Nature Heals.

Studies have shown that already 15 minutes spent in a nature has positive effects in your body and mind. Your heartbeat and blood pressure drop rapidly and muscle tension decreases, but most of all being in the nature affects your mood as the forest calms and speeds up the stress recovery. The bigger, the quieter, the calmer area with clean air and feeling of peace there are, the better benefits you get. New concept of health forest has emerged recently helping those who have for example diabetes or mild depression. That is absolutely amazing, possibility for a relief without pills.

No wonder Finns own 507 200 summer cabins in Finland. I feel privileged to have a cabin to go to. Three cabins to be precise, since my family has one cabin and my husband’s family has two cabins. Both of our parents live in houses near to a forest, but same as us, their busy lives prevent them for not enjoying it the same way as when staying in their cabins. We escape from the city where the noise is all around us and come here where the surrounding nature can give its best.

Hunting is part of the traditional way of life and living in our northern nature.

Our family has few hobbies in the nature such as hunting, fishing and berry picking, but we also like simple things such as just walking in the forest with our dog. There are no animals to be afraid of, except maybe a male reindeer with the biggest antlers during Autumn heat. There are some bears, but I’ve never seen one in real life. Wolves are located mainly in the eastern border of Finland. The biggest animal is a moose, which is more dangerous for car traffic. I never feel unsafe in the nature. I can sit down on a tree stump or even in our cabin porch and wait silently if I could see some animals. And if I’m patient enough I get rewarded.

Breathtaking power of nature can be explored by visiting Vikaköngäs hiking area, the home and protected nature reserve for rapids. Located only some tens of kilometers away from the city this easy trail walking offers midnight sun lit, easy adventure, to total wilderness with nice break point at “laavu”, a half-closed fireplace

There is no better place than nature.

Sometimes while I wait, the nature might take a break from its own busy life and give the listener a real, total silence. Silence that nearly hurts your ears. You can almost start hearing your own body work, your own blood pumping near to your ears. That’s creepy and awesome at the same time. Those who have been studying human brain and silence have found out that two minutes of silence can be richer than a relaxing music. Silence has the same positive affects on a human as the nature has, so could be said that walking in a silent forest has double benefits. No wonder why we normally feel so relaxed after a day of berry picking.

Do you remember when was the last time you spent some time in the nature? Even few minutes breathing in and out, eyes maybe shut? If you don’t, you definitely should. There is no better place than nature.

Suvi