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Uitwaaien

There was a time in my life when the train was a second home: leaving aside delays and cancellations, I always found it magical to be transported and find myself in another place. Definitely more romantic than a car and less cumbersome than a plane. Even the most remote villages have their station and a train that passes through them. I have met so many people like this, only for the duration of that journey and then we said goodbye. One day a man with whom I had not even chatted, greeted the passengers in the carriage with a poetic "good wind to your dreams." I imagined a sailing boat propelled by this enchanted wind and capable of carrying all my load of dreams, thoughts, past, and present. Although I have been living in the Netherlands for 4 years, I only recently learned this word: uitwaaien. Literally it could be translated as "taking a breath of fresh air."

Behind this single word, there is a world: the contact with nature, whether it is a forest or a beach, the idea of ​​letting the wind sweep away our thoughts, the need to breathe fresh and restorative air, the desire to go out and let the contact with the outside world bring back peace and new energy.

I like the idea that the wind can carry our thoughts elsewhere, give them space if they are creative, or sweep them away far from us because they no longer bother us, do not distract us from life, from the here and now.


What effect do wind and nature have on us and our well-being?

Exposure to nature regenerates us, in different ways. There are numerous studies that talk about the benefits we can derive from a walk by the sea or in a forest. Let's see some together.

  1. In 2017, a team of researchers from the psychology department of the "University of British Columbia Okanagan," known as the "Happy Team" and led by Holli-Anne Passmore, conducted a study on this topic: 395 students from the same university were involved and assigned to one of these three conditions nature, human construction, or control group. Each of them had to pay attention, in their daily environment, to how nature or human-made objects made them feel. They then had the task of describing their emotions according to each condition and photographing what aroused those emotions in them. The group assigned to nature showed higher levels of well-being and, what struck me the most, connection with others, with nature itself, with life, and greater involvement with beauty!

  2. Walking in nature, listening to the sound of the sea waves, or watching a sunset can help reduce stress and anxiety, promoting greater serenity and a sense of inner calm. Nature can also stimulate positive emotions such as joy, admiration, and gratitude, which can have lasting effects on our mental health.

  3. Exposure to nature can also have positive effects on our ability to concentrate and remember. A walk in the greenery can improve our problem-solving and information processing skills, increasing our productivity and creativity.

  4. Nature can help improve the quality of sleep, promoting deeper and more restorative rest. Try to think of alarms or devices placed next to cribs that reproduce the sound of wind, sea, croaking of frogs, etc.

  5. Nature can also promote a sense of connection and belonging. Being in contact with the natural environment reminds us of our position within a larger system and makes us feel part of the whole. Therefore, it promotes a sense of solidarity and widespread community.

  6. Contact with natural surroundings can help reduce symptoms of certain mental illnesses. Some studies have shown that exposure can have positive effects on patients with depression, anxiety, and attention disorders. Nature can provide a relaxing and comforting experience, which can contribute to greater emotional stability and improved mental health. In 2015, the Italian non-profit organization Flyinhearts was founded, which uses the wind, particularly through kitesurfing, to provide therapy for adolescents who suffer from psycho-behavioral problems.


The ancient Greeks called the west wind Zephyr, a god who was the son of a titan, Astraeus, and the goddess of dawn, Eos. A light and almost imperceptible wind. From the Latin translation zephirum to the Arabic term ṣifr (صفر), which means "zero", through the Italian mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci, the term was then used to indicate the concept of "zero", currently in use. Zero is everything and nothing, it gives power when it follows other numbers and it is a void: but, in the void as in a blank page, there can be a new beginning. Returning to that beginning, to our roots, carried by a gentle breeze, can give us energy, vitality, and a deep sense of rootedness.

Do you feel connected to nature? What is your relationship with it? If you want, you can write about it in the comments or send me an email.



Korpela, K., & Ylén, M. (2009). Effectiveness of favorite-place prescriptions: A field experiment. Environment and Behavior, 41(6), 715-736. doi: 10.1177/0013916508325599

Barton, J., & Pretty, J. (2010). What is the best dose of nature and green exercise for improving mental health? A multi-study analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 7(7), 3947-3955. doi: 10.3390/ijerph7123947

Bratman, G. N., Hamilton, J. P., Hahn, K. S., Daily, G. C., & Gross, J. J. (2015). Nature experience reduces rumination and subgenual prefrontal cortex activation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112(28), 8567-8572. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1510459112

Taylor, A. F., Wiley, A., Kuo, F. E., & Sullivan, W. C. (1998). Growing up in the inner city: Green spaces as places to grow. Environment and Behavior, 30(1), 3-27. doi: 10.1177/001391659803000101

 
 
 

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