Have you checked how many hours do you actually spend outdoors each day?
An Environment Protection Agency data suggests that adults spend about 90 percent of their lives indoors, and they are missing a lot of important benefits that are linked to a communion with nature.
Dr. Rallie McAllister, a family physician and co-founder of www.MommyMDGuides.com which is a website featuring child-raising tips from trusted doctors who are also moms, states that spending more time outside in a natural setting makes people feel more alive.
McAllister said that in a study of over 500 students at the University of Rochester in New York, scientists found that students who spent about 20 minutes a day outside was enough to boost the energy levels of the subjects.
So you say your work requires you to be in at 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. and you can’t squeeze time during the day because of the hectic schedule? This is not an excuse.
In the CNMI, you don’t have to buy expensive plane tickets and travel to remote destinations to get a whiff of nature. Any time of the day or night, you can enjoy and benefit from the natural beauty of the islands to commune with nature.
On your way to or from work, driving along the Beach Road, Middle Road or the back road can give you a refreshing break from the daily pressures. Instead of getting annoyed and glare at the car ahead of you which is very slow, why don’t you slow down and take time to appreciate the view?
Glance at the scenery and pleasing sights beyond your windshield instead — the wide expanse of smooth water especially late in the afternoon, the joggers along the beach road, the red and orange flame trees, the blue skies and you may not notice it but you will experience a sense of calm and reduction of stress.
You will need the refresher before you tackle a full desk of papers, and stare at your computer for the whole day.
Consider yourselves lucky that exposure and communion with nature in a place such as the CNMI comes free.
