Exploratory Essay

Chest pain, back pain, dizziness, headache, difficulty breathing, inability to

sleep, abdominal pain and lack of energy. Sound familiar? These are the most

common symptoms of a person with high levels of stress. Modern life is full of

hassles, deadlines, frustrations, and demands. For many people, stress is so

normal that it has become a way of life. Stress isn’t always bad. In small

doses, it can help you perform under pressure and motivate you to do your best. But

when you’re constantly running in emergency mode, your mind and body pay the

price. Humans have forgotten about the importance of nature and how it benefits

our health. It has been proven that connecting with nature is one of the most

effective stress reliever.

Now, I ask myself a question “ Do I really need to connect

with nature more than I need to connect with the social media?”. The answer to this

question will be implied in the next paragraphs.

On November 28th 2014 I visited Biscayne National Park. The weather was at

73°F, it was more than perfect to enjoy the day at the park. Biscayne National Park is

30 miles from the buzzing downtown Miami. This is one of the largest marine parks

in the national parks system. On the bay shoreline grow spidery mangroves. The

park is home to living sanctuary to thousands upon thousand of feathered sea birds.

At the park I signed up for an excursion at the Dante Fascell Visitor Center. My tour

was aboard a glass-bottom boat. While keeping me comfortably dry, I was able to

appreciate beautiful creatures that lived in the depths of the water. The excursion

extended to an offshore key called “Boca Chita”. This popular destination includes a

65 ft ornamental lighthouse in other words Biscayne National Park’s de facto

symbol. The observation deck provided a fantastic view of the islands, bay,

There,

I was able to skim through some interesting books about marine life. After the

excursion, my favorite cousin joined me for a picnic. This experience made me

realize that there’s so much beauty to enjoy out there. I was astonished by exotic

species in the park. I recreated my view and felt so much relief. The wind, the birds

flying, the sailing boats, the palm trees, and the salty smell of the ocean filled me

with peace. For a minute I felt outside of this world. I regret wasting my time on the

social media when I could’ve of easily released some of my stress by just taking one

day out of the week to enjoy nature . I agree with recent researches that have been

made; connecting with nature makes you happy, makes you forget all the hassle, the

rushing and deadlines of your daily living.

Like I questioned in the previous page “ Do I really have to stay connected to

nature?” and the answer is YES, absolutely!! Staying connected to nature will

improve your health by lowering your stress levels and can actually extend your life.

Releasing stress improves your brain and heart function. Low levels of stress can

help prevent diseases as