Jude Vereyken: Song birds and your mental health
Did you know that listening to bird tunes is a simple, easy way to improve your mental health?
EDITOR'S NOTE: The views and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not of Ottawa News Network.
Did you know that listening to bird tunes is a simple, easy way to improve your mental health?
Research shows that contact with nature is associated with better brain and body health. Just seeing or hearing birds has been shown to be good for our mental health!
Song bird tunes can help alleviate feelings of anxiety. When we have a listen, our moods can improve and depression is reduced. Bird tunes help reduce mental fatigue and improve our concentration. Song birds help us reduce our stress levels.
All it takes is six minutes to help us feel better and reduce feelings of anxiety or depression. It is such a simple way to feel better.
To get the most mental health benefit:
- Listen to what the little birdy tells you! Notice the singing, pay attention, be aware of the different tunes around you.
- Be free as a bird and be curious about who is making those beautiful sounds around you! There are various apps available that can help you identify just who is who, too!
- Birds of a feather flock together…you might even consider finding a birding group to join in your area to share and learn more too!
- Be light as a feather … stay in the present, pull your thoughts to be here and now rather than being all caught up in your head … let yourself experience the joy your little bird friends can bring to you!
If you haven’t noticed, West Michigan the song birds are back! And just in time too as spring and winter keep taking turns teasing us.
How to submit an opinion
Ottawa News Network accepts columns and letters to the editor from everyone. Letters should be about 300 words and columns should not exceed 1,000 words. ONN reserves the right to fact-check submissions as well as edit for length, clarity and grammar. Please send submissions to newsroom@ottawanewsnetwork.org.
So, do go give your mental health a little lift. You might go for a walk, stand in your backyard, take a drive to find a wooded area and open your car window, head to a park to take a hike, have a sit on your front porch. Most importantly open your ears, close your eyes and have a listen.
Who would have thought that with a little help from our fine feathered friends we can improve our mental health!
— Jude Vereyken, LMSW, CAADC, ACSW, is a clinical social worker/owner of JD’s Midlife Tools For Living Practices LLC. Jude can be reached at jude@midlifetoolsforliving.com.
