{"id":19742,"date":"2014-03-04T10:46:11","date_gmt":"2014-03-04T15:46:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/?p=19742"},"modified":"2014-03-04T16:30:22","modified_gmt":"2014-03-04T21:30:22","slug":"nature-and-nurture-your-emotional-physical-and-mental-health-and-well-being","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/2014\/03\/04\/nature-and-nurture-your-emotional-physical-and-mental-health-and-well-being\/","title":{"rendered":"Nurture and nature your emotional, physical and mental health and well-being"},"content":{"rendered":"You know what gives me #joyatUofT? Being outside and beating the winter blues<\/a>; whether I\u2019m sledding, or taking a walk in the park.\r\n\r\nHowever, lately, the slushy roads, the face numbing wind and the chill that has enveloped Toronto so tightly this winter has had me tucked away in my apartment with the heat cranked up and alone with my books more often than not. Going outside doesn\u2019t seem particularly appealing. \u00a0If you\u2019re a wuss about the cold like me\u2014you\u2019re probably attempting to stretch your groceries out as long as you can and are momentarily considering starvation before forcing yourself to go shopping.\r\n\r\n
\"Source:<\/a>
Source: http:\/\/disappolnted.tumblr.com\/post\/77909814549\/vertical-personal-love<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\nBeing in the city it\u2019s so easy to make ourselves comfortable in our own space, inside, while completely ignoring the outdoors. \r\n<\/a>\r\n\r\nHaving said that and despite my lack of affection for the cold, I still try to make it outside for a walk of considerable length every few days because\u00a0being holed up inside can really instigate the winter blues.\r\n\r\nResearch indicates that we thrive mentally and emotionally by being close to Mother Nature.\r\n\r\nFor example, one study found that people are kinder and more charitable post-exposure to nature scenes1<\/sup><\/a>. Another study shows that moving closer to green spaces improves mental health immediately and lastingly2<\/sup><\/a>. Yet another has findings indicating that just having a plant in the office is\u00a0associated with lower levels of stress and anxiety in workers3<\/sup><\/a>.\r\n\r\nAnd if those studies aren\u2019t compelling enough to get you outside, there\u2019s also evidence that the natural environment can enhance cognitive abilities. Having a plant in the vicinity of your workspace can boost concentration, while exposure to the outdoors can improve memory performance and attention span by 20%! 4<\/sup><\/a>\r\n\r\nSo if you\u2019re staring the winter blues straight in the eye, try going to a park for a walk! Even if there\u2019s 5 inches of snow and I don\u2019t want to be bothered with putting my boots on, I still make myself do it because my head feels clearer and I usually feel less fatigued afterwards.\u00a0 So, dress for the weather and get outside for the sake of your mental, emotional and physical health!\r\n\r\n
\"Source:<\/a>
Source: https:\/\/24.media.tumblr.com\/d9ae3dc755c0fd52cd2f883c7d8c719d\/tumblr_mv0spq7O521s2h7who1_500.gif<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\nKeeping in mind that greenery contributes to our mental and emotional health and well-being and that we have a symbiotic relationship with Mother Nature, it is essential that we take care of our environment in order to enhance those health benefits. \u00a0\u00a0So before you crank that heater all the way up to temperatures that feel more like a \u00a0Florida vacation spot, think about the impact it will have on the environment (never mind your skin) and consider putting on a sweater instead.\r\n\r\nConsider getting involved with \u00a0U of T \u00a0Sustainability Office<\/a>. Check out there facebook <\/a>\u00a0and twitter @SustainableUofT for up to date information on green news, events and initiatives!\r\n\r\nOr you can make it a #greenerUofT by joining the \u201cIt\u2019s Greener in Here\u201d campaign<\/a>.\r\n\r\nDoes the outside bring you #joy@UofT<\/a>? I'd love to hear\u00a0how?\r\n\r\nGloria","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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\nYou know what gives me #joyatUofT? Being outside and beating the winter blues; whether I\u2019m sledding, or taking a walk in the park. However, lately, the slushy roads, the face numbing wind and the chill that has enveloped Toronto so…\n<\/div>
Continue reading “Nurture and nature your emotional, physical and mental health and well-being”<\/span>…<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>
Continue reading “Nurture and nature your emotional, physical and mental health and well-being”<\/span>…<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"author":197,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1758,7204,62,1,70,69,66,67,68,77],"tags":[12448,12445,12450,88,1439,1360,12432,12449,12447,12446,1883,1855,1367],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19742"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/197"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19742"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19742\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19757,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19742\/revisions\/19757"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}