5 Reasons Being in Nature Helped Me Cope with the Craziness of Living in NYC

What does your typical day look like? I bet it's similar to mine. I wake up. Meditate. Go to the gym. Shower. Throw together lunch from yesterday’s leftovers. Drink my Bulletproof™ coffee and then take the subway to work. I try to spend at least 20 minutes outside each day, but between all the meetings and deadlines, on workdays, I struggle to actually go outside. However, the weekends are a different story.  You won’t find me on a packed subway car or dealing with the hustle and bustle of the city.  Instead you’ll find me on a hiking trail, breathing fresh air and detoxing just by being in nature.

Could there be more we can do to help cope with the craziness of living in NYC? Research shows that "forest bathing," the practice of spending time in a wooded area is good for your mind, body and spirit. Here are five ways that spending time more outside hiking, walking and hugging trees has helped me cope with the stress of living and working in the Big Apple:

 1. More meaningful connections – I often go hiking with my husband. It allows us to have more quality time together and really connect after a busy week when we see each other for only couple of hours a day (usually when we wake up and come home from work). I love that we can talk about anything and everything, we can catch up and enjoy the time together without unnecessary distractions.

2.  Consciously disconnecting – I put my phone on airplane mode as soon as I start my hike or walk. This way I don't have to respond to any text messages or alerts. It's my self-care time and whatever happens can wait when I emerge back from the woods. It's so important to set boundaries with others and yourself especially when it comes to responding to calls, texts and alerts. It's OK to have you-time and be selfish in that way. The world can wait.

3. Decreased cortisol levels – Walking through a forest always helps calm my busy mind or just give me the relief I need. Don't believe me? Take it from this 2010 study published in Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine. The study found that participants who walked in a forest had lower blood pressure and levels of cortisol (a.k.a. the stress hormone) afterwards than those who strolled through a city environment! Once, after a particularly rough week full of frustrations, I started yelling out in the middle of the woods. After doing it a while, I started to feel good.  It was such a great way to get things out.  The trees don’t judge you.

4. Help you appreciate the beauty of your region – No matter where you live on this incredible planet, there are local parks, forests, beaches or lakes that are FREE for you to explore. Venturing beyond Manhattan and Brooklyn, taught me so much about all the amazing things that are happening here. From the booming arts scene in Hudson, NY to the incredible family-owned and operated organic farms in New Jersey, when you get outside and explore nature, you explore so much more.

5. You feel less pain and discomfort – Because we are genetically programmed to find trees, plants, water, and other natural elements, we are absorbed by nature scenes and distracted from our pain and discomfort. My headaches often go away, I soon as I start walking on a trail I'm really excited about.

Don't let excuses seep in. Take a train if you have to. Rent a car if you don't have one. Call that old friend you haven't talked to in a while and ask them to join you. And when you are there, put that phone down and connect. Really connect... with people, with nature, and ultimately with yourself.