Home Business Tips: Mental Health And Nature Go Hand In Hand

As a home-based professional, have you ever had days on end of meeting deadlines, skipping showers and missing out on much needed sleep? Or have you gone hours at a time typing at your computer, answering phone calls and tending to business without actually seeing another human being for days at a time? Sometimes I really think that the disconnect we experience from working out of our homes can take it’s toll, both mentally and physically.

Here are some statistics that may surprise you, according to the World Health Organization:

• In 1960 the average age of onset of depression in North America was 55-years-old, but in 2007, the average onset age of depression in North America was 24-years-old.
• Depression is expected to be the second largest single cause of disability in the world by 2020.

So if you find yourself feeling down, depressed or hopeless as you go through the day-to-day motions of managing your home business, consider the suggestions offered by Dr. Kathleen Hall, lifestyle expert in stress and work-life balance, and founder and C.E.O. of The Stress Institute and The Mindful Living Network. According to Hall, getting out in nature can help boost our moods and change our outlook. Why? Because researchers suggest that:

• We make nature and social connections with animals, trees, clouds and our surroundings.
• Sensory stimulation, like colors, sounds, fresh air and wind, all stimulate our senses.
• Activity, like walking or making motions helps us produce endorphins and serotonin.
• Escaping from our busy lives helps us reflect, think and come home to our self, which de-stresses and nourishes us.

Dr. Hall offers ways to incorporate "Ecotherapy" into your life:

• Take a walk in nature during your lunch, after work or before bed.
• Listen to nature sounds on a nature sound disk or machine a couple of times a week at work, or purchase a nature DVD for your television and computer with your favorite scenes.
• Keep photos of you in nature around your office to remind you of how you love to connect with nature.
• Keep a plant in your office, create a porch garden or visit a local park regularly.
• Get an animal or keep a small aquarium. Animals nourish our lives, reduce depression and the risk of many diseases.