shown that if you are someone who spends limited time outdoors then more then likely you are low on Vitamin D. Nature Deprivation can cause increased depression, increased stress levels, irritability, weight gain, low frustration tolerance levels, a low self-esteem and a lack of motivation. Humans are organic and so is nature. Our bodies literally crave to be one with nature, hence the fact that the sun provides us with Vitamin D.
The amazing fact about Nature Deprivation is that it easy to correct and improve your physical and mental health. If I haven’t made you a believer yet, I want to give you an assignment. Purchase a notebook and a pen with your favorite color.(color means nothing but why not enjoy your favorite color as you document) Set a goal for yourself of at first spending two hours a week outside in nature. Each time you complete your nature time, document any changes in your mood, physical feelings and the effects you feel when spending time outside. The more you practice this task and increase the frequency the greatest results will occur. Here are some documented improvements others have experienced when working on their own Nature-Deprivation Disorder: reduced anxiety, reduced stress, decreased blood pressure, increased activity levels, possibly meeting new people, decrease in feeling alone, increased motivational levels. improvement in anger management, more productive and so many more positive affects that being one with nature can occur. I just listed some of the main and most common positive affects spending time with Nature can implement.
I can personally attest to this. Prior to the pandemic I literally spent the minimal time outside daily. Partly because I live in South Florida and it is hotter then heck but also because life is busy and it was never a priority of mine. Covid hit and being stuck at home forced me to get outside or I think I would have lost it. I always knew that being outside made me feel good but it was never a priority. Now I know how imperative it is for me to spend some time outdoors on a daily basis. I truly believe this was the main coping mechanism that I used that got me through those challenging times. When the world started getting back to the new normal, I realized that I didn’t want to let go of my time becoming one with nature. Let me correct myself, I knew that it was a must for me to keep spending time with nature on a daily basis. The emotional and physical effects that nature had on my body was noticeable and the increase in my mental clarity. I believe that if you complete the above assignment you will begin to notice the difference between Nature Deprivation and Enveloping Nature.
If you are reading this and believe this is basic knowledge then I assume you are spending time with nature on a daily basis and have limited screen time. Hmmmm be honest with yourself.
I will share with you some ways that I need to become one with nature and to decrease my Nature Deprivation.
1: Going outside barefoot and putting my feet on the cold dirt, sand or red earth.
2: Listening to the sounds of nature
3: Looking for the wildlife around me.(lizards, spiders, birds and gators in Florida)
4: Taking a nice long nature walk
5: Sitting on the grass under a nice shady tree
6: Simply just going outside and feeling the sun on my face
7: Watching the sky change from the golden hour to a beautiful sunset
Individuality is the key here to finding what you love to do when you become one with nature. Nature is an organic way for us to take care of our own physical and mental health. There are no excuses that you have no time because if you take away some of your screen time there will be plenty of time to work on your Nature Deprivation. If you are using excuses you are truly doing more harm to yourself then good. I know you are reading this blog because you believe in and are working on self-improvement. I know it’s hard but I am giving you permission to GO PLAY OUTSIDE!
POSITIVE THOUGHTS CREATE POSITIVE ENERGY
GO OUT AND EXPLORE ALL OF THE WIDE OPEN SPACES IN THE WORLD
CIA0
Ilise
