Nature Deficit Disorder and Me

 

The view from my house

I can’t stand being outdoors. I know it’s crazy right? I get seriously anxious about being outside. I don’t like nature…I really can’t stand it. It’s dirty and unpredictable. I don’t like camping, hiking, or even just playing outside in the yard. I spend my summers in the house watching the kids play in the yard from the window, and this have never bothered me until now.

I realized just about a month ago, that I have a serious problem. I’ve shut myself inside like a declawed indoor cat and have lost all my outdoor instinct. I have 6 kids and I should be out there with them. An internet search for ideas of what to do outside led me to a website that was very useful.

http://www.education.com/topic/nature-deficit-disorder/

So what do I do now?

I guess I bite the bullet, put on a jacket and go outside. That sounds really easy doesn’t it? Well, not if you really are uncomfortable out there. I can be outside for about 10-15 minutes then I start getting really uncomfortable. I get anxious, and cranky. I want to run for the house and get back inside.

And I have no idea what to do when I am out there? I sort of just stand in one spot in a very defensive stance. I fold my arms and stand there as though I’m avoiding getting any nature on me.

I brought the topic up with my husband and he said “yup, I always knew there was something wrong with you.” He is an outdoor lover. He hates being cooped up inside, whereas I feel safe and happy indoors and threatened outside. He hikes, skis, runs, and works outside every chance he gets. He’s always tried to coax me outside and on the rare occasion that I go out into the yard and sit with him, he is just tickled. The kids will jump up and down… “look, it’s mommy. She’s outside with us” they will yell, and I never realized what a big deal it is when I do come outside. I didn’t realize until just recently that I don’t go outside.

So over the course of this new year I am going to be working on this little problem I have, and keeping you all posted about how it is going. We’ll see, and hopefully I can learn to enjoy Gods beautiful creation.

 

What is Nature Deficit Disorder?

A lack of routine contact with nature may result in stunted academic and developmental growth. This unwanted side-effect of the electronic age is called Nature Deficit Disorder (NDD). The term was coined by author Richard Louv in his book Last Child in the Woods in order to explain how our societal disconnect with nature is affecting today's children. Louv says we have entered a new era of suburban sprawl that restricts outdoor play, in conjunction with a plugged-in culture that draws kids indoors. But, as Louv presents in his book, the agrarian, nature-oriented existence hard-wired into human brains isn’t quite ready for the overstimulating environment we’ve carved out for ourselves. Some children adapt. Those who don’t develop the symptoms of NDD, which include attention problems, obesity, anxiety, and depression.

Nature-deficit disorder is not a medical condition; it is a description of the human costs of alienation from nature. This alienation damages children and shapes adults, families, and communities. There are solutions, though, and they’re right in our own backyards.