The Evidence Is In: A Walk in the Woods Really Is Good for the Soul

rredick August 9, 2023

Photo credit: Maël Balland

Many of us know it from our own experience. Now there’s science to back it up: time in nature brings a host of benefits for our bodies, minds, and emotional wellbeing. This article from UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Magazine provides an overview of the latest research. Spoiler: it’s all good news.

Just about anyone who spends time in nature (provided they’re not battling wildfires or fleeing from marauding baboons) knows the feeling: a settled calm, a deeper sense of wellbeing, a greater clarity of mind than one arrived with. It’s part of why our parents send us to summer camp, or at least tell us to “go outside and get some fresh air.” The value of time in nature is expressed in cultural knowledge the world over. The Buddha did not receive enlightenment in a tanning salon.

In recent decades, science has caught up with the wisdom of the ages. Being outside—whether in the depths of a forest or a small municipal park—has measurable benefits across many indices of physical, psychological, and emotional health. It can lower your stress levels and your fixation on negative ideas. It can boost your short-term memory and your propensity to be kind and generous. It can even help you recover from the “attention fatigue” and information overload associated with modern, gadget-saturated daily life.

This article from the nonprofit Greater Good Magazine offers a wonderful survey of current research into the topic. Take a look. And then take a little time outside.

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_nature_makes_you_kinder_happier_more_creative

rredick

King’s Return Encore: “Amazing Grace” Acapella

The Dallas-based quartet often focuses on spiritual and gospel music, and like any truly gifted performers, they make even the most familiar classics sound and feel brand new. This time, they’ve chosen a song that never gets old, and one with a special resonance for many in our Allies community.

rredick March 26, 2024

IFS: Embracing and Listening to Our Multiple Selves

“Most of the world’s problems arise from a misunderstanding about parts and burdens,” Dr. Richard Schwartz asserts. In IFS, which he founded, the “parts” are our multiple internal selves, and the burdens are the trauma and wounds they try to manage on our behalf. The simple but radical proposition of IFS is that these multiple selves arise for good reasons and have a lot to offer—if we can help them change with the seasons of our lives.

rredick February 6, 2024

“Hi Ren” Brings the Inner Demons out in the Open

Our sanctuary blog is often a place where you’ll find light, comfort, and tales of perseverance in the face of immense challenges. Today is no exception—but a warning: all of those familiar qualities are accompanied by one of the more vivid portraits of suffering we’ve shared with you.

rredick January 23, 2024

Loneliness Is an Epidemic. Love Is the Closest Thing We Have to a Cure.

You don’t need anyone to tell you that loneliness sucks. But did you know that it’s an all-but-out-of-control epidemic in the modern world, and that lives are shortened because of it? That’s the lamentable truth. But happily, as Dr. Jill Carnahan relates, the remedy is accessible to nearly everyone.

rredick December 19, 2023

Top Secret Drum Corps: The Pursuit of Perfection, and Fun

They’re not a secret, and despite their 18th-century style uniforms, they’re not part of any military. But the discipline and focus of these 25 young men from Switzerland could put many an army marching band to shame.

rredick December 12, 2023

As Real As It Gets: Stand By Me In Central Park

No studio, no mixers, no lights, no amplifiers: when Cover Story Doo-Wop sings “Stand By Me” under the Bethesda Terrace arches in New York’s Central Park, it’s their talent and deep feeling that carry us away.

rredick December 5, 2023

“Ave Maria” Acapella: The Sublime In a Stairwell

A work of A work of artistic genius can feel immune to the passage of years. But for works meant to be performed, “timeless” does not Mean “static.” This stairwell recording of Schubert’s “Ave Maria,” by four gifted young Texans, imbues new life and grace into a song loved round the world.

rredick November 28, 2023

Dr. Gabor Maté: The Power of Addiction, the Addiction to Power

Across four decades of work on issues of trauma, addiction, childhood development, stress, and illness, Dr. Gabor Maté has become an internationally recognized thinker, author, and public speaker. But his brilliance is only one side of the coin. The other side, evident in all his remarks, is profound compassion. In this TED talk, both qualities are on full display.

rredick November 7, 2023

Dopamine, Addiction, and the Brain: Understanding the Science Can Help Us Change

The research has taken three quarters of a century (and counting). But the findings are truly remarkable: pain and pleasure are naturally balanced in a healthy brain. Substances can drastically disrupt that balance, however. In the effort to restore it, our brains go into overdrive. Fortunately, we can help it along—and help ourselves at the same time.

rredick October 31, 2023

Using ChatGPT To Fight Depression: Some Creative Ideas

ChatGPT is not a living mind, let alone a therapist. It is, however, proving to be an immensely useful online assistant for people across the world. Little wonder that professionals and others are finding ways to apply its powers of information gathering and synthesis to the challenge of living with depression. This article offers one emotion expert’s tips on how ChatGPT and related technology might be able to shoulder a bit of that burden.

rredick October 24, 2023

Photo credit: Maël Balland

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