IMPORTANCE OF NATURE IN OUR LIVES
Far too often, the importance of nature in our life is overlooked. We may be too busy with the ups and downs of everyday life. The backward and forward tube journeys to work. Rushing around. The general hustle and bustle of Monday to Friday. The list goes on…
What we need to be doing is focusing on the importance of nature in our life – our food, our medicines, the clothes we wear, our mental health, our standing in the community and, most importantly, the amount of time we spend in our natural, outdoor environments.
There’s nothing more uplifting than listening to the symphony of birdsong first thing in the morning or watching the leaves of large elm trees turn copper-coloured as autumn brings the long summer nights to an end. It’s these little things that remind us of the importance of nature in our life, but we must also remember that we are important in nature’s life too.
With many species becoming endangered and much wildlife and vegetation vanishing, we need to take an active role in the preservation of nature. Being outdoors will not only benefit us, but it will also support our environment. The more we can get people, especially the young, to love and appreciate green spaces, the more likely we are to nurture and build generations who will fight for the conservation of nature.
Please read on to learn more about the importance of nature in our life, and what the loss of nature would mean to us on a whole.
We Can’t ‘Deficit’ the Importance of Nature in our Life
Do you spend your days in an office or a building with only the beam of the lightbulbs above your head? Are you dying for a breath of fresh air? Feeling under pressure or suffering from a lack of being under the sun instead?
Have you ever heard of Nature Deficit Disorder? It’s not yet a recognised condition but, as a phrase coined by Richard Louv, it places emphasis on the fact that the lack of time spent outdoors is having a negative effect on our health, wellbeing, and behaviour, and is fast becoming a documented disorder. Although we are all plugged in to modern technology, it is essential that we understand the importance of nature in our life and make the most of it.
Even children, our future generation, are spending less time outside and more hours indoors, stuck in front of HD screens or logged into a social network forum. It has been suggested that excessive time indoors can lead to children, and adults, feeling estranged from nature and more susceptible to negative moods and a reduced attention span.
We need to get out there and remember the importance of nature in our life. We need to take the time to notice the buzz of the bees, or the blossoming of buds, even if it’s just an hour in a local park. Reconnecting with nature has many health and wellbeing benefits so please read on to find out how being outdoors can benefit you and reinforce the importance of nature in our life.
Battling Nature Deficit
There’s no better cure to combat nature deficit than to be outdoors! Nature is all around us, even though we may not see it sometimes, but it’s there in the trees overhanging your street and the feel of the sun on your neck as you make your way to work. The demands of daily life and daunting deadlines means we are becoming alarmingly disconnected from nature, but it is always there, just waiting to have your attention.
Many parents wish they had the time to teach their children more about the wilderness, wildlife and some people even say they have no contact with nature at all, other than TV documentaries, but it’s all there, just outside your front door waiting to be found. You haven’t got to travel far to understand the importance of nature in our life. Just take a step outside.
Urban Utopia or the Importance of Nature in our Life?
For many, many years, Brits have always favoured awe-inspiring landscapes and elements of nature rather than the man-made world we have before us.
John Keats “A flowery tale more sweetly than our rhyme” encapsulates the beauty of nature that has seeped its way into our souls for many centuries. You can understand the importance of nature in our life and the way, just being outdoors surrounded by the element, puts our thoughts and our lives into perspective.
Maybe it’s important to love a little bit of nature each day, and value the fact that, without the trees, the lungs of our environment giving out oxygen, we might not even be here today. Therefore, we need to remember the importance of nature in our life.
The Importance of Nature in Kid’s Lives
Kids love playing and being outside, climbing trees, making huts, or picking flowers, and have always been said to have a natural connection with Mother Nature.
When we’re young we understand the importance of nature in our life, and it is essential that we carry this understanding with us through to our adult years.
Even though technology, the mounting pressures into maturity, and the fears of the outside world prevent children from playing outdoors, we need to remind them that being enveloped around the natural elements is important for their health and wellbeing.
Constant contact with nature enhances a child’s development and encourages their physical and mental growth. Exploring the colours, textures, and sounds of nature has been linked to improved health, mood, and reduced obesity, so what more can you offer your child than the great world out there, while encouraging their understanding of the importance of nature in our life?
The Importance of Nature in Our Life and to Our Lifestyle
Without nature, where would we be? Even wasps, as irritating as they can be on a hot summers day, pollinate plants as they forage on nectar whereas, buzzy bees fertilise our crop, so where would we be without our wildlife and food in our bellies?
From fascinating and dramatic sights to fresh air and clean water, we must recognise the importance of nature in our life because, without a fully functioning environment, we probably wouldn’t be able to do most of the daily things we do.
No More Nature?
Oceans are being oiled and polluted and species removed, destroying diverse food chains and damaging the natural balance of our environment. Across the world, tropical forests which regulate global temperatures and are home to a wealth of wildlife are being felled for timber.
Humankind is being thoughtless with our natural environment and causing great damage to our planet.
Two thirds of the world’s natural ecosystems are being used in reckless, negligent ways, according to the UN Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, so what can we do to change this?
What we can do is encourage people to realise the importance of nature in our life and take steps to reverse the consequences of its destruction, before it’s too late…
The Value and Importance of Nature in Our Life
Nature is priceless and irreplaceable and if we allow it to be destroyed, what does that mean for life as we know it?
We need to take steps to restore and maintain nature, and we can get outdoors and do this now before all our beloved species become extinct and the natural systems that enable life on Earth are battered beyond belief. It is in our interests to recognise and value the importance of nature in our life, and together, we can strive to do so.
Summary
I believe in protecting and restoring nature and wildlife, and I extend that belief to all whom I’m in contact with.
By encouraging people to actively get involved with outdoor activities and adventures, I hope to raise awareness of the importance of nature in our life.
EVERY MOMENT COUNTS
My mission is to hike and mountain bike the best hidden gems in the UK so that I can bring you on my journey with the most beautiful photographs.
My goal is to inspire you through visuals and storytelling of the best hidden gems in the British Isles.
Why? I want to inspire you to venture out and live a little. Go explore, make new friends and see new places. Make a difference to your life.
NATURE IS MEDICINE
Nature is the most powerful, natural form of medicine for the mind, body and soul. The ultimate happiness.
SEIZE OPPORTUNITIES
Move away from your gadgets, get off the sofa, go on an adventure and seek that moment frequently.
TELL STORIES
Live to tell stories of beautiful places and experiences. Pass down the amazing stories through generations.
SHARE EXPERIENCES
The wilderness is there to discover, enjoy and relish. Experiences, I want to share with you for your benefit too.