Green therapy: How Can Nature Improve Your Mental Health
A walk through nature has long been prescribed as a solution for mental health problems. World Mental Health Day might have come and gone, but the lessons we can draw are worthwhile at any time of year. As Professor Jules Pretty explains, connecting with nature improves your mental health; even a five-minute of nature dose brings immediate wellbeing!
Let’s take a look at the effect that the natural world can have on our states of mind.
World Mental Health Day
Landing on the 10th October, World Mental Health Day is aimed at raising awareness for mental health – which can often be just as neglected as physical health. Around 260,000 people pledged to spend the day at more than 7,000 ‘tea and talk’ events, held across the UK. It’s hoped that raising the issue will help to overcome the stigma that still persists around the subject.
The WWF (World Wildlife Fund and the Mental Health Foundation, have produced a Thriving With Nature Guide because so much evidence shows connecting with nature improves your mental health.
How can nature benefit my mental health?
Human beings have adapted to find green things pleasant to be around. Our ancestors, reliant on the availability of natural food sources, would have been driven to strive toward fertile areas. A natural preference for beautiful spots, filled with flowers and greenery, has evolved to coax us into doing this.
The problem is that our modern environment, which is largely indoor and urbanised, does away with much of the environment that we’ve adapted to crave. To correct this, it’s worth finding time to set aside for a stroll in nature.
Regular exposure to a natural environment, like a garden, hillside, park or woodland, can confer a range of mental health benefits. Your blood pressure will be lowered, reducing your risk of stroke and other issues. Your stress levels will be inhibited, which will enhance cognitive function and allow for better mental performance.
We should also be aware that time spent outdoors will often correlate with physical exercise and activity. If you’re walking from one side of a golf course to another, then you’ll not only get the chance to enjoy the grass: you’ll also be able to work up a sweat.
And, of course, being outside helps ensure we get sufficient Vitamin D.
How to be more connected to nature
If you’re not in the habit of spending time in nature, then there are a number of things you might do to build up your relationship with it. Maybe you have been inspired by watching David Attenborough’s Planet Earth series and are planning a big overseas break in a hub of natural wonders.
Costa Rica tours tend to provide inspiration, while minimally impacting the natural world. The ecosystem here is wonderfully diverse, and accounts for around five per cent of the world’s plant and animal species, on just 0.03% of its landmass. There are private lodges reserved for small groups, allowing you to enjoy the cloud forests without having them spoiled by large gangs of tourists.
On the other hand, particularly if you are concerned about the environmental impacts of flying, you might prefer to seek out a more local source of green inspiration.
Wherever we live, most of us can find an area of parkland not too far away. You’ll be amazed at what is perhaps on your doorstep that you have never realised before. As connecting with nature improves our mental health, perhaps it’s time to reconsider what we do as a family for leisure times and make a concerted effort to get outdoors.
Essex is perhaps not always considered the most picturesque county in the UK and yet there are amazing areas of countryside from picturesquest villages bordering ‘Constable Country’ to the 350 miles of coastline.
You could even find a forest near you, so lace up your boots, and go for a stroll!