Do you ever get that feeling that there aren't enough hours in the day? That time is somehow racing away from you, and it is impossible to fit everything in. But then, you step outside into the countryside and suddenly everything seems slower, more relaxed, like time has somehow changed.
It's not just you — recent research showed nature can regulate our sense of time. For many of us, the combined demands of work, home and family mean that we are always feeling like we don't have enough time. Time poverty has also been exacerbated by digital technologies. Permanent(长久的,永久的) online connectivity lengthens working hours and can make it harder to switch off from the demands of friends· and family.
Recent researches suggest that the cure for our lack of time may lie in the natural world which may change how we experience time. These studies consistently showed that people report a sense of expanded time when they were in nature compared to when they were in an urban environment. For example, people are more likely to perceive (感知) a walk in the countryside as longer than a walk of the same length in the city. Nature seems to slow and expand our sense of time.
It's not just our sense of time in the moment which appears to be changed but also our sense of the future. Spending time in nature helps to shift our focus from the immediate moment towards our future needs. So rather than focusing on the stress of the demands on our time, nature helps us to see the bigger picture. This can help us prioritise (优先处理)our actions to meet our long-term goals rather than living in a state of "just about keeping our head above water".
Getting out into nature may sound like a simple fix, but for many people, particularly those living in urban areas, nature can be hard to access. Green infrastructure such as trees and parks in and around cities are essential to making sure the benefits of time in nature are accessible to everyone.
