(Not so Blue) Mountains

We spent Sunday in the Blue Mountains, wandering around under the tree canopy. It was cool and peaceful in the filtered light.

We moved unhurriedly along the walkways, sticking to the paths so the 3-year-old cold run around safely.

It was beautiful. We haven't been that relaxed in a long time.

There's something about the feeling of wet dirt and leaf litter underfoot, the soft green light that makes it look like an under-sea forest; the green and yellow leaves and the long slender bark in red, white and brown.

It soothes the eyes and fills the lungs. It calms the mind, allows it to relax.

That morning in the suburbs we'd been really on edge. I didn't even realise that muscles were tensed, my jaw was clenched and my breathing was shallow until I was forced to piggy-back a tired, heavy (but happy) toddler back uphill.

There has been research done which shows that being in nature actually affects humans in terms of how our systems function, both mental and physical. (I can't find the source I want to cite at the moment; I'll link to it when I do.)

There were of course other factors that helped to make the day go well.

It was a spur of the moment thing so there was no planning involved. We didn't even check train and bus timetables so we never had to rush to be anywhere at a certain time.

We took trains and buses so my partner didn't have to deal with the stress of driving - traffic, parking, being hot in the car, being too tired to drive all the way home. (I don't drive so that's always his responsibility.)

And of course the main factor is that my partner was feeling well. If he'd been depressed or feeling low at all there would have been many things that could have triggered an episode. (After all, toddlers and public transport for a few hours can be a total disaster and we did have a couple of meltdowns along the way.)

But he wasn't depressed. It was a good day and we made the most of it.

Are there things that you've done on good days that have had a marked effect on mood? Do you find that being in the great outdoors (even the safe relatively-bug-free kind that I favour) makes things better?

Flo

PS - I didn't take that fabulous photo. See here: Temperate rainforest of the Blue Mountains (Steve Parish).