A question was posed out of Yale University: How long does it take to get a dose of nature high enough to make people say they feel healthy and have a strong sense of wellbeing? Stress and anxiety are common experiences for many of us. Minimizing the chronic stress of daily life as much as possible is important for overall health.
Whether you’re at the office or home, adding plants and/or pictures of nature may calm your stress. In one study, people who looked at real plants or posters of plants experienced less stress waiting for medical procedures.
Listening to the sounds of nature may reduce your stress, whether that is live or a recording. One randomized controlled trial recognized stress-reducing effects from listening to water sounds.
Yes, believe it or not, a simple walk in the local park can take your stress levels down.
Research in Behavioral Sciences shows that even short-term visits to urban nature areas have a positive effect on stress. If you can get to an urban woodland area, the positive effects are even better!
If you can’t get out in nature, watch a nature show or video. A study that involved 120 participants watching videos of awe-inspiring nature showed signs of parasympathetic system activation.
You don’t need someone to tell you that a walk near the ocean or a lake will make you feel good, but science indicates this is true. A 2020 study showed that short, frequent walks in blue spaces may have a positive effect on people’s well-being and mood.
It’s not just nature, but seeing animals in nature makes you feel good too. People living in areas with more birds, shrubs, and trees are less prone to suffer from depression, anxious feelings, and stress, according to research published in BioScience.
Assuming the conditions are safe, swimming in the ocean has been shown to be a boon to health, especially if it is done in a swimming group. An Australian study showed that in addition to the social bonding benefit of ocean swimming in a group, it enhanced health and well-being, and supports the development of self-efficacy and resilience. The authors wrote that swimming groups are “a lot better than medicine.”
Whether it’s looking up at the stars on a clear night or at half-dome on a visit to Yosemite, an awe-inspiring nature experience is good for you in multiple ways. A 2015 study involving Berkeley students showed that those who had experienced awe had the lowest levels of interleukin-6, which has been linked to inflammation, which when chronic can be a sign of stress or bad health.
There’s a reason we give and receive flowers. The beauty and scent of nature’s flowers, especially placed in the home, provide immediate and long-term positive emotional responses, including mood-elevating benefits, enriching social behaviors, and even boosting memory in both males and females, according to a Rutgers University study. The study went as far as to claim, “Flowers may be the plant equivalent of companion animals.”
Open your windows and let in the fresh, clean air! High concentrations of negative ions are found in natural, clean air. Ions are invisible charged particles in the air—either molecules or atoms, which bear an electric charge. Research in BMC Psychiatry shows that they are associated with a reduction in depressive symptoms in some people.
Even though we live and work in structures and cities that separate us from nature, it is still our original home. Seek out nature and it will reward you with its restorative benefits!
There’s so much to see and do in nature. Exercise, mindfulness, spending time with a pet, minimizing screen time and getting outside more often to notice the birds chirping, the gentle breeze against your face, aromatic scent of soil or surrounding vegetation are all effective ways to enjoy and find some stress relief. Rather dwelling on those lengthy to do lists, give yourself permission to live in the moment enjoying the outdoors.
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