The “Hack” that Makes You Happier

There’s this odd phenomenon I observed even whilst traveling, and that is:  There’s always one factor that brings more peace and joy into the mind.

This factor is nature.

Nature is defined as “the phenomena of the physical world collectively, including plants, animals, the landscape, and other features or products of the earth, in contrast to human beings”.

Because most cities have been excavated of nature to implement concrete roads, housing, and commercial areas—many times, the concept of nature has to be integrated back into the landscape by humans. For example, rooftop gardens and city parks.

Humans spend a tremendous amount of effort and money, trying to implement more green space into the bustling city.

Psychologically, having naturalistic elements in our environment—something as simple as plants in a café, creates a type of ambiance that’s meant to stimulate feelings of peace, cleanliness, and clarity.

Inherently, humans are drawn toward nature.

Just last weekend, a couple of friends and I drove around for a total of five hours to visit one of the famous provincial parks on the north shore, then dragged ourselves up around 1140m of elevation to see the glacier water.

That’s just one example.

Additionally, real estate prices increase based on the proximity to the ocean. It goes to show how coveted these simple, existing bodies of nature are to humans.

Lucky for us, we can use our inherent attraction to nature to our advantage. This is the one hack that has proven to bring more happiness into my life.

Being in Nature Brings Peace

For around half a year, I spent one day of the week waking up in a cabin-esque property entirely surrounded by tall, pine trees. When my eyes fluttered open early in the morning, the first thing I smelled was the fresh air gently seeping in from the large balcony window. The first thing I heard was the song of the birds. And the first thing I felt was the warm, thick blanket wrapped around my naked body.

It was like for one day of the week, the whole world washed away. I fell in awe of the sense of peace.

Nowadays, it’s hard to be in that type of environment as regularly, but it’s a healthy practice to get out of the city from time to time.

Hiking (or mountain biking, climbing), walking around the park, paddleboarding, sailing..etc, there’s an endless list of activities you can do that allow you to be submerged in nature.

Even if you do this once a week, I find that’s enough to bring more peace and stability into the rest of your week.

Nature Helps with Mindfulness

The word mindfulness is regarded as a highly positive trait. Being mindful allows for a greater appreciation of the things in our environment, and in turn, makes us more focused and happy individuals.

When we’re not constantly thinking ahead or allowing ourselves to become distracted, there’s a greater opportunity for us to exert our maximum energy on the thing that requires our attention (whether that be spending time with family, or working on an important project).

I find that being in a state of inertia in a natural environment helps me become more mindful, for example, biking along the sea wall. 

Another factor is mental distance. Why do you think during meditations, often we are prompted by sounds of the crash of the waves, or being in the woods? It’s because having the power to mentally transport ourselves to a place we know brings us more peace, allows us to reach a state of equilibrium when we’re faced with anxieties caused by everyday stresses.

Those everyday stresses are provoked by our environment—maybe our computers with overflowing emails, our offices, or even the busy, loud streets with honking cars and sirens.

For example, let’s say you work in the office or at home eight hours a day, five times a week. Maybe you walk 20 or 30 minutes in one direction, and you end up by the ocean or by a park. So although you’re not geographically in a different place, you feel completely different based on the elements in your surroundings.

You can be mindfully absorbed in the beauty of your surroundings. But it requires a bit of effort in terms of letting go of what you’re thinking about and allowing yourself to enjoy a sliver of that naturistic pie.

Nature and Productivity

When we feel calmer and less distracted, there’s more room for focus and fresh ideas.

I love working at coffee shops that are adorned with living plants, or by a body of water because it stimulates calmness.

I am able to work a lot better than if I were sitting alone at home.

Many of the big tech companies have full-fledged green spaces in their offices, to encourage their employees to get their nature fix so they can be more productive.

In an article posited by Harvard Business Review, numerous studies have shown that simply looking at nature, even through a screensaver, improved attention and performance in the workplace. Furthermore, attention restoration theory states that because we’re captivated by nature without having to focus on it, it replenishes our stores of attention control.

Absolutely, it’s easy to be present with nature without exerting too much brain power on it—compared to activities like meditation, yoga, reading, and writing (which all require some level of attention).

Conclusion

That journey coming back from the mountain to the city always evokes a feeling of bittersweetness.

The sweetness from the memory of nature that I briefly touched, and slight bitterness from having to go back to the normal business of life.

However, those fragments of time are significant and sacred, not just for the sake of better productivity, but in a way that replenishes our minds and spirits.