Winnipeggers are very accustomed to a long cold winter, though this one was enough to send anyone into hibernation – except for our polar bears.
Spring is finally here and with the promise of warmer days, many of us are spending more time outside and looking for ways to reconnect with nature.
There are many studies that show how spending time outdoors can have a positive impact on your physical and mental health, for example, boosting your immune system and decreasing stress and anxiety.
We can make the most of our time spent outdoors by being mindful and consciously making an effort to connect with nature.
“As an increasingly urbanized society, many of us have lost our connection with nature,” said Melissa Scouten, an education coordinator at Assiniboine Park and Zoo. “This disconnect can be linked to the harmful impacts of human behaviour on our environment and things like climate changes and loss of biodiversity.”
By spending time mindfully in and with nature we can learn to rebuild our relationship with it, seeing ourselves in the larger ecosystem.
“We are all busy and it can sometimes be challenging to clear our minds and focus on the natural world that is right outside our doors,” said Melissa. “Mindfulness is a deliberate effort to use your senses to notice things around you, to be present, to see, smell, hear, feel and really experience our natural surroundings.”
You can listen for the songs of birds returning this spring, spot the trees budding and the bright colours as flowers begin to bloom.
Once we get to know our neighboring plants and animals, we see how they provide for us and appreciate them. Trees give us oxygen, they provide places for birds to nest, and birds eat those pesky mosquitos.
“When we spend time in nature, we develop a love for nature and that love for nature develops into behaviours that care for the environment,” said Melissa. “This begins even as a child.”
Melissa recommends a simple activity called ‘sit spots’ that can help you feel more connected to nature when you visit the Park.
“Begin by finding a spot in nature that you are attracted to and sitting there for 10 minutes,” said Melissa. “Then ask yourself questions: What am I seeing? What am I hearing? What am I smelling?”
When you visit your sit spot several times you may notice patterns. Maybe you see the plants change as they progress through their life cycles or that a certain species of butterfly likes a particular flower.
“This starts to break beyond the wall of green, and you begin to see individuals,” Melissa said. “We start to connect the dots and see how we are all part of the same ecosystem.”
When we sit in nature, we notice it. It becomes clear how we might hinder it and ways that we can protect and preserve it.
On your next walk in the Park, we invite you to stop and observe and start restoring your relationship with nature.
