Craig could rarely find me in our house this spring, summer, and fall.
Mind you, our home is not large, and we’ve not done a whole lot of leaving our house this past year.
At some point in his search, he’d finally open the door to our upper terrace, see me lounging on our sofa with a book or my computer, and with an exasperated laugh say, “I’ve been calling your name. Haven’t you heard me? I should know better because you are always out here!”
The reason I was always out on our terrace . . . I loved being surrounded by nature and I needed to relax. I needed some serious self-care.
I have a strong hunch you are planning for 2021 and thinking about your priorities. This is the reason why I STRONGLY recommend you book a consultation with our team now because it’s too important for your well-being to put it off.
Our terrace reno was new this past spring (pre-COVID) and we had been jonesing for it for over 12 years. (Trust me –patience is not a virtue of mine.)
It wasn’t that we didn’t want to do the project, we just kept bumping it down the list because it didn’t seem as important as other items. And, it wasn’t just about a coat of paint and a new chair. Real work had to be done to get it in tip-top shape. But . . . had I known that we’d be so rejuvenated and calmed, and so able to relax, by being on our terrace . . . trust me we’d have made it a priority.
Listen, we see all kinds of defunct spaces. We see how the dog controls the back yard because it’s their playground and not yours. We see how if you sat on your deck too long it would totally annoy you because it’s falling apart. With no sun protection why would you bother being out there during the day? And the alley streetlights! It’s like living in Greenland. And . . . rodents claiming residence in the most expensive pieces of property in Chicago. Gross! Oh . . . (one of my favorites) the previous owners stained everything rust/red . . . stressful! Blah!
I know we all know that spending time outdoors is good for us. But did you know that research done by Harvard Medical School proves that interacting with natural spaces offers therapeutic benefits? Calming nature sounds and even outdoor silence can lower blood pressure and levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which calms the body’s fight-or-flight response. That visual aspects of nature can have a soothing effect. Having something pleasant to focus on like trees and greenery helps distract your mind from negative thinking, so your thoughts become less filled with worry.
So, if this were a game of Would You Rather . . . it’d go like this: Would you rather have the most amazing outdoor living space that allows you to relax and provides you will multiple health benefits OR would you rather have the broken-down space that pisses you off because you hate being out there and it doesn’t provide you with any benefits?
Easy to choose, right?
But, yet it’s winter. It may seem that right now it’s an easy priority to bump down the list, but when the weather turns and our COVID lifestyles begin to change (cuz that gonna happen!), having the additional space to submerge into nature is going to be become invaluable to you.
With your newly redesigned (non-annoying) luxurious outdoor space . . .
Your investment will have an 100% ROI . . . for your mind and body.
Your connection to nature . . . will provide proven therapeutic benefits.
Making this a priority by contacting our team now for your complimentary consultation is the best prescription for self-care.
If you’re curious and want to dig deeper into what we do, join us for our FREE webinar Nature as Healthcare on Thursday, January 28 at 11 a.m. CT. It’s gonna be soo good.
Sara J-S, “Doctor of Self-Care”