It's easy to be caught up in the stress of everyday life. Something needs to be done by today, and then there's another thing due the next day. The cycle can seem to be never-ending. Which lets the stress of it all pile up and pile up. This can be very frustrating and lead to a lot of negativity. There are a ton of different possible solutions to calm yourself: watching some TV, reading for pleasure, practicing a hobby, meditating. The list can go on and on. However, one activity that seems to be overlooked is taking some leisure time in nature.

While this may not sound like something that will be very effective in principle. It can have numerous beneficial effects. Just walking around outside, with greenery all around you and relatively away from the hustle and bustle can be very positive for us psychologically.

A scope of thinking I like to use occasionally is thinking of things how they were before we had such serious technology. Right around the agricultural revolution really, about 10,000 years ago. Humans were extraordinarily healthy and happy, contrary to what one might expect. They lived in small communities where you knew everyone very well. They basically lived outside, too, spending most of their days outside until the sun went down. Thinking about ourselves this way, we can understand that our natural habitat is outside. So when we surround ourselves with forestry, a creek, and various wild animals, this brings us a sense of peace. We feel more comfortable, more relaxed. Life doesn't seem so complex when we're outside in our 'natural habitat'.

All the worries of due dates and payments to be made can be easily forgotten when we place ourselves in this kind of environment. When we're not surrounded by things that easily cause stress or sounds that are unnatural to us, and instead put ourselves in a calming environment, where we can hear water flowing (a sound that instinctively means survival, a good thing) or birds chirping, we can let a sense of peace fall over us.

Thankfully in West Chester, we have numerous options to do this. One of my favorite places is Strouds Preserve. Only about a 5-minute drive from town, this place is huge and has everything you could ask for. A stream to swim or fish in, multiple different running trails, and more than enough open land to put a blanket down and relax. As the semester rolls on and classes begin to become more demanding, I suggest taking an hour or so out of your day when you're feeling overwhelmed and enjoying the natural beauty all around us, especially with all the colors changing on the leaves right now.