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Common Obstacles in Learning Mindfulness

obstacles mindfulness

Overview

Regular practice of Mindfulness skills can lead to more self-awareness and less ‘reactivity’. Mindful awareness will improve your ability to self-regulate which will give you more choice over how you respond when faced with difficult situations. However, when beginning to learn Mindfulness there are some obstacles people commonly encounter.  With some understanding and planning, you can reduce the potential frustrations you may experience. This page will address the common obstacles so that you persist and go on to reap the full benefits of continued practice. (To learn more about what Mindfulness is, click here).

 

 

Common Questions

Do I need to Meditate?  No – you do not need to Meditate to practice Mindfulness! You can practice being mindful with your eyes closed or open – eyes open is (after all) the ultimate goal, isn’t it?

Although mediation is very helpful, most people do not have the time nor the commitment to start meditating – and even if you are someone who does meditate, you STILL need to practice being Mindful with your eyes open… (!).

Eyes closed (i.e., ‘formal’ practices) simply help you focus in on what it is that you need to be doing. But the most important part of any Mindfulness practice is to be able to do it in real-time with your eyes open so you can live your life more freely with less reactivity.

Do I need to be ‘Buddhist’ or ‘Spiritual’?  No – you do not need to take up any kind of spiritual path in order to increase your Mindful awareness.

Remember: All Mindfulness means is being aware of things as they are happening without judgement. The purpose of developing the skill of being mindful is to increase your ability to notice your thoughts, your emotions, and your physical sensations, so that YOU can decide how you want to react (vs being unaware of how your mind and body are influencing you and then being at the mercy of whatever your mind / body are reacting to!). 

 

 

Obstacles

“My mind keeps having thoughts – I just can’t do it!” 

The most common misunderstanding about practising Mindfulness is that you must stop having thoughts. But if you’ve ever tried a Mindfulness exercise, you will quickly notice that this is completely impossible!

If you are struggling with trying to ‘stop’ your mind having thoughts – this suggests to you do not fully understand the purpose Mindfulness. So – here is some helpful info:…

Mindfulness of thoughts means being aware of your mind having a thought, rather than you responding to the thought. Thoughts are not commandments – they are simply mental events related to having a mind (just like blinking is a physical event related to having eyes). In the same way as you can notice the blinking that your eyes are doing – you can notice the thoughts that your mind is doing. You are not your mind and its thoughts, anymore than you are your eyes or the ‘blinks’ that your eyelids are doing.  

This is very different to trying to ‘stop’ your thoughts, or telling yourself that you ‘don’t care’ or that ‘it does not matter’ what you are thinking. After all, we have over 60,000 thoughts per day – and just like you cannot stop your eye’s blinking (that’s just what eyelids do), you cannot stop your mind from thinking (that’s just what the mind does).  Remember – The goal of Mindfulness is to learn to notice (vs react) to the movement in the mind – being aware of your mind having a thought rather than responding to the thought. 

Although many people report a slowing of thoughts (which is pleasant when it occasionally happens), having zero thoughts during Mindfulness practice actually wouldn’t teach us anything! So it’s GREAT that you are noticing your mind’s thoughts – next step is to return to what you were doing within your Mindfulness exercise. Doing this, is like doing a ‘mindfulness push-up’!

It might be useful to imaging that your thoughts / feelings are like clouds passing in the sky (or that your thoughts / feelings are like waves on the surface of the ocean) – Mindfulness allows you to notice and have the thoughts / feelings without getting caught up in trying to change them. On the other hand, trying to ‘not’ have thoughts is about as helpful (or likely) as trying to stop bad weather! 

So, when our thoughts, emotions, or physical sensations take us away from our breath (or whatever our chosen focus is within our mindfulness practice), this provides us with an opportunity to either react (which is what you normally do), or to notice and observe (if you can do this, then your skill level will become upgraded !). Each time we notice and bring our attention back to what we were doing this is like a “Mindfulness Push-Up”. With repeated practice, noticing and observing our wandering minds (vs reacting) gives us greater control over our attention and our reactivity. This is called ‘self-regulation’.

Tip: Sometimes an important idea may arise during a mindfulness practice that you may actually want to pay attention to and remember. However, trying to keep an idea in your mind can defeat the purpose of your practice. If this happens, simply write it down and return to your practice. Keeping a notepad and pen handy can reduce this disruption so you can get the most out of your practice.

 

“I just can’t relax”

This is a common misunderstanding because (thankfully) you do not need to feel a certain way (e.g., calm, relaxed, or peaceful) in order to be Mindful! Although it is ‘nice’ to feel calm and relaxed – and quite often people do report that practicing mindfulness skills makes them feel calm and refreshed – this is NOT actually the point of doing Mindfulness!

