A Regular Dose of Nature as Medicine

I’m currently sitting out by a lake. In a little cabin tucked away in the mountains of Vermont. My own little personal retreat. In the background, the sun is setting over the hills and the sky is a warm hue of orange. As I gaze at the scene behind me I am overtaken with a sense of awe and ease. I feel quiet, calm and rested sitting out here in nature, just being with myself for a little while. It’s quite a reprieve from the chaos of an emergency room.

I feel deeply connected to the natural world. Why do many of us feel such a strong connection when we’re in this space? Well, although this is an opinion, I really think that there is an actual connection. From an evolutionary standpoint we are all connected in some way. Over the millennia, we have grown biologically distinct, but perhaps there is still some sort of deep connectivity there. These trees over here, well on some level, are my relatives. (I know how crazy that sounds)

At least, that’s what it feels like. It’s like the same feeling I have when I’m see members of my family that I haven’t seen in a long while. There’s some sort of feeling deep down inside. Of gratitude, happiness, and peacefulness borne of connection and it feels to me like a real thing.

What is “connection” anyway? It is anything more than a feeling or a mental state? A deep visceral feeling that comes up when I’m around certain things that seems to have importance to me. Does that come from the electrical impulses of a few neurons, an intellectual understanding, or from something beyond? No one really knows. But it certainly is heartening to think of us as deep interconnected beings just living our lives in this world together. Certainly makes walking in the park a heck of a lot more fun!

For more information please visit: 
https://www.mdhealthyself.com/why-trees-make-you-happier

Are You Self-Actualized?

What really makes a person complete?

What do we want in our lives and what is it like to become our best, most fulfilled selves?

In the 1960’s, psychologist Abraham Maslow tried to answer this question. This eventually led to his well-known hierarchy of needs. You might be familiar with the pyramid.

The premise of the theory is that once we fulfill our basic needs (food, water, shelter) and then our core emotional needs (love, acceptance, self-esteem), then we can begin to work on the peak of the period. Self-actualization. Trying to become our best selves.

Maslow didn’t truly believe that we progressed in a step-wise fashion. Having to accomplish one level of the pyramid before progressing to another. It’s more a matter of degrees. In other words, one person might have 70 percent of their love needs met and 80 percent of their safety needs, but still might be 20 percent self actualized. The more one has met their lower needs, the more attention can be given to higher ones. But it might never be perfect.

For more information please visit: https://www.mdhealthyself.com/are-you-self-actualizing

What actually makes you happier – experiences or things?

Maybe that sports car in your driveway isn’t making you as happy as you think…

In the medical world, we are often fortunate to be on the higher end of the income-earning spectrum. Yet, I think it’s safe to say that we certainly aren’t on the higher end of the happiness spectrum.

We live in a materialistic culture. A quick look around the physician parking lot in my hospital will reveal a lot of Porches, Benz’s, and Beemers. Most of my colleagues live in million-dollar houses (although that isn’t saying much in Toronto), and live expensive lifestyles. At the surface, there’s nothing wrong with that.

But where should I put my priorities? I mean, I need things. I wouldn’t mind a better car or a bigger house. But if I’m concerned with what makes me happier, then how should I allocate my precious income and time?

Dr. Thomas Gilovich, a researcher at Cornell, has spent much of his career trying to answer this question. Experiences or things?

His research suggests that people derive more satisfaction from experiential purchases over material ones.

Here are some reasons why Dr. Gilovich thinks it’s better to spend on experiences.

For more information please visit: https://www.mdhealthyself.com/what-actually-makes-you-happier-doing-things-or-having-things/