A look at X`mas tree can ease festive stress

London: Feeling blue? Spend just five minutes looking at foliage, suggest countryside campaigners.

According to a National Trust research, even a brief stroll through a park or wood can help lower blood pressure and improve health. The poll found that the happiest respondents were those who said they had a strong connection with nature and the great outdoors. "Over recent years, the stress of Christmas has increased - so much so that a search for "Christmas stress tips" on Google returns more than 17million results," the Daily Mail quoted Mark Harold, as saying. "The festive walk is one such antidote and often bears a sharp contrast to the commercial build-up to Christmas. Whether it``s a bracing hilltop march or an amble through the park, I know many people value walking as a simple pleasure and a chance to unwind from the hustle and bustle of the season," he said. Nearly half of the 1,294 respondents surveyed said they were happy with their lives-but of those, 80 per cent reported having a strong connection with the natural world. Overall, two-thirds of participants felt connected to the outdoors, while one in ten said they had no link at all. Getting back to nature was most important among those aged 35 to 44 - possibly because they are more likely to have young children. ANI