Could improving your wellbeing be a walk in the park?
Image courtesy of Unsplash
Some years ago when I was teaching college, I spent exceedingly long days running between classes to the office and back again, then home to care for the family, sleep, wake up and do it all over again. And I was heading straight towards burnout.
It wasn’t long before I found myself languishing…Not quite ill, but certainly not flourishing with wellbeing. A little pale - faced and seriously exhausted, I was beginning to feel the effects of a lack of sunlight, fresh air and real ground beneath my feet.
Craving a brush with something less concrete and more alive, I instinctively switched out the staffroom lunchtime gossip for a daily dose of nature in the urban city park.
How it helps
Years later I’ve come to learn studies show that our connection to nature is associated with
good mood
better mental health
clearer thinking
more energy and vitality
increased life satisfaction
less impacts from stressful events and physical and mental health problems.
Exposure to nature not only improves our psychological wellbeing for everyday stressors, attentional demands and good mental health but it also reduces harmful environmental effects from air pollution, noise, heat and artificial light and improves cardiovascular health.
How much time in nature do we actually need to reap these benefits?
Well, the answer might surprise you…
Image courtesy of Unsplash
While planning an entire day on the weekend for a trip in the great outdoors is certainly recommended, you can also micro dose any green space activity into your everyday life.
The good news is studies suggest our wellbeing increases, regardless of how much time we spend in nature!
So, next time you’ve got cabin fever, like we did during Covid 19 lockdowns, or you find yourself doing too much thinking, screen time, worrying, working, obsessing, binging on Netflix or any other type of mental too muchness, you might like to try this 10 minute nature break. And if you don’t have a park close by you can find a tree or a plot of grass just about anywhere.
10-minute nature break
• Stick up your “Back in 10 minutes” sign (anything can wait for 10 mins!)
• Go outside, find a plot of grass and take a moment to breathe deeply
• Notice the air quality, is it fresh, windy, still or warm?
• Feel the natural sunlight or the rain reenergising your body
• Nature is always changing, try noticing new things in the environment
• Continue breathing consciously until you feel like you’ve taken in a ‘dose’ of nature
• Acknowledge the sense of calm, replenishment and renewed vitality
• Carry that sense back indoors with you and see what happens
It may feel odd at first but I’d encourage you to stay with it and reap the benefits of micro dosing nature. You might find that you look forward to this daily dose, more than once a day!
Stay safe and well,
Kim
References
American Psychological Association. (2020, April 1). Nurtured by nature. Monitor on Psychology, 51(3). https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/04/nurtured-nature
Capaldi, C. A., Dopko, R. L., & Zelenski, J. M. (2014). The relationship between nature connectedness and happiness: a meta-analysis. Frontiers in psychology, 5, 976.
Carrington, D. (2019). Two-hour ‘dose’ of nature significantly boosts health – study. The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jun/13/two-hour-dose-nature-weekly-boosts-health-study-finds
Browning, M., Rigolon, A., McAnirlin, A., Yoon, H. (2022). Where greenspace matters most: A systematic review of urbanicity, greenspace, and physical health, Landscape and Urban Planning, Volume 217, 2022, 104233, ISSN 0169-2046, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2021.104233. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169204621001961)
van den Berg, M., J., Verheij, R. A., & Groenewegen, P. P. (2010). Green space as a buffer between stressful life events and health. Social Science & Medicine (1982), 70(8), 1203–1210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.01.002
