I had an opportunity to visit the northern part of Sikkim recently: the enthralling and captivating beauty of Lachung, Yumthang valley, the flora and fauna around Chomoyummo and Khangchengyao peaks provided an impetus for me to put forward the essence of nature in front of you.

A natural kingdom envelops biotic and abiotic components and their existence. Its four elements: Air, Water, Earth, Fire and Aether and their interdependence/relationship makes our existence possible on this planet. It is quite mysterious how the creator of nature is unknown yet it encompasses mesmerizing beauty to everyone around it.

With vivid ecosystems, landscapes, biodiversity and other components, it indulges one into its captivating beauty. Our mother nature induces peace, harmony and well-being of us humans and the planet as a whole. Therefore, expressing ourselves towards nature comes with innumerable benefits. Comprising of a diversifying biodiversity, ranging from tiniest insects to mammoth creatures and accompanied by stunning mountains, seas, lakes, forests and grasslands, nature not only gives an environment with visual perception but also provides an environment with peaceful sounds like: flowing of rivers, sea waves, waterfalls, along with gentle breezes, chirping of birds and a lot of other species.

The role of nature in our well-being

The use of natural components is crucial for our proper well-being. Research has shown that the environment we live in plays a crucial role in balancing our stress levels, which in turn impacts our bodies, overactive mind gets quietened. At any moment, what we see here or experience, not only has an effect on our mood, but also on our nervous, endocrine and immune systems. An exposure to nature has multiple advantages, like decreasing one’s stress, anxiety, maintenance of blood pressure, heart rate, and enhancement of mood and spirit. It also helps reduce depression, unwanted thoughts and loneliness and promotes one’s satisfaction, enthusiasm and exhilaration.

Spending time with nature

Traveling places during holidays/weekends is one of the best and productive ways of utilizing time in nature. Research has shown that indoor plants for fresh and purified air and staying at a room near windows can be more beneficial than we can imagine to reduce stress and anxiety. We should regularly explore and enjoy nature by involving in morning walks, cycling, swimming etc. Consequently, the more time we spend with nature, the better it is going to be for our health, when we connect ourselves to the earth it secretes feel-good hormones like serotonin, oxytocin, endorphin and dopamine.

Year after year, Finland is always on top in the world happiness index due to clean air, pure water and the Finns walk around in the woods very frequently and they know how to relax and sweat out the negative energy in sauna.

Nature relaxes the mind

A research journal quotes 95% of those interviewed felt their mood improved after spending time outside, changing from depressed, stressed, and anxious to a more calm and balanced state enhancing a well being. Various other studies also showed that time in nature or scenes of nature are associated with a good, vibrant mood, psychological wellbeing, meaningfulness, and vitality.

 Our natural world helps us take away our attention from pain and discomfort. There has been a classic study by Ulrich who states after gall stones surgery patients who were exposed to trees, greenery in the rooms or outside tolerated pain much better than those who were not.

Nature Hardship

Nature hardship, known as the lack of natural time in the world, impacts heavily on our well-being. Spending a lot of time in front of the television, mobile, computer screens or other gadgetry may cause irregular sleep, obesity, poor academic performances etc. The Mayo Clinic of USA, widely regarded as one of the best hospitals in the world, recommends to limit our screen time to two hours per day especially for kids. If it is more than that, it could certainly lead to various undesirable consequences.

We have to acknowledge nature's significant role in our lives. Spending time in nature with friends and family, with music and bright weather acts like an icing on the cake. Nature is sacred, it deserves to be protected. It is our responsibility to contribute for the betterment of nature for our planet and future generations. We have to work on its conservation, viz. promoting ecosystems, tourist destinations and working on global warming and climate change. Such acts of preservation and promotion helps the future generation and humanity. 

 
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• Sikkim
 
• ecosystems
 
• landscapes
 
• biodiversity
 
• well-being
 
• relaxes_the_mind