The Health Benefits of Looking UP
Look up.
Whilst I was in Paris, I found myself looking up more than I did looking down.
Mind you, usually, I’m looking down because
I’m afraid I’ll trip and fall
I don’t want to step in sh*t
Something about being in a big city like Paris made me want to look up more.
Maybe it’s the beautiful architecture.
Maybe it’s the big fluffy white clouds (which I’ve now noticed we don’t really have in LA a lot).
Maybe I didn’t want to run into someone.
I digress…
A big learning lesson for me while I was in Paris (lol, I’m obviously bragging now. I mean how many times do I need to reiterate that I was in Paris) was that looking up brought me a sense of ease.
It got me thinking.
Some of the times I’ve been the most relaxed are times where I’m looking up at the sky or out at a horizon.
I wondered why this was.
What about these views brings me calmness and ease in my moments of stress and doubt?
So, I did some research, and found a few different hypotheses.
Evolutionary, open spaces were seen as less threatening environments. Our ancestors most likely associated open landscapes with safety from predators, because they could see for miles, which might translate into a sense of security and relaxation today.
Then there’s “Attention Restoration Theory” which states that natural environments, like flowing water, rustling leaves, or the sky, provide a form of “soft fascination,” that captures our attention effortlessly without requiring mental effort, which helps us recover from fatigue. They generally lack visual clutter which can also help reduce sensory overload and mental stress. It also encourages a state of mindfulness that helps us focus on the present moment, which helps reduce anxiety.
A hypothesis that was kind of quirky, but also, could make a lot of sense is that looking up at the sky (specifically) causes our posture to change which often encourages us to take deeper and fuller breaths which in turn activates our parasympathetic nervous system (rest & digest). This kind of reminds me of the “power pose” which might go hand in hand with this - feeling more confident often brings a sense of reassurance and ease.
There’s also a lot of research behind the healing element of being outdoors and being surrounded by nature. Some examples would be: Forest Bathing, Grounding, Biophilia, etc.
Finally, I'll add one of my own, and this is a bit more specific to cityscapes, but I think can be applied to all: it's a freaking perspective shift. There have been so many times I'm really stressed and it takes me looking out at an entire city to realize, this problem is so small. It helps me get out of my own bubble. I look out and think, “There are millions of people right now celebrating the best moments of their lives or mourning the worst moments of their lives - and everything in between. We're all experiencing different realities at the exact same time, and we'll all be okay."
The best part is, this practice is free and it’s good for your mental and physical health.
So, if you’re feeling overwhelmed in a social situation, anxious at work, stressed about something that happened, need a mental break, or a perspective shift - go for a walk, lay on your roof or backyard, or drive somewhere close by with a view and take a moment to yourself.
This practice has always just felt right to me, and it’s cool to know there’s a reason why I keep coming back to it (also explains why I have so many photos of horizons and skies in my phone).
Not that I needed one… If it feels good, it feels good.