Combat NDD

by Carol

I've been asked to spread the word. Are you aware that there is a malaise effecting our world?  It's one that effects our spirit and heart, and then plays out in our bodies. It has been linked to obesity, depression and ADD. I have seen and sensed it, but I didn't know it had a name. And I didn't know that some of my favorite people are involved in finding a cure.

NDD is Nature Deficit Disorder, and I am a big believer that it is real. I have written before about Louis Schwatrzberg, and I know that many of you love him and his "Moving Art" projects as much as I do. But I got a bit behind in reading his blog, and it was only this morning that I found his posts discussing this. The growth of our cities and our constantly increasing need to be busy, and important and more wealthy, more fit, more famous, more More, has led us away from our down time. Many people don't take the time anymore to look, to walk, to hear and connect with nature. And when we fail to take that time, it effects our stress level, and adds to our growing anxiety. When we ignore taking care of our planet, we also ignore taking care of ourselves. Are you restless, or sad? Are you scared or tired? Or are you just trying to find a meaningful existence?

Obviously, Mr Schwartzberg's work makes nature more accessible, and helps people to fall in love with it, but I wasn't aware until this morning that he is actively combating NDD with his process "Visual Healing." After reading Richard Louv's book, Last Child in the Woods (which I have just ordered), he as set out on a mission to put nature back where it belongs - which is everywhere! He uses visual stimuli, but as an audiologist, I know that auditory stimuli are important too, for total immersion. It is well known that part of the psychology of deafness is feeling isolated from the world when you are unable to hear something as seemingly inconsequential as the fall leaves crunching under your feet, the dragonflies buzzing, the dampened sound waves of a quiet snowstorm. One of my most moving moments as an audiologist came when a patient's daughter wrote me a thank you note as she quietly watched her mother sitting on the porch listening to the rain with her new hearing aid.

So I, for one,  am going to join Louis Schwartzberg in his efforts.  He is asking us to use any media we can - Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc to post NATURE pictures and/or NATURE selfies with the hashtag #BeatNDD. He will highlight some from time to time, but that is not why I want to get in on it. I am a true believer that nature heals. I have been told that my photography tends to highlight quiet, and that is because quiet heals me. There is nothing I love more than standing in the woods and drinking it in. I know I am preaching to the choir on this site. I think our mission
here ties right in with Visual Healing. This is just another way for us to contribute. I can't wait!

And BTW - welcome to March, and our new Focus On You Month theme (which happens to tie right on into this post)  - GREEN! See Deanna's blurb above, and bring the green that we are all hungry for to our gallery this month. Don't forget to add # , so that you might be featured one Saturday morning. Our month of picturing LOVE has come to an end - but I think we all are posting love everyday! Keep up the good work!