The Power of Green: How Nature Can Improve Your Mental Well-being
In today's hustle and bustle world, we often run from one building to another- home to school or work and back again, interspersed with doctor's appointments, oil changes, and trips to the supermarket. We can easily find ourselves inside a building and attached to a screen- phone, tablet, laptop, or TV most of the week. This go-go-go lifestyle of devices and technology has disconnected many of us from the outside world. The exact part of our world that can provide us with a multitude of mental health benefits. Nature is a natural remedy for reducing negative emotions, improving mood, enhancing focus and attention, and connecting with others.
Nature Reduces Stress
Forests, the ocean, a meadow, and hearing the birds sing all have the remarkable ability to calm our minds and reduce stress levels. Research shows that spending 20 minutes in nature reduces stress hormone levels. This time can be spent moving or sitting. There is no one way to spend time outdoors in a natural setting.
Nature Improves Mood
Nature profoundly impacts our mood, evoking positive emotions such as calmness, joy, and creativity. Spending time outdoors can increase dopamine and serotonin levels, the neurotransmitters responsible for feelings of happiness and well-being. Tending to a garden, doing yard work, and sitting at a local park can all provide a natural mood boost.
Nature Enhances Mental Clarity
Nature provides a respite from the constant stimulation of technology and the demands of everyday life. Engaging with the natural world can help improve attention and increase cognitive abilities. Time outdoors, surrounded by trees, water, plants, and animals, enhances concentration and cognitive functioning. The serenity of natural surroundings encourages mindfulness, allowing us to be fully present and gain a fresh perspective on our thoughts and emotions.
Nature Provides Connection and Social Well-being
Time outdoors provides opportunities for social interaction and connecting with others. Activities such as hiking, camping, swimming, and birdwatching can foster a sense of community, build connection, and reduce loneliness and isolation. Combining the outdoors, physical activity, and spending time with friends and family is a great way to incorporate three healthy strategies into one activity.
The next time you find yourself overwhelmed or needing a mental break, consider going outside and surrounding yourself with nature. You could take a short walk around your neighborhood, sit in your backyard, listen to their birds, or plan a weekend trip to the many natural wonders of Massachusetts- a weekend to Cape Cod to visit the Cape Cod National Seashore or the Berkshires to hike Mount Greylock. The mental health benefits of spending time in nature cannot be beat!
Recommended reading
A 20-minute nature break relieves stress, Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School
Effects of nature on restorative and cognitive benefits in indoor environment, Scientific Reports, Nature.com
Nurtured by nature, Monitor on Psychology, American Psychological Association
