I love working with patients to support them around anxiety and insomnia. These are two areas that so many people struggle with, and so often can feel impossible to remedy—especially these days with the expectations of the modern, busy and technology-focused world/culture that we currently live in.
So Many Tools!
But, a major reason why I love working in these areas is that there are so many tools at our disposal—and this is even before we start talking about adding any supplements, herbs or pharmaceuticals—that not only reduce the negative symptoms and experience of sleeplessness, ruminating thoughts, nervousness, tension and more—but actually make our lives a much more enriching, enjoyable and fulfilling place to be.
Getting off Electronics and Getting into Nature
I have a long list to choose from in terms of the many free and accessible tools for helping with insomnia and anxiety—getting into nature, getting off electronics, human connection, movement, food/nutrition, sleep hygiene and siesta/taking breaks, just to name a few. As I got started writing about “the importance of getting off electronics and getting into nature,” I decided that it is worth giving this topic its very own blog. (I will talk in more depth about the other items on the list in part two and three of this series).
Electronics, Attention Span, and Mood
More and more these days, we find ourselves sitting/working/texting/emailing, watching videos on social media (and endless options of streaming services)—nonstop communication and entertainment is at our disposal. Some of it is necessary: work obligations, coordinating/communicating with friends and family, and some of it fun and enjoyable, and often in a wholesome way—who doesn’t enjoy a good movie, or binge-watching a great show from time to time?
Taking time to just be
There is nothing wrong with any of this. But there are so many ways that phones and electronics have taken over our lives, taken our attention, taken our energy—and we rarely have a moment to just be and take in our surroundings, process the content of our lives, feelings, and humanity—and experience the natural beauty that exists all around us.
In modern day, our attention spans are shorter than they’ve ever been in human history, and ADHD rates are steadily increasing; there is more and more demand to respond immediately to every text, email and instant message. This can cause a generalized sense of anxiety in all of us, in addition to depression due to overstimulation and under-connection. The long and the short of it is that until the past ten to twenty years, human beings used to have a lot more space, time, and a much slower existence on a day to day basis. It has now become a rarity for most people in modern society to leave our laptops behind, put away our phones, and spend some time in nature to reconnect with our body, heart, spirit and mother nature.
The Natural Beauty that is Everywhere in and around Portland, Oregon!
As far as cities go, Portland, Oregon is an amazing place when it comes to access to nature—the options for getting out into nature are endless. There are countless small city parks around almost every corner; Forest Park stretches for more than eight miles, and is one of the country’s largest urban forest reserves, and covers more than 5,100 acres. Spanning much of the city, it is easily accessible from so many locations by car, public transportation, bicycle or on foot, with endless options of trails to explore. Tryon Creek in the Lake Oswego area has simple trails enclosed in a quieter atmosphere with a creek winding throughout. Powell Butte is a great place to explore in South East Portland—especially when you are wanting to absorb some extra sunshine with a large expanse of exposed valleys and views. Sauvie Island is a short drive away for hiking, swimming, cycling, berry-picking (when seasonally available), and countless breathtaking views with walks and hikes in the Colombia Gorge—nevermind Mt Hood and The Oregon Coast, just an hour and a half away!
Even just a few minutes, even just one hour.
Any one of these places is a wonderful option to spend as little as a few minutes, half an hour, hours—or a whole day if you have it—with a major payoff in the form of tension release, better sleep, anxiety reduction, enjoyment, and inner peace. And, if you find you don’t have enough time in your day to get to one of these places, even just a leisurely walk in so many of Portland’s lovely neighborhoods would do—twenty or thirty minutes after work or after dinner during the week, or a gentle walk somewhere on the weekend, to get some fresh air, movement and digestion for the events of our busy lives. In the springtime, the flowers are blooming everywhere, leaves are brightly changing colors in autumn, and even when it is raining everywhere in between—there is the beautiful fog and contrast of grey skies with gorgeous greens and colors of nature.
Zoom in on the little things
When getting out into nature, it doesn’t have to be a huge athletic trial or endurance challenge—you can just use it as a chance to slow down, breathe in the fresh air, and take in the visual beauty that surrounds you. There are birds hopping and flying around, woodpeckers pecking, snails gliding, and beautiful flowers and plants everywhere. If you are into photography, taking photos of the surrounding scenery and wide horizon of trees, or zooming in for close-ups of flowers, droplets of water, and mushrooms can be a special and focused way to take yourself into the experience.
Getting into a relaxed state
Whatever the case may be—getting out and connecting with nature is a healing activity, and works wonders to help us shift from a sympathetic state—fight or flight—into one of rest and digest—parasympathetic relaxation. In doing so, anxiety can be better managed, significantly reduced, and not only is better sleep possible—true, deep rest—we become better able to more fully enjoy our day to day lives: take deep breaths, feel more relaxed, and be more present for ourselves, the people we love, and the things that we enjoy.
Dr. Leber is a licensed Naturopathic Doctor (ND) in the state of Oregon and received her degree and training from the National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM). She grew up in Massachusetts, and spent close to twenty years living in Boulder, Colorado before moving to Portland in 2019 to start her schooling at NUNM. Dr. Leber earned her Master’s in Education at the University of Colorado, Denver in 2015.
Prior to her journey to becoming a Naturopath, she spent many years in a wide variety of professions: social work, non-profit work, teaching (elementary school and womens/prenatal yoga), massage therapy, writer, and musician/singer. Learn more about Dr. Rachel Leber.
