The Answer Lies in the Practice
Picture the Fountain of Youth, endless personal energy and strong resilience. While great in theory, how do you create a lifestyle and habits that sustain a lifetime of well-being all while vitalizing the workplace? The last few years have magnified the importance of developing a strong and stainable work-life balance. With the introduction of the digital age, emerging environmental concerns and a long-term pandemic, we have continually accelerated the need for healing. The answer to creating this lifestyle can be found in the beauty of nature.
Why is nature so influential?
Think back to a time you truly connected with nature. Imagine yourself walking through your favorite cactus-dotted desert, a dense stretch of picturesque forest, or along the shore of a sandy beach while waves crash at your feet. What feelings arise when you close your eyes and picture yourself in the heart of nature? A study done by Peter Aspinall and colleagues at Heriot-Watt University recorded participants’ brain activity with an electroencephalogram (EEG) reading and found a correlation between lower frustration and higher meditation when moving into a space with greenery versus one without.
Nature’s ability to tap into the body’s healing properties has the incredible potential to provide an extensive list of benefits just by being immersed in it. The human connection to nature comes naturally to Plant Solutions, where customizable living walls, indoor plant design and installation, as well as MossWallArt™ are a part of their daily creations.
Vitalizing the workplace
Plant Solutions mends the divide between nature and the workplace by combining the two, but at times more is needed to create a harmonious and balanced environment for employees. Wellness Coach and Doctor of Behavioral Health, Dr. Karen Zazzera suggests hiring a wellness coach for your organization to implement a healthy workplace. “When nature is combined in the workplace with wellness coaching, the benefits can be life-changing,” says Zazzera. Nature provides a sense of psychological relaxation, reducing symptoms of stress, fear and anger, and improving mood and overall wellbeing. A wellness coach can additionally aid by inspiring positive habits and healthy behavioral changes that last.
“Workers feel seen and heard when they receive coaching. The benefits of having a coach are vast and can keep employees healthier, happier, more engaged, and more likely to stay at the organization,” says Zazzera.
Encouraging a connection between humans and nature while prioritizing employees’ experience and well-being in the workplace promotes staff wellness and increases productivity for a healthy work environment. Nature and a positive mindset are not only powerful but contagious. The more you let nature become part of your daily mindset and routine, the more you crave it. Recognizing the presence of nature and its innate ability to heal can foster a more meaningful lifestyle.