Cure for Mondays

Personally, I love Mondays. But then I am a bit unusual.

One of my ‘golden rules’ for living is to try as much as possible to conform to the laws of nature/physics/biology/psychology/Spirit and natural flow. Even if I may not initially like the idea, or think I know better.

Many of us struggle with Mondays. There can be a variety of reasons for this, a common one being dislike of, or hatred for, one’s job/work.

Others struggle due to a big weekend of excess. I often see them yawning on Monday mornings all while their employers and customers are being short changed by the extension of the weekend into foggy customer service or similar.

Dr Carole Hungerford, a GP (General Physician for American readers) who is a winner of the Queensland Premier’s Literary Award and author of “Good Health in the 21st Century” has an interesting view. She suggests planning a weekend or bush walk in a National Park.

Why?

Joan Maloof, a Biologist, claims that 120 chemical compounds were found in forest air, which contained volatile organic compounds, including the monoterpenes used by aromatherapists as ‘essential oils.’

Volatile molecules from plants evaporate into the air and interact with sensory neurons in our nasal passageways. The olfactory nerves send messages directly to the limbic system in our brains. The limbic system handles all our instinctive emotions, including sex, memory, and aggression. The limbic system affects our physical bodies even without our being aware of having ‘smelled’ anything.

The effect of the plant molecules is not limited to your nose though. The molecules are also part of the air breathed into your lungs, and thus some are transferred into your bloodstream; which means that when you walk through a forest breathing in the lovely sweet air – the wood air – the forest actually becomes part of your body.

This kind of ‘recharge’ can energize your day and set you up for a better week. To use an old cliche: it’s a walk in the park!

“When we lose our forests, we don’t know what we are losing.”

For more information about this issue I suggest you obtain a copy of Dr Hungerford’s book: “Good Health in the 21st Century”.

Or buy from Amazon here.

Related posts:

1. Get off your fat arse and start walking.
2. Worry and Anxiety – a different perspective.
3. Are you getting enough of nature?