As someone who has spent years researching and writing about the mental health benefits of nature through my Ecohappiness Project and book, Finding Ecohappiness: Fun Nature Activities To Help Your Kids Feel Happier and Calmer, I know how powerful nature can be to calm us down. Stepping outdoors can also help us slow down, quiet our minds, and stay in the present. Can’t you just get lost in the moment when staring at a gorgeous sunset, butterfly fluttering by, or the dancing ocean waves? Nature fills us with so much curiosity, awe, and pleasure that it helps us feel a deep sense of stillness and peace, easing our overactive minds. Lisa Gidlow Moriarty, labyrinth designer and master labyrinth maker at Paths of Peace, explains that “labyrinths provide a finite space and time for a personal meditative experience, one where a person can step outside of the frenzied world and walk in a contemplative way with an inner focus.” She also highlights the physical benefits of outdoor labyrinths: “Physiologically, there appears to be a balancing effect that occurs when walking a labyrinth in that one experiences the same number of 180-degree turns to the right and to the left, which seems to balance the body, the hemispheres of the brain, resulting in a deeper sense of calm. Add nature to the labyrinth walking experience when done on an outdoor labyrinth, and the relaxation is even further enhanced.” Spending time at a labyrinth can be comforting and even life-changing. The last two times I visited a labyrinth, I walked away feeling rejuvenated. The trick was to consider an issue that was causing me stress before the experience. I acknowledged this anxious or frustrating feeling and then left it behind by carrying a stone with me into the labyrinth and placing it at the center. As I exited the path, I waved my arms back several times to physically push my negative thoughts and feelings behind me so they wouldn’t be with me any longer. It really worked! To find a labyrinth near you (or plan a special trip to visit one), head to this Worldwide Labyrinth Locator. While you walk the labyrinth, focus on the ground beneath you with every step you take and pay attention to everything you see and hear. If your mind begins to wander, remind yourself to keep coming back to what your feet and legs are doing. This rhythmic movement of lifting each foot slowly and purposefully, while also taking in the environment with all of your senses, can help you reach a calm, mindful state. Here are some additional ideas to enhance your time in the labyrinth:
