Ever been on a beautiful walk, but felt that your mind was drifting elsewhere? Maybe your phone is plaguing you with notifications or you can hear the rush of cars passing. I (Sarah, Student Ranger) know that I often drift to my deadlines, dinner plans, and upcoming events. This spring we invite you to take time on your hikes to unwind and practice mindfulness in the outdoors. 

What is mindfulness? Mindfulness is the act of being completely present and aware of the moment you are experiencing. It includes your internal state, as well as your surroundings (things that are external). 

Mindfulness has not always been easy for me, but I have had great mentors (including my 8th grade teacher) who helped me to develop this skill. When I am practicing mindfulness, I like to use the 5 things method: 5 things I can see, 4 things I can touch, 3 things I can hear, 2 I can smell, and 1 feeling. This focus on the external and internal helps me to ground myself and truly take in the experience. I also make sure to put my entertainment devices (phone, watch, etc.) on silent mode and take a moment to sit or stand in the moment. Once I feel connected, I continue my walk with my focus on what is going on around me! 

Personally, I find practicing mindfulness while being outdoors to be beneficial to my mental wellbeing and health. Thinking about these benefits made me want to share this here, but also look into the possibility of nature and mindfulness having impacts on health. 

I decided to consult academic papers on this and found a meta-analysis titled ‘The relationship between nature connectedness and happiness’ published by Carleton University’s Department of Psychology in 2014. Capaldi, Dopko, and Zelenski found that there appears to be a positive (and significant) relationship between nature connectedness and happiness in their meta-analysis of papers ranging from 1985 to 2013. 

I am not a medical or wellbeing professional, but knowing that there are multiple researchers (including ongoing studies) looking into the health benefits of connecting with nature and mindfulness is exciting! Perhaps a walk outside and being in the moment can be beneficial for you, as it has been for me.

At Murphys Point, I have found the Sylvan trail, Loon Lake loop, and McParlan House trail to be my favourite spots for some quiet reflection. If you’re looking for a quieter trail out of these 3, try the McParlan trail. The sounds of Black Creek and birds are truly something to hear.

If you want to try a fun challenge from home, check out our Instagram (@friendsofmurphyspointpark) and Facebook (Friends of Murphys Point Park) pages where we have posted an ASMR-style video from the park. See if you can guess what the sounds are before the images pop up and let us know in our comments how many you guessed!

Wishing you a happy, healthy spring! Here’s to being mindful in the great outdoors.

Bibliography

Capaldi, C. A., Dopko, R. L., & Zelenski, J. M. (2014). The relationship between nature connectedness and happiness: A meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00976