The point of Mindfulness is not to achieve ‘a peaceful blissful state’. Rather, the point is to be open to whatever is happening. This means understanding that if you are stressed (for example), doing mindfulness may actually make you more aware of just how stressed you are, including how that stress might be affecting you. For instance, you may deliberately choose to focus on where you feel stress in your body; you may choose to notice what your mind is ‘telling you’ about the stress (or the feelings of stress in your body); you might attend mindfully to different emotions that are arising in response to stress; or, you might choose to notice and observe the physical urges you have to ‘act’ on these thoughts / feelings, etc… 

By being willing to ‘be with’ your experience rather than struggling with it and trying to push it away, Mindfulness often has a paradoxical calming effect because by letting go of the struggle to change your experience, accepting things as they are requires far less effort. This can be experienced as ‘relief’ or ‘calm’.

However, ‘calm’ or ‘peace’ is not the goal – awareness is…! This is a tricky concept at first, because being calm feels good. And often, being mindful helps you to feel calm. However, the goal of mindfulness is awareness – if you are stressed, we want to stay with that and be aware of exactly what that feels like. Paradoxically, this often will lead to calm, but ‘calm’ cannot be the goal. 

Why? If you approach mindfulness with the expectation or goal of a certain emotion, it will likely backfire because what you are ultimately doing is telling yourself that whatever state you are in is ‘unacceptable’. That is, the function of your behaviour in practicing Mindfulness is to avoid, push away, or get rid of a certain emotion.  Understand that avoidance is the opposite of being open to what is, and represents a struggle with accepting things as they are. Struggling is resistance and this is the opposite of Mindfulness. Remember: Suffering = Pain x Resistance.  (This concept is discussed in more detail on this page.)

 

 

Low Motivation

Most people try to start with too much – 20 minutes or more – which can seem like a long time! However, it is the quality of how you are practicing that is important – how focused you are – not the amount of time that you are practicing.

Your Mindfulness practice need not take long – Even 3-5 minutes a day can make a noticeable difference over the space of just one week! You can always increase this if you want to as you get more familiar with the process. It is also easier (and better) to practice briefly, several times a day, than to cram it all into one session and forget about being mindful until the next day. 

As discussed above, there are ‘formal’ (eyes closed) and ‘informal’ (eyes open) ways to develop and practice your Mindfulness skills. The ultimate goal is to be able to be mindful with your eyes open, so you can use it in practical ways in your life. You can do this effortlessly (eyes open) by checking in with your 5 senses for a few seconds at various points throughout the day.

Here are some suggestions to get you started:

‘What are 3 things I can smell right now?’ or

‘What can I hear inside vs outside of this room?’ or

‘What can I feel in my body right now?’ or

‘Can I notice all the points of contact between my body and the chair?” or

“Can I notice the feeling of my feet on the floor?’

 

Forgetting

One of the most common obstacles is simply not remembering to practice. It can be helpful to pre-plan a set time every day to practice, so that it becomes part of your routine. The best time to practice is the morning time, or early in the day when you are most alert. This will set you up for the rest of the day in terms of orienting your mind to ‘what mindfulness is’, which gives you something that you can return to rapidly later in the day.

As mentioned above, you can practice Mindfulness with your eyes open – this means you can take it anywhere! Work on setting yourself a prompt, or making it part of what you’re doing. E.g. While waiting at the traffic lights – “Can I notice three things I can smell?”, or contact between your feet and the floor, or the sun on your skin, or the sounds inside and outside of the car. 

Some people like to set ‘mindfulness reminder’ alarms to prompt them to ‘check-in’ on a specific sense and ‘notice mindfully’ – there are smartphone apps (with mindfulness prompts) that can do this for you. For an introduction to mindfulness meditation that you can practice on your own, download the FREE UCLA Mindful App (iTunes / Google Play). On the other hand, an example of a highly-rated paid app (with a monthly fee) is Headspace which is available on iTunes and the Google Play Store. I have also prepared a comprehensive list of guided Mindfulness audio exercises, chosen for their high quality.

 

 

Acceptance vs ‘Wallowing’

Mindfulness requires being aware of things as they are – without judgement. This means accepting things as they are, without resistance. However, many people misunderstand this to mean that ‘acceptance means giving up or wallowing’. This is completely incorrect – Acceptance does not mean you like or want for things to be the way they are, it simply means that you are being honest and aware that things are the way they are, which means understanding that you might as well accept them instead of resisting what is. 

Wallowing is not accepting – wallowing is a reaction driven by resistance that has a deep frustration/problem with how things really are. This this often leads to avoidance and destructive behaviours that generally make the situation worse either for one’s self or for others (aka ‘Suffering’).

Wallowing is tricky, because although someone wallowing may scream ‘I don’t care!’ what is really going on is extreme frustration because the person does actually care, else they would not be reacting in the extreme ways that they are. Wallowing causes suffering because whenever we resist our experience, we increase our suffering. Remember: Suffering = Pain x Resistance. 

If you’re stuck in a pattern of wallowing, several skills in addition to Mindfulness are required, such as self-compassion, understanding your brain’s 3 emotion regulation systems, being able to regulate your physiology and to respond to what your mind is doing. There are free self-help resources to help you address the above, and I recommend working with a Clinical Psychologist who can teach you skills that will help enable you to respond to your situation more skilfully. 

