Craving nature

"The solution to the craving for possessions is not to stifle it, but to transfer it to nature and art, there to be embraced. Instead of going to a big box store to buy an object that has stimulated your craving, go into a forest or park, hungry for the natural world displaying itself. You will not be surprised at the store, but nature will startle you and offer you new discoveries. The gift of nature will satisfy more than the expected thrill of a new possession, which may succumb quickly to buyer's remorse and soon fade away. You bring things into your house and hold onto them, but in nature you encounter potent displays of layered richness." (p. 19) from The Cure at Walden Pond by Thomas Moore

I find this to be so accurate, both from an experiential point of view as well as a brain science one. We want what we focus on. Having worked in a department store I can tell you that exposure is everything. A dress would come in and we would all think it was so ugly no one would possibly buy it. But by being surrounded by it every day, and sometimes selling one, it became familiar. From familiar it became something I needed to own. It was a very fast process. 

So what are you looking at? Influencers who tell you the right things to buy? Shelter shoes and magazines that all look vaguely similar? Suddenly things other people have become things you need without becoming aware of the shift. Advertising is insidious and influencers are the worst because they seem to be your friend and want what's best for you. (Pro tip: just skip any article or video which has a headline which begins, "You're doing this wrong.") 

But nature isn't selling you something. You can go take a walk and see beautiful and amazing things. (Just don't fall into the "but my garden/yard isn't as nice or updated as ___, trap." Wildflowers growing along the highway are beautiful.) I watch clients come and just stand in my pastures and be overcome by how healing and restorative being in nature is. More often than not they are moved to tears because it feels so healing. A new couch or lamp or tchotchke cannot do that for you. 

As far as brain science, being in nature is good. It releases serotonin and dopamine, both of which are hormones that lead to feelings of well-being. Our brains are also constantly looking for novelty. It's why the couch you loved ceases to be quite so amazing after a while. But nature is nothing if not novel. Nature is constantly novel and the more closely we look, the more amazing it is. 

This openness and awareness of novelty is important. There are some theories out there that suggest that depression comes with a dulling of the senses; of losing a sense of curiosity. Now, the order of which comes first isn't clear. It definitely seems to be a chicken and egg question. But there is also good reason to believe that curiosity and an appreciation of the natural world keeps us emotionally healthy. 

When was the last time you just stood and quieted yourself and appreciated the beautiful world around you? What would happen if you did this before making any non-necessary purchase? It might be an experiment worth making.