Are you suffering from Nature Deficit Disorder?

A new study suggests that many of us, particularly women, are suffering from spending little time in nature and wilderness.

Spending time in nature and wilderness has proven therapeutic and restorative benefits, especially for women, according to a study disseminated by Awen Grove, an international organization that bridges the connection between people and nature.

With the average person spending an hour or less per week outside in natural surroundings, emotional, physical, and spiritual benefits of spending time in nature are being lost.

Time spent in wilderness can be a catalyst for exploring personal fears, facing challenges, and decreasing or eliminating self- or culturally imposed limitations. This has been documented as especially important in societies where the pressures on women to do all things perfectly as mothers and professional women, can be too great.

Many women feel that they put their own interests after other people, like family members and professional colleagues, and never spend the time needed to discover or express their own unique talents and gifts.

Nature can provide women a foundation from which they can regain their sense of identity, while also providing spiritual peace, feelings of connection, and empowerment, says Catriona MacGregor, Vision & Nature Quest leader and co-author of “Healing the Heart of the World”.

“Essentially, being in wilderness brings about a greater sense of individuality, bravery, and connection to one’s inner voice,” MacGregor says. “This then opens the doorway for the creation of new thinking and new ways of being.”