Emily Sutherlin- 12/6/24 Nature vs. Mental Heath

I have noticed that when I go outside for a walk, I always feel better than before the walk. Nature has a funny way of always cheering me up; even when I don’t feel sad, it makes me happier. I wonder why? It combines the endorphins from exercising, vitamin D from the sun, plant carbon dioxide, and fellowship. I have struggled with my mental health since high school. I have been on and off anti-depressants and can say that the things that have helped me the most with bettering my mental health have not been prescription drugs, as those made me feel numb and dissociative. Instead, being outside, exercising, stretching,  eating well, having hobbies, close friends, and caring about something bigger than myself is what helps me the most with staying positive when I feel depression and anxiety coming on. It is not just a “quick fix,” though; it is a lot of small habits that build up over time. I feel like we live in an instant gratification world nowadays. At the first sign of struggle, people turn to drugs, and we can have anything we want at the doorstep with a click of a better. The advertisement industry wants us not to be content and tells us that we are not enough the way we are now and need more. Today's consumerist capitalist culture plays a big part in why so many people are discontent; we are constantly being bombarded by ads (whether we are aware of it). But Mother Nature has no price tag; it is God’s gift to us. All the things that matter in life can not be bought but instead given. 

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