You know the feeling: the minute that warm, earthy air sweeps through the trees and washes over you, your feet crunching on the rocky ground beneath you, and the wind picking up your hair . . . you are FREE.
It’s the feeling you can’t replicate in your front yard or just by taking a walk along the concrete jungles we call our neighborhoods. The truth is, time in the wilderness truly does hit different.
It does something to us, something we can’t always explain. However, science actually CAN.
The Unseen Effects of Living in Fight or Flight
I moved to Utah seven years ago, fleeing 15 years of domestic abuse and the constant immersion in fight or flight (AKA your sympathetic nervous system). While I am sure you can easily picture the wear and tear on the body for the long distance runner, the damage to a nervous system in overdrive is invisible.
Imagine for a minute the perpetual athlete: the breakdown of tissues and grinding of bone as cartilage wears away with overuse. Our nervous system is the unseen version of that when we are frequently immersed in fight or flight.
Cortisol and adrenaline accelerate even in safety, wearing our heart and health out like we are running a forever race. Living with a dysregulated nervous system can predispose a person to disorders or diseases such as asthma, depression, fibromyalgia, headaches, allergies, diabetes, anxiety, gastrointestinal problems, high blood pressure, rheumatoid arthritis, and even cancer.
Research suggests that extreme emotional trauma and chronic emotional stress can negatively impact the nervous system and lower a person’s natural resiliency, leaving them vulnerable to physical and mental problems.
Truth is, my body was in such bad shape. I could not turn off cortisol. My heart rate was uncontrollable no matter how safe I was. This left me exhausted; my hormones, sleep and energy were in shambles; my face carried the tell-tale “moon shape” of cortisol overproduction.
My brain signaled my gut to these perceived dangers, leading to a damaged biome and estrogen dominance, undermining my metabolism and accelerating disease in my future.
Experiencing Burnout
You don’t have to have experienced severe trauma to have an overactive nervous system. Especially as women, we battle over-stimulation on the daily, rarely getting to pause long enough to hit the NECESSARY rest and restore action of our parasympathetic nervous system.
A dysregulated nervous system is the leading cause of disease and death in modern times. Why? Our present culture activates fight or flight more often than it returns us to rest and digest, leaving us worn down, our systems burnt out with no recovery, and feeling depressed and dispassionate about life.
It might start with early morning scrolling on your phone, engaging mentally in alarming headlines or activating reels. Then, we add a layer of coffee before food to really kick-start the adrenaline and cortisol!
Rushing kids out the door to school, then hopping in the car for the morning commute, swimming upstream through traffic. Slaying our to-do list all day, responding to our vast responsibilities.
It’s ALL a constant strain on our system, keeping us alert and focusing on our lengthy agenda of to-dos, subconsciously always scanning for (perceived) danger. It only takes one email or a surprise bill in the mail to kick-start that fight or flight response in the sympathetic nervous system (SNS)!
Keep in mind this reality too: your nervous system doesn’t know the difference between running from a bear or a big presentation at work, or even you getting ready for a hot date with nervous excitement!
Restoring Balance through Rest & Digest
If you are a woman, you more than likely can relate to some part of my story. Whether it’s from an abusive relationship or stress from the pressure to do and be everything (be a good wife, mother, friend, daughter, employee / boss), you have probably experienced some form of trauma or burnout.
And at this moment, you’re probably wondering, is there a way to restore balance? YES! The way OUT of this place is to activate the OPPOSITE system (your parasympathetic nervous system, AKA rest and digest mode) more often. And sometimes that takes real dedication and intention.
I began to very intentionally lean into getting out in nature as a way to shift, to embrace the restoration of activating my parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). I did this as often as possible to begin the internal repair work I so desperately needed.
So it was no accident that I chose Utah as my refuge and home for restoration with mountain trails so close at hand. I craved the mountain wilderness to help me turn off this system in overdrive and activate rest and restore more frequently.
As we look at how to restore, it’s important to practice daily rituals that enhance your lifestyle and curate healthy habits.
Restoring your system starts with calibration to a REST cycle more often, in small ways, throughout your day. Thus helping promote longevity, vitality and zest like never before!
This is why I built hiking into my lifestyle as a routine. To COUNTERACT the over-stimulated SNS and give my body the chance to be FREE of the demands of life while on the trail. There is something magical about being in the trees, up high on the trail, and savoring the elements of water flowing in the ravines below. EACH of these elements has more than just a placebo effect on us.