 

 

Summary

  • Learning mindfulness is an important skill that will increase our awareness and your ability to choose what you focus on vs being ‘pushed around’ by your mind or your emotions. It is the first step towards emotion regulation. 
  • An increase in awareness is also essential if we truly want to make any meaningful change. If we cannot be fully aware of our thought patterns, our emotional experience, our behavioural reactions, and their complex interaction – then what hope have we got of changing them? In other words, without awareness, there can be no change.
  • Although learning mindfulness can seem frustrating at first, it can help to understand the above concepts and to utilize their corresponding strategies. 
  • It can also help to have a teacher or a guide. You can learn mindfulness by joining a mindfulness group in your community (eg, meetups), or to take a mindfulness course where you can ask questions and learn from others.
  • You can learn mindfulness with the assistance of guided mindfulness audio exercises. 
  • It can help to have the input of a clinical psychologist who can help teach you mindfulness skills in a supervised and gradual way that is engaging and is tailored to your specific situation. 

 

 

A Word of Caution

For certain people such as those with high levels of anxiety, shame or self-criticism, or for people with histories of unresolved trauma, unsupervised Mindfulness is known to trigger adverse events, such as negative emotions, flashbacks, perceptual disturbances, and ‘relaxation-induced panic’.  This is because Mindfulness is about becoming more aware of what our minds and bodies are doing, which may expose us to things that we have previously been avoiding.

As always, if you are struggling with high levels of self-criticism or anxiety or if you have a history of trauma, it is recommended that you seek the professional help of a Clinical Psychologist. Because these sorts of issues rarely ever resolve by themselves.  

 

 

Further Resources

 

About Me: 

Dr Andreas Comninos, PhD Clinical Psychologist

I am a PhD Clinical Psychologist and EMDR Accredited Practitioner with over 15 years of psychotherapy experience. Whether you are seeking an assessment and diagnosis, or are searching for integrative research-backed ways to help you heal past wounds, break reactive-patterns and achieve long-lasting change, my aim is to provide a safe space for you to feel seen, understood, and empowered so you can make meaningful progress on your healing journey.


To learn more and to get in touch, please:

CONTACT ME

I endeavor to reply to all enquiries within 24 hrs.

About Me: 

Dr Andreas Comninos, PhD Clinical Psychologist

 

I am a PhD Clinical Psychologist and EMDR Accredited Practitioner with over 15 years of psychotherapy experience. Whether you are seeking an assessment and diagnosis, or are searching for integrative research-backed ways to help you heal past wounds, break reactive-patterns and achieve long-lasting change, my aim is to provide a safe space for you to feel seen, understood, and empowered so you can make meaningful progress on your healing journey.

To learn more and to get in touch, please:

CONTACT ME

I endeavor to reply to all enquiries within 24 hrs. 

Dealing with Your ‘Inner-Critic’

Overview

All of us engage in ‘self-talk’ – the ability to talk to ourselves in our minds as we process, or comment on the happenings around us. The likely function of this ‘self-talk’ is to help motivate us and keep us on track. It’s great when it works – but it can painful and even destructive when it doesn’t.

Take a moment and reflect on something: What tone and words do you use when talking to yourself – do you use a harsh, critical or self-sabotaging voice? Or are you warm, kind, friendly, and helpful?

All of us have at times had an inner voice that has echoed disappointment when things have not worked out the way we would have liked. It seems a common reaction that can help motivate ourselves to ‘dust ourselves off’ and try again. However, if your self-talk is harsh, mean, or punishing – If your inner dialogue is consists of shaming, disparaging, judgmental critical or hurtful commentary, then this is a signal that your ‘inner-critic’ has taken over!

People who engage in self-criticism are at a high risk of stress, anxiety, and depression and there are good reasons for this. If you are interested, I encourage you to also read about the Physiology of Self-Criticism and the Fears, Blocks, and Resistances people can develop around extending warmth, care, and support to themselves.

 

 

 

The ‘Inner Critic’ – Shame, Self-Loathing & Self-Attacking

The problem with having a harsh inner-critic is that it triggers our ‘threat system’, which signals to the brain that we are under attack. The brain responds by releasing cortisol and other hormones that trigger the fight-flight response. This is useful if we need to run from a lion, but not very helpful in terms of our inner-critic because we can’t actually run from ourselves! Yet, many people motivate themselves in this way – and it can cause much stress and heartache!

 

 

 

 

Why do we have an Inner-Critic?

We know from decades of research that children who grow up with very critical parents tend to internalize those voices and grow up to be very self-critical themselves. In fact, some people say that their inner critic even sounds like a critical parent or someone they knew from childhood.

Other people may have grown up with the complete absence of a safe, warm and soothing caregiver, and if this is the case it is very common for there to be fear, anger, pain or aversion associated with being kind to one’s self when in a time of need.

