Families of children with disabilities experience a higher level of stress than the average family. For the past three months, stress levels around the world skyrocketed as quarantined families hunkered down at home. Schools, therapies, and jobs all fell to the wayside. Even as we look for a "new normal," we don’t know when the danger of the COVID-19 virus will pass—at least for people in high-risk categories, which includes my son Joel and many of your children as well.
How do we cope with the added stress? How do we make meaning out of this mess?
As an avid fiction reader (and emerging fiction writer) I understand story as a vehicle for truth. Stories are the way we make meaning out of the seemingly meaningless. And as we make meaning, our stress levels drop. I don’t know about you, but I need to find meaning in this worldwide pandemic.
I’d like to share a story:
Once upon a time there was a kingdom where the people suffered from a disease of forgetting. They forgot to play. They forgot to relax. They forgot to go outside and enjoy nature. They forgot the smell of pine and the beauty of morning birdsong. They forgot the color of the sky at twilight, the bruised color of storm clouds and the way rainbows shimmer after the storm passes. They forgot the way the forest beckons, a mystery to be explored.
One day, a fog blew in and covered the entire earth. With the fog came a terrible illness that threatened to kill the elderly and infirm, and at times, the perfectly healthy. All activity stopped. People were ordered to stay home. All nonessential work and shopping were forbidden. Restaurants, movie theaters and bowling alleys closed. Even the god of sports came tumbling down. Families gathered close, read books, played games, and made cookies. But one day they awoke with the realization that they were about to lose their minds with anxiety and boredom.
One by one, they opened their doors and walked outside. There, a miracle happened. As they ventured out from their homes, the people’s memories were restored. The natural world they’d once known and loved was still there, waiting for their return. Families ventured once more into the hills and forests. And as they walked in the woods their bodies and minds began to return to wholeness. Their lives became more integrated and balanced. The scourge of the deadly disease eventually disappeared as the population’s immune systems were strengthened by daily doses of nature—a nature cure they had forgotten was freely available. A new day dawned, filled with hope…
Guess what? As the story implies, nature is good for us! A forty-minute walk in the woods has been scientifically proven to improve mood. Levels of the stress hormone cortisol decrease with a simple walk amidst the trees.
Photo credit: Deglee Degi on Unsplash.com.
Over the past couple of months, as my family explored the hiking trails of Hueston Woods State Park, I’ve been noticing many more families enjoying the forest. Hiking and creeking are once again fun family activities. Kids running, splashing, laughing, throwing rocks, lifting logs in the hunt for salamanders; my heart sings to see the nature cure rediscovered.
Nature deprivation is a real scourge in our face-paced society. And this pandemic is turning that around. Families are flocking to the forest.
You may have heard about forest bathing. “Science Agrees: Nature is Good for You” is a short article at natureandforesttherapy.org. It includes a curated collection of journalism and research articles on forest bathing, nature therapy, and forest therapy. I highly recommend taking a look at it. A quote:
Forest bathing catalyzes increased parasympathetic nervous system activity which prompts rest, conserves energy, and slows down the heart rate while increasing intestinal and gland activity. Lower cortisol concentrations are also a signal that the body’s stress-response system is being triggered less. When this system is triggered, cortisol and other stress hormones are released into the body. Overexposure to these chemicals in response to chronic stress can increase the risk of anxiety, depression, heart disease, weight gain, and memory and concentration impairment.
Wow. I don’t know about you, but chronic stress is a very real part of my life as the mom of an adult son with autism and an anxiety disorder. I have personally experienced many of these “increased risks.”
The article goes on to say that a leisurely walk in the woods decreases the stress hormone cortisol by 12.4%, that disease- fighting cells increased as much as 50%, and the ability to creatively problem-solve was boosted by 50%.
I'm ready! How soon do you want to meet me in the woods?
Every Sunday after on-line church, my husband, Joel and I have been taking a long walk in the woods. We breathe in the fragrance of pine (did you know that natural chemicals secreted by evergreen trees has been shown to boost immune function?), try to identify the birds we see and the birds we don’t see by their song, laugh at the deep-throated croak of bull frogs, savor the crunch of leaves and twigs underfoot, and stop to throw rocks into creeks or ponds that intersect our trail. It’s such a satisfying sound, the kerplunk of a well-thrown rock!
Because all of his day programming has shut down, Joel and his caregiver now take a long, daily walk in the park. I can’t help but wonder if that’s why Joel has handled the disruption to his daily routine so well.
The nature cure. Who would have thought the answer to chronic stress and staying healthy is as close as our front door and the wooded park just down the street, or a short car ride away?
Kathy is a spiritual director, author, and co-owner, with her husband, of Cloudland, a contemplative retreat center outside of Oxford, Ohio. The mother of 3 sons, 1 daughter-of-heart, and 1 grandson, she also enjoys writing middle grade fiction. You can reach her through her website, kathleenbolduc.com.
