Go Hug a Tree

Go Hug a Tree

In the latest episode of The Deep Yes, with Aleise White, we geeked out over neuroscience, and our shared love of rough-coated collies.  Aleise reminded me of how much soothing we can get from borrowing the nervous systems of a beloved pet – or even of a tree.

We are wired for connection – and not just with other humans.  It turns out that hugging a tree, cuddling a puppy, snuggling your loved one, or patting a horse all send similar messages to your brain to R E L A X.

Co-regulation is the process by which our bodies and brains sync up with another person—or even a pet or part of nature—to help us feel safe, calm, and grounded. When we’re stressed or dysregulated, our nervous system is in a state of fight, flight, or freeze. But being near someone (or something) that feels safe and regulated can help our system shift toward rest and repair.  Toward a feeling of “I’m safe here.”

When I was a kid I had Ginger.  She was a rough-coated collie with kind eyes, a wise-looking long nose, and that gorgeous golden collie coat.  She knew when I was sad and lonely and would crawl up into my lap, tuck her long nose into my neck, and settle in.

Hugging a tree, cuddling a puppy, holding a baby, or snuggling with a loved one feels so soothing because they are activating our parasympathetic nervous system—the part responsible for slowing our heart rate, deepening our breath, and releasing calming hormones like oxytocin. Trees emit compounds that have been shown to reduce cortisol levels, and animals often have slower, steadier heartbeats that help us drop into a calmer rhythm.

This is great news for times when we are feeling really stressed.  It may be that everyone else in the household is feeling stressed too, and that we are trading those “fight or flight” signals back and forth between each other.  This is when it can be really helpful to turn to nature, or your beloved animals – or both!  Get everyone outside; go to the beach or the forest.  Or even just your backyard garden.  Get in direct contact, whether it is with your fur baby or the trunk of a tree.  Feel the warm body, the fresh air, the wind, the dirt, the crunch of the leaves under foot, the trunk of a tree.  Smell the leaf mould, the flowers, the briny air.  Listen to the waves, the wind in the tree, the purring or sighing. 

The next time you’re feeling overwhelmed, reach out and borrow a little calm from something—or someone—safe. So yeah – hug that tree.