We also know that this development during the earliest years of an infant’s life is dependent on an infant’s ‘Attachment’ to their primary caregiver, and that this relationship (or lack thereof) influences a child’s ability to self-soothe and regulate their emotions throughout life. I have written extensively about how Attachment affects your brain’s development, your ability to regulate your emotions, and your relationship with yourself (and others), here. 

 

 

Why do we engage in Self-Criticism?

There are several reasons for engaging in self-criticism. One is BECAUSE WE CARE – When we deeply care about an outcome, often we also fear failure. Thus, thinking about the mere possibility of something not going as we planned can trigger our brain’s threat system (e.g., the fear of failure) and can motivate us to take action.

Often, because the possibility of falling short of our ideal threatens our self-concept, to protect ourselves from the fear of failure our inner-critic may step in to motivate us. But, the inner-critic also triggers the threat system, which causes a cascade of stress hormones that can overwhelm and flood our body and our emotions. This can cause us distress, and can even get in the way of us taking effective action. This is akin to motivating ourselves with a baseball bat

E.g., People who struggle with perfectionism or who hold excessively high standards of themselves are constantly living with the impending threat of disappointing themselves. They often use harsh self-criticism to motivate themselves, which triggers their brain’s threat systems. This triggers a cascade of physiological activity and stress which can seem overwhelming. Because of this stress, they are at high risk of performing poorly or making a mistake which if happens then becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. This in-turn justifies and fuels their harsh inner-critic for the next time – “See!? I told you that you were no good!” 


Clearly, this is NOT helpful!

If we talked to friends like this – they would not remain our friends for long! 

 

Inner Critic

 

 

 

Self-Compassion: The Antidote to Self-Criticism

If our inner-critic is ultimately stress-inducing and destructive – what options do we have? We know from decades of research that learning to cultivate an approach of self-compassion is an extremely powerful antidote to the inner-critic. Although this may sound like an alien concept, thankfully, self-compassion simply requires practicing a set of skills that can be learned.

When we practice self-compassion, we are actually moving our sense of safety from the threat system to our own care-giving and attachment system. This awakens our own ability to ‘self-soothe’ which is actually more productive than being self-critical. Whereas over-relying upon the threat system as a source of motivation can make us stressed, anxious and depressed and generally inhibits a good emotional mindset to really accomplish anything, when we give ourselves compassion we feel safe, emotionally balanced, and loved. This puts us on the best footing to not only be happy, but to also grow and to reach our goals.

 

Carl Rogers Self Acceptance Quote

 

However, for many people these skills involved in Self-Compassion may seem unfamiliar. As mentioned earlier, for many people, the origins of their inner-critics reside in childhood experiences of shame, rejection, and parental hostility or unresponsiveness.  For many, often the mere suggestion of being kind to one’s self can trigger the inner-critic in the form of judgments and resistance via negative thoughts/emotions (which can trigger a threat system response!).

And, just like how the immensely beneficial concept and practice of ‘Mindfulness’ is greatly misunderstood by the general public, there are many misunderstandings about what self-compassion is. Therefore, you owe it to yourself to learn more about Self-Compassion.

If you are struggling with your harsh inner-critic or would like to learn how to apply the skills of self-compassion and kindness to your situation, let’s talk.  



Further Resources

View all Self-Help articles I have written


Compassionate Mind Training (CMT) exercises 

 

About Me: 

Dr Andreas Comninos, PhD Clinical Psychologist

I am a PhD Clinical Psychologist and EMDR Accredited Practitioner with over 15 years of psychotherapy experience. Whether you are seeking an assessment and diagnosis, or are searching for integrative research-backed ways to help you heal past wounds, break reactive-patterns and achieve long-lasting change, my aim is to provide a safe space for you to feel seen, understood, and empowered so you can make meaningful progress on your healing journey.


To learn more and to get in touch, please:

CONTACT ME

I endeavor to reply to all enquiries within 24 hrs.

About Me: 

Dr Andreas Comninos, PhD Clinical Psychologist

 

I am a PhD Clinical Psychologist and EMDR Accredited Practitioner with over 15 years of psychotherapy experience. Whether you are seeking an assessment and diagnosis, or are searching for integrative research-backed ways to help you heal past wounds, break reactive-patterns and achieve long-lasting change, my aim is to provide a safe space for you to feel seen, understood, and empowered so you can make meaningful progress on your healing journey.

To learn more and to get in touch, please:

CONTACT ME

I endeavor to reply to all enquiries within 24 hrs. 

The Mental Health Benefits of Nature

Nature


Overview

Nature is exceptionally good for BOTH our mental and physical health. Regular mindful exposure to naturalistic stimuli (including Nature Sounds, and calming Nature Imagery) is an evidenced-based Self-Care strategy with a solid physiological backing: Nature has powerfully soothing and restorative effects that can bring soothing and balance to our nervous systems and it can promote and facilitate recovery from both physiological and psychological stress.

However, with increasing urbanization, more ‘screen-time’, and more pressure to achieve, our modern societies are driving many of us towards focusing on ‘doing more’, ‘being more’, and ‘having more’. Yet, this all comes at a cost: Disconnection from the natural world around us leads to negative effects within us both emotionally and psychologically (and spiritually, as suggested by many spiritual and also non-religious Traditions which date back thousands of years).

