Have you ever considered why we seek out a nice view when we go on holiday or a daytrip? Could it be that seeing a vista is actually good for us? Even in urban areas, looking at a view can have a positive impact on us.
Living in an urban area can feel quite enclosed at times. Expansive views are generally in short supply where you are surrounded by tall buildings. We spend a lot of time within our four walls, at home, or our place of work, and in a very short period of time, humanity is spending increasing amounts of time on screens – computers, tablets and mobiles. Meetings today are increasingly online which means we literally see ourselves and others boxed in on our computer screens. Our very vision is focusing more and more on what is in front of our noses, rather than into the distance. This is not how we have evolved to be.
Finding space to think more expansively, or simply just to be, is also in short supply in our frenetic, always on, urban lives, and I wonder to what extent the two might be connected? Somehow focusing our vision, also seems to focus our thoughts.
It has been shown that the very act of softening our gaze as we take in a distant view (using panoramic vision), can actively help us relax as we switch to a wider field of focus.
Visiting a place on a regular basis with an expansive view to the horizon, and spending time simply soaking up the panorama, I believe, could be a helpful way of counteracting this feeling of being ‘boxed in’. Looking at a vista can help us to contemplate things and allow our thoughts to expand. We can begin to think about things that are bigger than ourselves and consider that we are part of something much bigger.
Finding a vantage point that you can visit regularly, where you can see to the horizon is a good place to start. A hill, or if you are near the sea, the coast, are likely to give you a panoramic view. I am fortunate that I live on a hill with a wide, view to the horizon. Although the view is across an urban area, I’ve found taking a daily walk to look to the horizon a really helpful way of feeling less ‘boxed in’ and more expansive in my thinking.
Once you have identified a place with a wide view to the horizon that you can go to, find a safe place to stand or sit to take in the view for a few minutes. Try to soften your gaze so you are taking in a wider perspective. Become conscious of what you can see in your peripheral vision. Sit with the view for a while. Take a couple of deep breaths in and out and simply enjoy being in the moment soaking up the view. How does that make you feel? Feel calmer? If you are feeling boxed in, why not give it a go?
'The horizon leans forward, offering you space to place new steps of change.'
- Maya Angelou
'The power is within you. It always has been. How far are you willing to expand the horizons of your thinking and stir that power awake?' - Louise Hay
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