Of Being In Nature

Rose May Pimentel in Health

Apr 28, 2021 • 3 min Read

Spending time in green space or bringing nature into your everyday life can benefit your mental and physical wellbeing. Growing food or flowers, exercising outdoors, or being around animals have many positive effects.

Research has found that those who spend at least two hours in nature a week have better health and psychological wellbeing than those who spent no time in natural environments.

Here are some of the amazing health benefits of being in nature:

*A dose of ‘nature therapy’ relieves stress.

Research reveals that the environment can increase or reduce our stress that impacts our bodies. What you are seeing, hearing, experiencing is changing not only your mood, but how your nervous, endocrine, and immune systems are working. Regardless of age, humans find nature pleasing. Researchers found that more than two-thirds of people choose a natural setting to relieve stress.   

* Being in nature or viewing scenes of nature create pleasant feelings.

Exposure to nature creates positivity, it contributes to your physical wellbeing by reducing blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, and the production of stress hormones. It may even reduce mortality, according to scientists. The research was done in hospitals, offices, and schools found that even a simple plant in a room can have a significant impact on stress and anxiety.

* Positive impact of nature on general wellbeing.

In One Mind study, 95% of those interviewed shared that their moods improved after time outside. It changed the mood from depressed, stressed, and anxious to calmer and more balanced. Other studies show that nature or scenes of nature are associated with positive mood and psychological wellbeing, meaningfulness, and vitality. Nature or viewing nature scenes increases our ability to pay attention. Humans find nature interesting and naturally focus on what is being experienced in nature. It provides a respite for overactive minds and refreshes us for new tasks. In another area, research on children with ADHD shows that time spent in nature increases their attention span later.

* Studies indicate that nature connects us and the larger world. A study suggests that residents in public housing with trees and green spaces reported knowing more people, having stronger feelings of unity with neighbors, being more concerned about helping and supporting each other, and stronger feelings of belongingness than tenants in buildings without trees. When participants viewed nature scenes, parts of the brain associated with empathy and love lit up, but when they’ve viewed urban scenes, parts of the brain associated with fear and anxiety were activated. It denotes that nature inspires positive feelings and connects us with our environment.

* A US study has shown that spending more time outdoors can improve sleep quality.

Researchers surveyed over 250,000 people and found that those who spent more time outdoors had greater levels of physical activity that promote better sleep. Being outdoors in natural light also helps to reset circadian rhythms which regulate the sleep-wake cycle.

* Blue spaces have calming benefits.

Research shows that spending time in ‘blue spaces’ such as sea, river, lake, waterfalls, and fountains has benefits for the mind and body including lowering stress and anxiety, reducing heart rate and blood pressure, slowing the breath, and calming the nervous system.

Indeed, being in nature is fun, even more importantly, it’s good for the brain, body, and soul.

Stay healthy and safe!