Below, you will discover how even simple, brief encounters with Nature can have powerful and restorative effects on both your brain and your parasympathetic nervous system (responsible for stress reduction). You will also discover ways you can learn to slow down, immerse yourself in nature, and cultivate a state of mind that is most receptive to its benefits. 

 

Urbanization & Health Problems

Over 50% of people now live in urban areas. It has been estimated that by 2050 this proportion will be 70%. Urbanization has many benefits, but it also is associated with increased levels of mental illness, including depression. We know that worry and stress are on the rise. Cancer is on the rise. Mental health problems are on the rise. Yet, our contact with Nature is on the decline.

There is strong evidence dating as far back as early Greece and ancient China that humans have long been aware that being in Nature can have a profound ability to eliminate stress and bring a deep sense of calm.  

 

But, What Does the Science Say?

 

 

Science Says: Nature is good for our well-being!

Nature has such a powerful ability to bring us peace – and this can be measured psychologically, and at a deep physiological level. Here’s why: Nature has powerful effects on the mind, the body, and the heart.  

For instance, a recent study found that being in nature for just 90 mins reduces activity in an area of the brain associated with rumination, a precursor for worry, stress and depression. The researchers had two groups of people walk for 90 mins in either Nature, or an urban setting. They found that people who walked in the natural setting not only reported reduced rumination, but the researchers found that the nature-group had less neural activity in the subgenual prefrontal cortex (part of the brain active during periods of rumination), whereas a 90-min walk in an urban setting had no effects on either participant-reported rumination or neural activity.

A similar study examined the benefits of spending just 50-mins in Nature vs. walking in an Urban setting. The study randomly assigned sixty participants to a 50-min walk in either a natural or an urban environment and observed improvements in the Nature walking group for: anxiety, rumination, negative affect, and working memory. 

In another study, researchers in Finland found that urban dwellers who strolled for as little as 20 minutes through an urban park or woodland reported significantly greater amount of stress reduction than those who strolled in a city center.

And, again, other researchers have found that compared to walking in an urban setting, walking in Nature resulted in a reduction of reported negative mood states and anxiety levels. The researchers also found walking in Nature was related to significantly lower heart rates and higher heart rate variability (an indication of more relaxation and less stress) than when these same people walked in an urban setting. 

These are just some of the many new pieces of research highlighting the benefits being in Nature has in reducing stress and improving our mood and our psychological functioning. Yet, despite the immediate benefits, for many of us living modern lives and really needing to prioritize Self-Care, enhancing our connection with Nature remains of low priority or is still an afterthought.

As you read some of the more recent and impressive findings below, consider ways that you could apply some of this research into your life so that you can maximally benefit from your engagement in and connection to Nature (after all, we come from Nature, are thus of Nature ourselves, and this probably explains why we respond so well to it and so perform so without it). 


The Science: Natural vs Artificial Sounds 

Even recordings of Nature can be beneficial. A recent study found that humans respond more positively to the sounds found in nature than to artificial sounds even when both are played to participants vs heard in their natural settings (!). How? The brain activity of participants exposed to natural sounds indicated an increase in activity associated with an outward-directed focus of attention, whereas for artificial sounds participants’ brain activity reflected an inward-directed focus of attention similar to states observed in rumination, anxiety, post-traumatic stress and depression. In other words, Nature Sounds ‘open’ us up to being more outwardly-focused, whereas artificial environmental noise effectively ‘shuts us down’.

The researchers also found a benefit in terms of increased in Heart Rate Variability (associated with relaxation of the body) when listening to natural compared vs. artificial sounds, and better performance in a sustained attention task. As a psychologist, this is a valuable finding, because these are the same brain and body effects involved when we are working with our Soothing System (eg, via Soothing Rhythm Breathing), which we know can deactivate our brain’s Threat System. 


The Science Behind Forest Bathing: A Deliberate Mindful Connection with Nature

‘Forest Bathing’ is a recent term to describe the act of bringing of deliberate, conscious, and present-awareness (i.e., ‘Mindfulness‘) to the experience of being in Nature in order to gain the maximal benefits that this experience can provide.

A recent UK study set out to compare the act of ‘Forest Bathing’ vs. two previously established evidenced-based well-being interventions (already known to be effective in increasing Heart Rate Variability and other markers of reduced stress and well-being). It found that the Forest Bathing condition achieved equivalent benefits to the established interventions – without participants having to ‘do’ anything other than to simply participate in being present to the Nature experience (!). In other words, the study found like the other interventions, people who engaged in Forest Bathing ALSO experienced improvements in positive emotions, mood disturbance, rumination, nature connection and compassion and these participants also showed an increase in heart rate variability (!).

