HALLE, Belgium (AP) 鈥� Gilles Gui was looking for the magical purple bluebells that raise their heads each spring under the budding beech leaves of the Hallerbos forest, an annual explosion of color that draws crowds from around the world.
And in these about wars, economic threats and other tensions, he found something else too: a sense of tranquility.
鈥淚 notice that there鈥檚 a lot of silence in my head when I鈥檓 done,鈥� Gui said. 鈥淵eah, it helps me keep some peace in my mind, really just take my mind away from everything that鈥檚 going on.鈥�
Spending time in nature, experts have long said, can be a balm in troubled times.
鈥淔rom a stroll through a city park to a day spent hiking in the wilderness, exposure to nature has been linked to , including improved attention, lower stress, better mood, reduced risk of psychiatric disorders, and even upticks in empathy and cooperation,鈥� a 2020 article of the American Psychological Association said.
鈥淭hese are extraordinary times,鈥� said Ignace Glorieux, a sociology professor at Brussels University, adding that the under-30 generation in particular is under pressure.
鈥淭his is also the generation maybe that suffered most Glorieux said. 鈥淎nd now they come into a situation where there鈥檚 a lot of international uncertainty. So especially this group, maybe more than (the older) generation, is suffering from that and feels very uncertain about their future.鈥�
Gui, 26, knows what Glorieux is talking about. 鈥淚 do know of people my age who are worried and also with , who try to keep level heads, but it鈥檚 very hard for them,鈥� he said.
The bluebell woods offer a 鈥榖ig green hug鈥�
During the pandemic, the bluebell woods were closed off for fear that throngs of people would make it a hive of transmission instead of a haven of peace. Restrictions kept some parks under seal and mandated masks in some others.
鈥淚t was a difficult period for everyone,鈥� said Mark Demesmaeker, a former member of the European Parliament, gardening enthusiast and city councilor in Halle, where he has walked the woods for decades. Now, at least, nature is there to welcome those with anxious minds.
鈥淭hese bluebells 鈥� but in other times of year as well, walking here, the forest valleys, the wildlife, the forest streams 鈥� you know, they work into your mind all year round. And it鈥檚 really a big green hug that you get here,鈥� Demesmaeker said.
That hug from nature is just about everywhere right now. Japan is awash in a which mesmerize people around the world. Bluebell season also coincides with the prime tulip season in the Netherlands. The renowned there has become a playground for influencers and those seeking that ultimate selfie.
Put down the phone?
The Keukenhof and the Dutch tourism board suggest good spots to 鈥渕ake your image come alive.鈥�
To Glorieux, that's where 21st-century humans push it too far.
鈥淲e have to be busy all the time, even in our leisure time,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e have to perform."
Instead, he advised, 鈥淔ocus! If you go out walking, focus on walking. If you go out jogging, focus only on jogging.鈥�
Such advice was not wasted on Philippe Thiry, 64, a southern Belgian recently retired and ready to embrace the rest of his life. He had no phone as he set off in the sunshine to look for bluebells.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to use it here because I鈥檓 here just to relax,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 mean, just to see the flowers and to see, to listen to the birds.鈥�
鈥淚 want to be disconnected.鈥�
Raf Casert, The Associated Press
