Margaret Cheasebro

Nature can help your brain and your body stay healthier. You can take a hike into the mountains or anywhere else in nature to give your brain and body a tune-up.

Or you can do something a little less time consuming and, basically, cost free. Find a tree near where you live. It might be a tree in your yard, in your neighborhood, or in a community park.

Spend a little time walking near the tree, sitting under its branches, or admiring it as you stroll through the park or neighborhood. When you do that, notice what begins to happen to your body and your brain. Does your body start to relax? Does your brain quit going a hundred miles an hour and begin to slow down?

Do you feel less stressed? Are your worries starting to fade? You might feel more alert. Maybe you sense a surge of creativity flooding your mind and body. As you start to relax, you may discover you can let go of those angry, upset, or irritated thoughts about a person or situation.

By the time you've spent 15 or 20 minutes around those trees, you may feel like you have a lot more energy. It's amazing how good we can feel when we let go of unhealthy thoughts that weigh us down. It takes a lot of energy to carry around so much weight!

There are many places where you can learn more about the benefits of being in nature and about getting into a meditative state. One of those places is in Mindful Magazine, which is packed full of ideas for getting healthier by learning to mindfully meditate in different ways. You can get it on-line or as a colorful  magazine postal mailed to your home.

Have fun spending a little time among trees in the next few days. You may be surprised how much better you feel afterwards.

On these cold days, sometimes I look at trees with leafless branches and think that they are taking a well-deserved rest.

A rest is something that could benefit all of us. There are times, if we can find them, when we need quiet, restful moments to help us refuel before more active, busy times. Trees, like nature, instinctively understand the value of slowing down and taking time to rest.

Sometimes we're so busy and so focused on the next thing that needs to be done that we can't imagine taking a little time off. We think if we take a break, the competition will overtake us. Or we'll never catch up. Or we'll miss important things that are taking place.

There are often extra tasks to do when we get back to work. But something else often happens. Because we feel more rested, ideas flow better. Ways to tackle tough problems are easier to access. We have a better connection to wisdom that helps us make quality decisions.

There's something to be said for giving ourselves time to rest. Creativity blossoms, enthusiasm bubbles up, sound choices reveal themselves.

When I walk through my neighborhood and see trees with leafless branches, I take comfort in knowing that the leaves will flourish again this spring. And I know I too can take a break. I can give myself time to rest so I will flow with ideas, better ones than I would have had if I hadn't taken a break.

Take a tip from the trees. You need to rest. You're more productive when you give yourself time to relax.