 

The Science Behind Online Forest Bathing

Given our brains respond better to natural (vs artificially created) audio-recordings of nature sounds, and given we respond best to the positive effects of Nature when we are deliberately attending to the experiences, researchers have combines the two to demonstrate that even online Forest Bathing has benefits! This is an extremely important finding, particularly for people who have mobility difficulties or for times when we may have have difficulties getting outside to access nature.  

What? Twenty-two individuals with Long-COVID symptoms completed weekly online surveys during a four-week waitlist control period, before engaging in four weekly (1 hour) online forest bathing sessions (i.e., 4 hours of online Forest Bathing in total!). The researchers found statistically significant improvements in Anxiety (a 49% decrease), Rumination (a 48% decrease), Social Connection (a 78% increase), and Long-COVID symptoms (a 22% decrease). Moreover, written qualitative comments by participants indicated that they experienced feelings of calm and joy, felt more connected socially and with nature, and experienced a break from the pain and rumination surrounding their illness.  Impressively, benefits occurred after participating in just 1x hour per week for 4 weeks (i.e., 4 hours of online Forest Bathing in total!).


One explanation for why genuine high quality audio and visual ‘recordings’ of nature can have positive effects (even though they may be recordings) is that our brains do not know the difference. Unsurprisingly, the power of audio-visual experiences of nature have even led certain people to experience well-known depressive-like withdrawals when they have felt immersed in and connected with beautiful depictions of nature, such as with the Avatar movie series.

Although making use of our brains ‘not knowing the difference’ can be a positive experience, sadly these same processes are what also give rise to common psychological problems such as depression and anxiety. For example, we can get side-tracked by the mind’s thoughts and images about the past, or its predictions and images about the future. And if we are unaware that we are engaged in this process – because we can feel consistent with what our minds are focusing on – we can hijack our present emotional state with painful images about the past (leading to anger, sadness, or regret) or frightening thoughts about the future (leading to anxiety, fear, stress, or panic). For an in-depth exploration of these these processes (including a discussion of helpful tools you can use) please visit my articles about our Brain’s Threat System and how to deal with Negative Thinking. 

 

Try This:

If you would like to experiment (for free) with the relaxing effect of listening to high-quality Nature Sounds, I highly recommend visiting the following page: https://earth.fm/ 

The website contains a collection of hundreds of hours of professionally-recorded soundscapes made by some of the world’s most prominent sound recordists. Recordings have been made in rare and remote locations in the world, where the sounds of humans can not be heard.  

When listened to with quality headphones or speakers (a phone cannot produce the full frequency range we can hear) you will experience a realistic representation of the full-range of sound in a particular habitat or location. If you sit back, close your eyes and relax while listening to a well-recorded soundscape, it won’t take long before you begin to feel you’re actually there! 

All recordings are of pristine natural soundscapes free from human influence, of which (sadly) there are fewer and fewer every day.

To customize your searches, try clicking on the ‘settings’ button to the right of the search bar within Earth.FM which allows you to select your desired Mood, Habitat, Animal Type/s, and Duration of recording. Australia’s Marc Anderson and George Vlaad in particular have some of the longer and highest quality recordings.   

nature



Why Are We Not Getting Enough? Affective Forecasting

Despite the benefits of being in Nature – why aren’t we getting more of it? One possibility is related to ‘affective forecasting’ errors (i.e., biases in thinking such as ’emotional reasoning’, and incorrectly ‘predicting the future’). These are errors in perception that happen when we incorrectly predict that something won’t make us feel good, because we don’t feel good when we are making the prediction. Affective forecasting errors are very common thinking biases among people experiencing anxiety and depression (eg “I don’t feel motivated, therefore I probably won’t enjoy x, y, z”). 

In terms of affective forecasting and Nature – these researchers found that although outdoor walks in nearby nature made participants much happier than indoor walks did, to the extent that people made affective forecasting errors they failed to maximize their time in nearby nature and thus missed opportunities to increase their happiness and relatedness to nature. 

In other words, when we engage in predictions based on our current emotions (eg about how positive we may feel about something in the future) we get it WRONG. Worse, the extent that we make decisions and get it wrong is directly related to the amount of positive emotion we are effectively robbing ourselves of experiencing. Moreover, the worse we feel when we are making future predictions, the more inaccurate we can be (and so the cycle continues). This is once of many complex patterns that can maintain anxiety and depression! You can read more about how to help yourself begin to break free of negative thinking here. 


“I’m BUSY – How Long Will it Take?”

Within 10 Minutes: 

A 2020 meta-analysis of 14 studies representing data from over 600 college-aged students found as little as 10 min of sitting or walking in a diverse array of natural settings significantly and positively impacted defined psychological and physiological markers of mental well-being.

Another study found forest walking to significantly increase parasympathetic nervous activity and significantly decrease sympathetic nervous activity (according to heart rate variability measurements) compared with an urban walking condition. Differences emerged within the first 10 min.


Within 20 – 30 Minutes:

These researchers found the greatest benefit of ‘time’ in nature as measured by salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase levels (two established two physiological biomarkers of stress) was between 20 and 30 min, with benefits continuing to accrue after this time at a reduced rate. 