There is concrete SCIENCE that reveals incredible evidence on how each of these move our natural physiology and being into a state of calm and restorative peace. There is a healing aspect to simply being UNPLUGGED from the business of life, completely present in the moment, aware of your body, your breath and your surroundings, letting your mind wander. Creative flow can even kick in on the trail, since your brain is unburdened from the constant demands.
Nature helped me heal. And there is clear evidence on HOW!
Let’s dive into the science together.
Neuroplasticity
Neurons, which help transmit our emotions, can look and function very differently depending on their state. Under a microscope, healthy neurons resemble trees with full branches and deep roots. In contrast, neurons that are in “survival mode” due to stress look thin and sparse.
When we live in safe and nurturing environments, our neurons can grow and extend their branches, a process known as neuroplasticity. This ability allows our brains and bodies to heal and adapt by changing their neural connections.
The tree-like structure of neurons suggests that just as trees thrive in the right environment, our brains also thrive and heal when we’re in nature, reminding us of our deep connection to the natural world.
Phytoncides
Phytoncides are a type of volatile organic compound (VOC) that can have various effects on humans. Many VOCs, such as those emitted by toxic paints, carpets, mattresses, candles, air fresheners, and household cleaners, can compromise indoor air quality.
Over time, these VOCs can harm our cells and increase the risk of diseases like cancer. Considering we spend about 90% of our time indoors, exposure to these harmful VOCs is a significant concern.
On the other end of the spectrum, plants produce phytoncides in the form of terpenes, which are similar to essential oils in the air. These have a range of health benefits for humans.
When inhaled, phytoncides significantly impact our PNS, which helps our bodies rest and digest rather than stay in “fight or flight” mode. This shift allows the body to enter its optimal state for repair.
Terpenes from trees can improve heart health, enhance sleep quality, lower blood pressure, reduce cortisol levels, boost circulation, support healthy hormone levels, and help rewire stressed neural networks, just to name a few
Bird Song
The sound frequencies of bird songs can mentally refresh humans and promote relaxation. Additionally, bird songs are comforting because birds typically sing when they feel safe, which can instinctively make us feel safer too. (Granted, it does depend on the type of bird!)
Birds sing at dawn, and their songs stimulate the human brain. These sounds, which are random and non-repetitive, can help you focus on the task at hand. During a hike, bird song is the companion that guides your steps and allows the mind to wander to happy places, often triggering memories of youth and connection.
Flowing water
Water is not just the source of life for hydration. Even just the sound of it activates the self soothing senses, lulling us into a place of peace. We are attracted to water by nature to seek ways to activate our PNS, the rest & digest aspect of our nervous system.
“Water is considered the elixir and source of life. It covers more than 70% of the Earth’s surface, makes up nearly 70% of our bodies, and constitutes over 70% of our heart and brains,” says marine biologist and author of the 2014 book Blue Mind, Wallace Nichols.
Nichols continues, “This deep biological connection has been shown to trigger an immediate response in our brains when we’re near water. In fact, the mere sight and sound of water can induce a flood of neurochemicals that promote wellness, increase blood flow to the brain and heart and induce relaxation. Thanks to science, we’re now able to connect the dots to the full range of emotional benefits being on, in, or near the water can bring.”
Human Connection
While a solo hike is truly a restorative practice, hiking with the added benefit of human connection takes the healing up a notch! You get the natural elements PLUS the super-charged core state of human connection. This amps up the restoration to an entirely new level.
Experiencing the consistency of nourishing relationships where you feel truly seen, felt, and heard is perhaps the biggest influence on the quality and length of your life. Nourishing relationships can help shift your nervous system back to a state of safety, especially after experiencing trauma. This can happen with the people you’re closest to, with health professionals, and during those moments of connection with people in your community.
It is in this state of safety and belonging that rest, recovery and repair of the mind-body system take place.
Hiking Is a Healer!
So now you know–affirmed by science, what your body has already been feeling and drawn to–hiking is a HEALER!
The effects are instant when you are in nature, and the routine of it, be it a solo hike or a meetup with friends, allows you to activate the parts of your brain and body that are craving a reset!
So how often can you break free? Even just a stroll through a tree-lined park or an easy after-dinner mountain trail adds a massive element of REPAIR to our health and well being.
Seven years into life in Utah, my body has found resilience again. Not only I am able to practice a more active state of calm, but I am more easily capable of turning off my nervous system when it is dysregulated or activated. I attribute this to the soothing effects offered by the wilderness.
We were MADE for the ups and downs in life, and a resilient nervous system can navigate it all without getting stuck in patterns that wear your body down when your protective mechanisms are over-activated.
I’d love to hear your experience. How has nature helped you heal?
