My first day back from the holidays and I am refreshed and more than a little bit excited. I am one of  those fortunate people who are able to take a few days off work to spend some enjoyable time recreating with family and friends. I am also one of those geographically gifted individuals who can step out their back door and go for a hike or snowshoe in the forest. This holiday season I made it a point to spend at least one hour every day in nature and at least one hour reading a large pile of books and articles that I had been collecting. Although I read a couple of murder mysteries I also read up on some current research and was struck by the divergence of my time in nature and what these papers talked about. Articles in Scientific American Mind, a book called ‘Spark- the Revolutionary Science of Exercise and the Brain’ and the collected research by Dr. Alan Logan at the Harvard School of Continuing Medicine on ‘Your brain and Nature’ all spoke to what we can now measure and understand through the measurement of brain activity and the value of time spent in nature and being physically active. What was also fascinating was the volume and eclectic nature of the research referenced the importance of active time and time in nature for mental health.

Not only were my vacation days rejuvenating but I now have a new awareness of how important my daily walks in the forest are. I am also starting to become more mindful of what happens during time spent in nature. The brain wave activity initiated by time spent in a green space is not the same for all individuals. For many there is developmental or sensory awareness process that needs to be supported if they are to gain the full benefit of their time in nature. I remember spending one of my first practice teaching sessions at an Outdoor Education Centre, which is now operated as a residential treatment centre for adolescents. The Teacher who was my mentor for the week, started the sessions by saying to the students, ‘I am going to teach you how to see’. What he meant of course was he was going to help everyone appreciate what was around them. If you simplify it to helping others to appreciate and spend time in nature it is an admirable life goal. If you back the value and measurable impact of time in nature with medical research it becomes a service goal for education and health institutions. I think we should all stop and go for a walk in the forest.