Within 50 Minutes: 

Affective benefits (decreased anxiety, rumination, and negative affect, and preservation of positive affect) as well as cognitive benefits (increased working memory performance) were observed for participants who walked 50-min walk in a natural environment (vs participants who walked for the equivalent time in urban an environment).


Within 90 Minutes

These researchers found a 90-min walk in a natural setting, decreases both self-reported rumination and neural activity in the subgenual prefrontal cortex (sgPFC). These results can not simply be explained away as the effects of “exercise” because they also studied a group of people who walked for the same amount of time in an urban setting (see ‘B’ in the image below) and found that 90mins of walking in an Urban setting had no such effects (!).

Interestingly, as can be seen in the image below, the ‘natural setting’ (A) is not even really all that ‘remote’ or far away. It is typical of many large parks accessible to many and the route walked in both conditions averaged just 5.3kms. 



2 Hours (spread across a week) 

Self-Reports obtained from over 19,000 UK participants by these researchers found statistically significant benefits to well-being for those who spent at least 120 minutes per week in nature.

Importantly, it did not matter how this contact was achieved (e.g., one long vs several shorter visits to nature in a week).

This pattern was consistent across key groups including older adults and those with long-term health issues.



appreciating nature

How to Maximize Nature’s Benefits: BE PRESENT!

1.  S L O W   D O W N  !!!

The findings from Forest Bathing and the other studies mentioned above clearly demonstrate that when we slow down to appreciate natural beauty, we BENEFIT in many ways. Interestingly, we now know that people who allow themselves to be more emotionally aroused by this experience are also those who tend to report greater life satisfaction (!).  For instance, a study of 1000 people found that connection with nature predicted life satisfaction, particularly for people who scored highest on perceiving nature’s beauty. This finding was consistent, irrespective of age, gender, or personality traits. So: Learning to  S L O W  D O W N  and APPRECIATE Nature is a psychological asset that will maximise the benefits of being in Nature.

 

2. Get Curious & Connect with Awe

A commonly reported positive side-effect of slowing down to appreciate and experience Nature is that this act is also often accompanied by a felt-sense of ‘Curiosity’ or ‘Awe’ – a feeling of being connected to something larger and more powerful than ourselves; a feeling of ‘deep oneness’ with the Natural world (of which – as animals – we are essentially inherently apart of).  This is important because we now know that people who have a tendency to experience Awe are happier, and this is likely because they tend to be more outwardly directed (vs being focused on themselves).

Interestingly, the feeling of Awe was also found by these researchers to be related to the same areas of the brain that are activated in people having personally meaningful spiritual experiences. So, if you are feeling stressed, or are plagued by rumination or low mood – get out into nature and practice being awe-inspired!


3. Make it Mindfully Immersive

One of the Primary instructions given to Participants in the Forest Bathing study mentioned earlier was to enhance their experiences by deliberately engaging the 5 Senses:

(i) visual exercises, e.g., noticing colours and patterns (fractals), looking at the foreground and looking further into the distance;

(ii) auditory exercises, e.g., cupping the ears forward and actively listening to nature;

(iii) touch exercises, e.g., stroking tree bark and noticing changes in texture;

(iv) smelling exercises, e.g., practising breathing before smelling a flower, handful of leaves, moss and/or earth. 

Try this – Go outside and find some nature – try slowing down (take at least 3-5 mins) and become truly aware of what is around you using your 5 senses – the air on your skin, the temperature, the colours & patterns, the smells, the sounds… Carefully pay attention to all of the intricate details. Engage your 5 Senses in this experience as you allow yourself to tune in and be awe inspired by the beauty of nature. (You could also incorporate soothing rhythm breathing which, like being in nature increases your heart-rate variability which activates your parasympathetic nervous system.) While you are immersing yourself by engaging your senses, see if you can cultivate a sense of wonder, awe, or appreciation for the intricacies of what you are looking at – if it is a tree, get closer and study its bark, or just one of its leaves, or its flowers. 



Deep Listening to Nature with Audio:

If you cannot get outside, you could try mindfully listening to the sounds of Nature. As mentioned earlier, recent research has consistently found that our brains notice and respond well to natural sounds – even if they are recordings. 

As previously discussed, a fantastic way to do this is to make use of the high-quality (and free) recordings available at the following website: https://earth.fm/ (hot tip: their longer >20min recordings are here).

This wonderfully generous project is the combined efforts of dozens of professional ‘sound-recordists’ worldwide (including Australia’s famed Marc Anderson). These professional nature-recording fanatics have generously travelled to remote regions, to some of the World’s last remaining areas free from man-made noise, to capture stunning uninterrupted nature sounds with the highest-end equipment.

Tip: Given human hearing typically spans the frequency range of 20hz to 20khz, your nervous system will respond best to these recordings if you listen with good quality headphones or decent speakers (i.e.,  Phone or Laptop speakers cannot reproduce the full frequency spectrum of Nature Sounds accurately).  

