What you can learn from the countryside
Research shows that people in rural areas have different connections in the brain than people in cities. This does not mean that one group is smarter or dumber than the other, but rather that they possibly think differently and pay attention to different things. It could just be that rural people pick up sounds better than urban people who have learned to filter.
In this article, I want to focus on what you can learn from rural people (yes there will be 1 from the city, too).
The countryside is an area where villages are the core of society and where social control can sometimes still play a major role, but of course that also depends on how much you care about that. There are many shrinking areas in the Netherlands and rural areas often do not have an abundance of jobs either. Still, there are people who do not leave and hold on to their countryside.
English research shows that people living in the English countryside are happier and have more optimism than English people living in the city ( 1). Since the Netherlands and England are similar countries, these results may be the same in the Netherlands.
There are several reasons given for feeling happier namely:
- It is cheaper to live in the country.
- There is less crime in rural areas.
- They are more optimistic for the environment.
However, there are also downsides to rural life, which may explain why rural areas are experiencing population decline. For example, travel is more expensive or more difficult in rural areas because you often need a car to get anywhere on time. Education in rural areas isn’t always good, because there are fewer options than in the city.
In doing so, all the entertainment is further away. In many villages there is not even a supermarket, so you have to consider what happens when you want to do something fun. For almost everything, you have to take the car or brave the weather on a bike for more than 30 minutes.
Don't give up
This shows right away the first point that you can learn from real country people. Not giving up is very important for survival in the countryside. If you have a job you want to keep it because it is not easy to find a new job. The number of fast food restaurants are scarce so even that easy job for minimum wage is not something you can count on.
To achieve your dreams, it is important to be persistent, as the number of opportunities is smaller than in the city. Also when it comes to being entertained.
Doing something for someone else
In rural areas, some things are less well regulated, such as public transportation. There are places in the Netherlands where the bus only runs once every hour. This has created alternatives where people help each other. For example by carpooling or to give the other person an elevator if that person has no car and has just missed the bus.
Communication Skills
There’s less entertainment available in the countryside than in the city. As a result, you’re more dependent on each other to keep one another entertained. Setting up a playdate isn’t just a matter of walking 500 meters. Sometimes it means biking several kilometers to the neighboring village or convincing your parents to give you a ride because it’s pouring rain. So it may take more persuasion to arrange to meet up.
In addition, in rural areas it’s still quite common to greet each other on the street and make small talk if you happen to be waiting for the bus together. Since friends aren’t always around, it’s also important to maintain good relationships and keep the atmosphere in a group positive.
Because everyone knows everyone.
Being able to do something with criticism
Because everyone knows everyone else, there is sometimes social control in rural areas. People try to influence you by saying that something is or isn’t right. As a result, you can either build up a defense against criticism so it affects you less, or learn techniques to deal with it.
Then, of course, it's important not to put yourself in that social straitjacket to the point of unhappiness. But people in rural areas teach themselves to handle criticism well by doing so. Either by ignoring unhelpful criticism or by learning something from the criticism.
Calming Nature
A 2011 study ( 2) found that growing up in the city causes people to cope with stress differently than those who grew up in the countryside. As a result, people in the city are at a higher risk of mental health issues than those living in rural areas. In the study, a city was defined as having more than 100,000 residents. Therefore, the results may apply to residents of most larger cities in the Netherlands.
According to researchers, this is due to all the greenery in the countryside. Greenery encourages physical activity. For example, you can garden or play soccer on a grassy field.
Fortunately, there are parks in most Dutch cities where you can do that kind of thing, too. All that matters is that you actually go there to do some fun stuff in nature.
Visiting a petting zoo or forest can also be incredibly helpful in calming down and exercising.
Dealing with a life without distractions
There is a lot going on in the city, but that also means there are a lot of distractions. This sometimes makes it difficult to reflect on what you actually want to do. Whereas in the countryside this can sometimes just happen because your phone is out of range, in the city you can look for this in a focused way.
For example, by meditating every day and temporarily shutting out distractions, it’s possible to reflect on your life and then live it the way you want—not the way the distractions dictate.
For example, you can start each day with 10 minutes of meditation. That meditation calms you down and allows thoughts and impressions to pass without acting on them directly.
In your bed, on the couch or your favorite chair and even a yoga mat are good places to meditate. You can meditate sitting down and lying down. What is important when you start meditating is to be with your attention on your breathing.
When a thought arises just focus back on breathing.
Another way to calm down in this way is through yoga. This is very similar to meditation because it also focuses on breathing. However, if you get distracted easily, the yoga poses can help keep you focused.
Enjoying the impressions around you
Precisely because there are not many impressions in the countryside, it is quite normal for people in rural areas to take in impressions. Smells, colors, sounds and movements. If you were to do this every day in the city you might get a little crazy, because there is a lot happening.
But if you do go to the park, try to approach it with full awareness. For example, during such a visit, you could practice mindfulness meditation . What’s important is that whatever you’re doing, you do it with full awareness. Be aware of the movements you make, the things you see, and the smells you notice. All your senses help you live in the here and now.
If you find that you do get distracted by a thought of what else you are going to do that day focus back on your breathing and your senses to be in the here and now again. This allows you to better enjoy the impressions around you.
As you can see, living in the country has advantages and disadvantages just as living in the city has advantages and disadvantages. For people who live in cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants, it is important to see greenery around you for your health and to relax from time to time to get rest after all the impressions that have been there.
There are also many things urban people can learn from rural people, such as techniques for dealing with criticism, letting nature soothe you, helping each other and enjoying a moment without distractions.
Would you like to learn more about mental techniques to make your life more enjoyable? Then come to a seminar or check out the courses offered by the Hypnosis Institute of the Netherlands.
Sources:
http://farmprogress.com/blogs-5-reasons-farm-kids-are-more-successful-life-10930
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v474/n7352/abs/nature10190.html
http://www.journalclub.co.uk/resources/Abbott%20(2011)%20City%20living%20marks%20the%20brain.pdf
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169204614000310