This post is about how to recover health, hope, and happiness with the help of trees. I am a nurse and a patient: a fit 65 year old with Lupus and Raynaud’s Disease. Getting any diagnosis is like striking a match. Once struck, the match does not light again. There is no going back.

Since getting the diagnosis I am feeling unsure of myself. When I put my fears to paper I get some space from them. By going deep on trees, I have chosen depth over breath. When you go deep amazing things happen. Writing easy-to-understand trees and health information helps me to make sense of things.

 

Trees: A Free and Easy Way to a New Mindset

And the same thing happens when I go outside to be near trees. This is where I am most alive. This is where I feel my best. Science shows that people who walk near trees obsess less over negative thoughts. In my first blog post  “See the Forest and the Trees” Toronto researcher Marc Berman showed us the link between tree cover and heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. He showed us that an extra eleven trees per city block equals an income boost of twenty thousand dollars, or being almost one and a half years younger.

There is a wellness effect when you are close to trees.  Trees create a restorative setting. Trees improve our immune systems. Trees make us happier. Trees lower our anxiety and stress levels. Being close to trees helps us to stop thinking about our losses. This is a free and easy way to get a new mindset.

In a New Yorker Magazine article “How Trees Calm Us Down”, reporter Alex Hutchison tells us that Toronto researcher Marc Berman did a study a decade ago. As a doctoral student at the University of Michigan, he sent volunteers on 50 minute urban walks with 1) trees and 2) no trees. The volunteers who walked in the trees scored 20% higher in memory and attention. And they were in better moods.

In the same New Yorker article, and even more applicable to winter weather here in Manitoba, Alex Hutchison quotes Berman:

“What we’re finding is that you don’t have to like the interaction with nature to get the benefits.”  

Some of the walks took place in June, whereas others took place in January; most people didn’t particularly enjoy trudging through the harsh Michigan winter, but their scores jumped just as much as in the summer trials. The boost is five times bigger in people who have been diagnosed with clinical depression.

So even if you don’t want to go outside in the cold and  even if you have Raynauld’s or Lupus, why not get the tree air benefits? Why not create a habit of  going outside to the trees everyday? The following three sections will give you ways to keep your fingers, toes, and arms warm and cosy.

The Best Three Ways to Keep Your Fingers, Toes, and Arms Warm!

So now I have come to the part where I tell you these are the things that will make going outside less scary for you. For me, with Raynauld’s the fear of intense pain in my fingers and toes still scares me. These are the ways that I cope: rechargeable battery heated mitts and gloves, rechargeable heated socks, mukluks, and hiking poles.

Rechargeable Battery Heated Gloves and Mitts

Here are the battery heated gloves that I use:


The brand name of the gloves is Savior and I would agree. The heat goes along the back of each finger and thumb. It is like a warm bed for your hands. The self charging battery avoids the cost of replacing batteries.  They are always warm.

I have so many people ask me about my gloves because the lighted little heat control site on top of the mitt. You press through three heat level selections.  Some like the lights because they are different/fun and some say it must be a safety feature. When I tell them they are heated, they get really interested. You can use them when you are driving if you don’t have a heated steering wheel. Friends say I look like a Power Ranger with them on.  I am ok with that.

Walking Poles

Here are my other assistive devices.  They are designed by physiotherapists and perscribed by doctors.  Please see the blog on this site here on the benefits of adding poles to your walk. Key benefits include: less pressure on knees and hips, ability to move faster, ability to maintain better balance and posture, up to 46% more calories burned due to a whole body workout.

One day I forgot my hiking poles on my walk and noticed that my arms got cold. The movement of the poles and arms  keeps them warm.

Rechargeable Battery Heated Socks 

Finally, to keep your feet warm, battery operated, heated socks. These are like having a heating pad on your feet. You can adjust the heat by pressing a little button on the side. I put them on hot before leaving the house and by the time I get outside I slip my hand into the little battery pocket in the sock and turn them down to the lowest level. When I stop outside to visit I turn them back up again. They allow me to be outside in any conditions.

These socks are game changers. You will never feel the pain of cold feet again.

Manitoba Mukluks 

Then, slip these battery heated feet into the plush comfort of waterproof Manitoba Mukluks. They are lined with sheep skin. They feel like outdoor slippers.

And they look beautiful. Movie stars love them too.Press here for images of celebrities in Manitoba Mukluks.

Now Your Feet and Fingers are in a cosy bed of warmth

These  simple adaptive devices will help you or someone you love to go outside. Outside and close to trees you will feel safe, and warm. By being outside you will be away from all thoughts of what could come next on the disease curve. Being outside close to trees will help you to: have new sense of well-being, decrease anxiety  and negativity, and provide mental calm.

So consider getting the adaptive gear (heated mitts, socks, mukluks, and walking poles). This protection will get you outside to transform your mindset. You might find yourself wondering why you were afraid of a diagnosis and the cold in the first place.

Still, I consider myself a  Lupus Worrier, not a Warrior. But the diagnosis is not stopping me from going where I feel my best – at any Manitoba temperature. Besides, there is no wind in the forest. The trees protect you. The trees are there for you. They are not going anywhere.

Drink in the wild tree air with me.

Ans say it with me: “Healthy Tree, Healthy Me”

Verla

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