The Healing Power of Nature

”In the woods, I feel that nothing can befall me [. . .] which nature cannot repair.”- Ralph  Waldo Emerson  

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. This blog is not about Breast Cancer…well, not  entirely.  

October of 2012, I was at my best. I had just won a top award at work and celebrated my 25  year wedding anniversary with my husband. My adult kids were doing well. I had started section hiking mountains  on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT).  

Then, the bottom fell out. I went in for a routine mammogram. I had absolutely no idea  that there were two cancerous tumors lurking.

My breast cancer was invasive and aggressive. What this meant for me was the entire  suite of services cancer can offer. I had surgery, port implant, chemo, targeted therapy  infusions for a year, radiation, and ongoing anti-hormone medication. If it was on the list  of possible side effects, I had it.  

One bit of good advice I got was to find a focus. Any chronic illness can be all  consuming, physically and mentally. Finding a focus helps you take a break. My focus became hiking and getting outdoors.   It helped  me live life, instead of cancer living me.

I was a late bloomer when it came to enjoying the outdoors. It wasn’t a part of my  childhood. Growing up, being outdoors meant “go play outside and stay out of  the streets.” My first camping trip was after I was married. I was 27 years old. I quickly came to  love camping but when I finally learned about backpacking at the age 40, that’s when my  passion for the outdoors took hold.  

By the time I was 50, every vacation was spent backpacking. At this time, I found joy and beauty in my time in the mountains. Once I had cancer, being outdoors was a  gift. It had more meaning. I have a strong determination within me… one that others may call stubbornness. I was determined to not let cancer stop me. I was  determined to keep hiking. Anytime I felt well enough, I did. If I couldn’t get to the  mountains, I went to the beach. Anywhere in nature was preferable than the couch.  

There is no doubt that continuing to hike kept me physically in shape as much as  possible. However, the healing from hiking was more mental and emotional. The  physical aspects of any illness certainly place limitations, but I knew that all of that was  temporary. The treatments would be over and I would be fine, physically.  

It was the emotional toll that this illness took that surprised me most. My family  nickname is Happy because I was always a happy kid, according to my dad. Generally  speaking I was a joyful and fortunate person; life was good. Depression and anxiety were  a familiar experience for me.

During the treatments, I was so busy getting better that I struggled to pay  much attention to my mental health. One day, one of my favorite doctors said to me, “you seem  depressed.” I answered “of course I’m depressed,” before quickly adding, “I don’t want  anything for it.”  

The truth is, I ignored my mental health. I was more depressed than I realized. Anxiety  was my side kick. I didn’t realize how far I fell into the pit of depression.

It wasn’t until I  took a three day hike after my last treatment and found myself spontaneously singing while I hiked, that I realized the impact of my cancer diagnosis. In that moment, it hit me that I felt  happy. I felt true happiness like I used to, before cancer came into my life. I came to realize at that moment how every time I was outside, whether  it was in the mountains or on a beach walk, I was happy. It became apparent how  healing nature had been for me and what all I gained from my time spent outdoors. It gave me a reprieve from the  medical hamster wheel. Nature helped me heal by keeping me fit, but more importantly  it helped me heal mentally and emotionally.

"Nature itself is the best physician.”- Hippocrates  

As far back as Hippocrates, people knew that nature heals. However, only recently have  research studies been done to show just how healing nature is.  

In the early 1980s, The Forest Agency of Japan began advising people to take strolls in  the woods for better health. This practice, called forest bathing, was believed to lower stress.  Although it may seem obvious now, it hadn’t been proven at the time to tangibly heal people. Scientists began  studying whether nature was truly, clinically therapeutic. Now, we have  Forest Medicine as an official scientific treatment.  

Researchers globally have since studied the correlation between health and nature. A  large body of evidence now proves spending time in nature is responsible for many  measurable health benefits.  

These include:  

• lowering levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, which can lower blood pressure. 

• trees and plants emit aromatic compounds that, when inhaled, act like  aromatherapy.  

• providing symptom relief for health issues like heart disease, depression, cancer,  anxiety and attention disorders.  

• promoting cancer fighting cells.  

• and one of my favorites: exposure to nature can increase awe. (One study found  that people who spent 60 seconds looking up at towering trees were more likely  to report feeling awe - which increased their likelihood to help a stranger over  people who looked at an equally tall, but far less awe-inspiring, building).  

The good news is further studies show you don’t need to spend a great amount of time  to reap the benefits. Just 20 minutes in an outdoor space you feel connected to can drop  stress hormones. Caring for the potted plants on your windowsill can help. Just stepping  outside a building and into a place with a clear view of the sky helps. 

So go outside and play. Even if it’s just a few minutes. Your body and mind will thank  you.  

Oh, and please, get your mammogram. Early detection is critical.