Dr. Selhub,
My name is Brenna, a Freshman at Simpson College in Indianola, IA. I have just finished reading your book, “Your Brain on Nature” for a class focused completely on applying concepts you discuss to our daily lives. Your book has really opened my eyes to the way I live my life while also rekindling my love for nature. As a college student, stress and anxiety about classes, and personal success is overwhelming, but many discussions in this book about stress relief in nature has really helped. Who knew that a concept like forest bathing could be a cure for stress of the mind and body? In our class, we practiced this by going on walks and literally hugging trees. We wanted to experience the environment with positivity and excitement without the constant nagging of our phones, and it worked. I started looking for more ways to in cooperate nature into my everyday life, asking myself “did you get your vitamin G today?”

I am at Simpson to study environmental science and this book has shown me the importance of the environment in a very different way than what I am studying. More than ever, I know that the environment gives us so much and efforts should be made to preserve what we have! I believe that if more people knew about the emotional effects of being in nature they would be more motivated to do things like recycle, and put sustainability at the forefront of industry and agricultural methods. I agree that we just need to motivate people to go outside and use our free time to go on a walk or hike outside instead of being consumed by technology. If we did, we would not only be a happier, healthier, and lower stressed world, but we would also be preserving the planet. Wouldn’t that be great? I think so.

Thanks again for teaching me the benefits of nature on stress and our health while also reminding me of my love of the environment.

Sincerely,
Brenna Yeutsy

Brenna Y.

Dr Selhub,
My name is Courtney Kersey and I am in a class at Simpson College centred around your book, Your Brain On Nature. I’m going to be honest, when I first heard about the concept for my class and your book, I was less than amused. I figured this book would be one of those “reduce, reuse, recycle”, “think of the penguins” books that preach of people saving the world one candy wrapper at a time. Little did I know, this book would change my life in ways I never knew possible.

As my class read your book chapter by chapter, we would go on nature adventures to try to apply what we read about to ourselves. It started with the simple sit in nature and try to clear your head just enough to not fall asleep. As a regular college student, my first thought was, ” oh thank god an easy credit class”. I mean the ‘textbook’ was a chapter book and so far we meditate most of the week. Once we got into nature bathing or Shinrin Yoku, things in my daily life started to change. As described in your book, Shinrin Yoku is the simple act of taking a walk through the woods. Although it seems so simple, forest bathing has so much more to offer. The first time I walked through the woods with my class, I have to admit that it felt like a waste of time. I had my phone in the car and I spent the 40-minute walk wondering if I had any texts or notifications waiting for me. The next time we went out I decided to make a change. The next nature bathing I did, I actively chose to surround myself in the forest and focus on on the things close to me. No cell phone, no homework, no nothing. Just me, myself, and I staring at the clouds or watching how the leaves fall off the trees. After that conscious choice, I was changed. Well, I still checked my phone when I got back to my car but for those 40 minutes, I felt free. I had no thoughts weighing me down, I had no stresses making my mind move a million miles per hour, I was just me.

In your book, you also talked a lot about technology. I’ve listened to my parents and grandparents tell me for years that my generation is addicted to their phones but your book put technology into a new light. It is hard to listen to someone telling you to not use your phone as much just because they don’t use theirs, but when it is broken down to the actual proven stress it causes, it really changes things. I had no idea that we were slaves to technology. I always check my twitter and facebook but doesn’t everyone? I never thought twice about how much stress and anxiety I was bringing to myself through a 6-inch screen. The study in your book that really hit home for me was the study about the waiting room. People who waited in the waiting room were much more calm when there were nature scenes on the tv or even better, no tv on at all. It was such a simple thing but I had always thought the hospital management knew what was best so obviously tv and distracting technology was best. I took that and tried to apply it to my life. My professor has always had a strict no phones policy for our class. Not to say there wasn’t a single text sent or a quick peek at facebook but by the middle of the semester I tried to put a stop to that. Every time I reached for my phone under my desk or in the middle of the woods when my professor wasn’t around, I felt like a junky. I was addicted and there was no turning back. That was until I conciously decided to make a change.

Now that the semester is almost over, I have made many changes to my daily life. Above all, I do my homework or studies or anything I can make mobile, outside. My campus has a beautiful park and I never imagined myself using it as much as I do. I take walks outside when I talk on the phone, which yes, I’m still on my phone but at least I’m outside. I try to take runs outside instead of on a treadmill where I stare at a screen as I run towards a wall of nothingness. The biggest change has been in my phone habits. I leave my phone in my room more often. I make it through an entire biology lecture without checking my notifications, which if you ask me, is a miracle. I try to only let myself check my social media on my computer so it seems like more of a waste of time rather than something to do while walking from point A to point B. I observe more. I notice the leaves changing colors and the loose bricks by the library. I have opened my eyes to a new way of thinking through little changes that took little to no effort at all.

I’m writing you this email because I want to thank you. Thank you for giving me a reality check on myself. Thank you for being the slap in the face I needed before I was at a point of no return. I have already recommended your book to multiple family members and I can’t wait to see the changes they make for themselves.

Thanks again,
Courtney Kersey

Courtney K.

Dear Dr. Selhub,
I am a student at Simpson College, and my class read your book, Your Brain on Nature. Your work is very interesting! It was an eye-opening experience for me! One thing that caught my eye was about our addictions to technology. You mentioned in your book that children and teens are spending about seven and a half hours per day with our media outside of school. I knew that we were addicted to our technology, but I didn’t realize how much time we were spending on our screens. Also, I never understood why we were so addicted to our screens until I read your book. It’s amazing how one hormone, dopamine, is linked to our addiction to screens simply because it awards us to find new information whether it’s for survival or for pleasure. This explains why I have a hard time stopping myself from strolling through the feeds on Facebook.

Before I came to college and through the first couple of months, I would find myself constantly going to my phone and playing games or strolling through Facebook. I rarely felt happy or satisfied when I was finished. Instead, I felt grumpy and would get headaches. My class took note of what you wrote about our addiction as well, and our professor challenged us to spend less time with our technologies. This was hard for me at first because I felt tempted to pick up my phone instantly. My professor also decided to try some of the methods described in the book, like the Shinrin-yoku, to help us realize that there are other ways to cope with stress and find happiness instead of going on our electronics to find relief. After a couple of weeks surrounding ourselves with nature and not using my phone as often, I felt happier and more relaxed. I felt like I was able to enjoy the present moment.

Now as we have spent a couple of months reading your book and applying your methods to reduce stress levels, I am a changed person. I realize now that I can fix little health issues and feel better by simply following your methods of forest-bathing, less screen time, and exercise. I have been sharing my experience with my family back at home, and I want to continue to practice and share your work with other people. I believe it’s important to help people realize how much time they are spending on their screens and learn that surrounding yourself with nature is the best tool to benefiting our health.

Thanks,
Victoria Jordan

Victoria J.

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