Another option is to learn about nature while immersing yourself in specific recordings of it. A great example of this is a new book (with accompanying audio) “Deep Listening to Nature“ by Andrew Skeoch. It is an audio and book package that invites us to train ourselves to mindfully open our ears and pay attention to the natural world. It encourages us to be still and listen, to expand our sensory awareness, and to learn from nature! 


How to Listen:

Try listening while sitting or lying still with your eyes closed. See if you can really slow down, visualise, and appreciate the intricacies of your aural experience. Try cultivating a sense of curiosity, appreciation and awe. This could also be an opportunity for you to practice Mindfulness – listening carefully, attending to the intricacies of the location of each sound that you hear. Try to combine this listening with soothing breathing. You can supercharge the soothing benefits of this listening with soothing breathing and you will be well on your way to cultivating a healthy ‘rest and digest’ (parasympathetic nervous system) response. This response is the antidote to being in a state of Drive or Threat. 




Try this:

Experiencing the benefits of nature requires you to S L O W  D O W N and to pay attention to your surroundings mindfully by immersing yourself using your 5 senses. If you think this sounds a lot like Mindfulness, well you are correct! – Being in nature can make you more mindful, and being more mindful can help you enjoy being present.

  • Mindful Awareness: Enhance your experience of being immersed in nature by thinking about think about how you can actively incorporate your 5 senses as – eg, Ask yourself: “What can you see, smell, hear, taste, and feel on your skin?” Choose to deliberately tune into what you are focusing on – noticing whenever you have a thought, and gently returning your focus to stimulation by nature of your 5 senses. 

  • Viewing or listening to nature: Try watching a storm, spending time in a forest or the bush, reading a beautifully illustrated book, drawing or painting something in nature, standing at a lookout, studying a flower or insect, listening to sounds – or recordings – of nature. You could also have a forest video playing in the background. Or consider watching any of David Attenborough’s documentaries which are a fantastic example of high quality soothing videos that can inspire an appreciation of nature. The BBC’s Blue Planet II Series is a recent example. Alternatively, see if listening to high-quality field recordings of nature-scapes, such as the immersive free recordings on this fantastic website can trigger your relaxation response. A recent 8-part video series on Ningaloo Reef (one of the last remaining wild places on Earth), narrated by Tim Winton is another shining example of a high-quality viewing experience with stunning and rare footage of creatures and environments that are wonderfully immersive and awe-inspiring.  

  • Being in the presence of nature: Witness a beautiful sunset or a sunrise, lie on the grass while looking at the clouds, eat a nice meal while feeling warmth of the sun on your skin, swim in the ocean, watching and listening to the waves from the beach, watching and listening to the flames while being warmed by a fire, watching the moon rise, or going somewhere remote to see an amazing starry-sky. The options are endless – the key is to be present, open, and curious! 

  • Actively immerse yourself in nature: Take a camera and be a photographer for the day – look for little things in nature that you wouldn’t normally see! Do things that require you to spend time in nature – drawing / painting, gardening, trekking, running, swimming, snorkeling, horse-riding, or camping. Walk a dog, go for a bush-walk, or meet friends in a park (meeting with friends or walking with an animal can help get you outside and into nature if you are finding motivation is tricky). You could also visit a beach and focus on the smells and sounds as you collect seashells, or you could gather flowers or things in nature that fascinate or appeal to you. You could put these things around your room, home, car or office, or you could show them to a friend and talk about them, or you could draw / paint them, or you could seek to learn more about them. 

  • S L O W down in nature: Learn about how to increase the powerful relaxing and rejuvenating effects of being mindful in nature by practicing Soothing Rhythm Breathing. With this type of breathing, you can quickly deactivate your ‘fight/flight’ response & activate your soothing system. By deliberately slowing your breathing this way while being in nature, you will be well on the way to quiet your mind, being calmer and more present, and thus more at peace. 



Further Resources:

About Me: 

Dr Andreas Comninos, PhD Clinical Psychologist

I am a PhD Clinical Psychologist and EMDR Accredited Practitioner with over 15 years of psychotherapy experience. Whether you are seeking an assessment and diagnosis, or are searching for integrative research-backed ways to help you heal past wounds, break reactive-patterns and achieve long-lasting change, my aim is to provide a safe space for you to feel seen, understood, and empowered so you can make meaningful progress on your healing journey.


To learn more and to get in touch, please:

CONTACT ME

I endeavor to reply to all enquiries within 24 hrs.

About Me: 

Dr Andreas Comninos, PhD Clinical Psychologist

 

I am a PhD Clinical Psychologist and EMDR Accredited Practitioner with over 15 years of psychotherapy experience. Whether you are seeking an assessment and diagnosis, or are searching for integrative research-backed ways to help you heal past wounds, break reactive-patterns and achieve long-lasting change, my aim is to provide a safe space for you to feel seen, understood, and empowered so you can make meaningful progress on your healing journey.

To learn more and to get in touch, please:

CONTACT ME

I endeavor to reply to all enquiries within 24 hrs.