SLO LIFE Jun/Jul 2017

| HEALTH
Summer Stress Relievers
Summer may be one of the busiest times of the year with vacations and holiday weekends, but that doesn’t
mean there isn’t a little room for relaxation. What better way to take advantage of the warmer weather than by
escaping the indoors? There are many health advantages to spending more time outside. In fact, simply having
access to a green space can help you to de-stress considerably.
No. 1
TAKE A DAY TRIP
It may be wiser to invest in experiences over
material objects since they tend to make
us happier. Cornell University psychology
professor Thomas Gilovich found that
when we buy new things, we are only
excited about them for a short amount
of time because we adapt to their novelty
so quickly. Alternatively, he argues that
experiences represent our true identities
better than our personal items do.
So the next time you are tempted to buy
that new Apple Watch, consider a kayak
excursion, instead. Or if you’re feeling
adventurous, perhaps try an exhilarating
bungee jump.
No. 2
TRY YOUR HAND AT GARDENING
Gardening can be a form of meditation that allows you to spend time in nature
while immersing yourself in a calming activity. One study from the Netherlands
found that gardening can decrease cortisol levels and boost feelings of well-being
among people who had just completed a stressful task. “We live in a society
where we’re just maxing ourselves out all the time in terms of paying attention,”
says Andrea Faber Taylor, Ph.D., a horticulture instructor and researcher at the
University of Illinois. “Humans have a finite capacity for the kind of directed
attention required by cell phones, and email, and the like,” Taylor says, “and when
that capacity gets used up we tend to become irritable, error-prone, distractible, and
stressed out.” The study went on to show that even 30 minutes of leisurely reading
didn’t provide the same stress-relieving benefits of what is known as the effortless
attention of gardening.
72 | SLO LIFE MAGAZINE | JUN/JUL 2017