5 Research-Based Ways That Spending Time in Nature Can Improve Your Life

Nature can help improve your mood, and your life! Gardening, exercising , hikes, yoga, and meditation in green spaces, can help decrease depression and anxiety. Connecting with the earth can help you increase mental focus, improve self-concept, and help you connect to spirituality and a deeper meaning and purpose (Leather, Pyrgas, Beale & Lawrence, 1998; Schreyer et al.,1990; Roscoe, 2009). This makes since, considering we are mammals who evolved from primates. Although industrialization and modern conveniences make it easy for us to disconnect for days, or even weeks or months at a time, it's amazing what a little TLC in the sun can do for you. The following tips, based in research give suggestions on how improving your nature connection can benefit your health:

1. Take a Road Trip to the Country: Maas, Verheij, De Vries, Spreeuwenberg, Schellevis & Groenewegen, (2009) studied the relationship between living near green space and the occurrence of disease in Denmark. The researchers studied more than 300,000 Dutch medical records and found that the more green space present around a person’s residence, the less likely the person was to experience depression and/or anxiety (Maas et al., 2009). The researchers determined that loss of green space resulted in poorer health in many realms, not just mental health. “For 15 of the 24 disease clusters, the annual prevalence rate of disease was lower in living environments with a higher percentage of green space in a 1 km radius. This relation is apparent for diseases in all seven disease categories. It is strongest for anxiety disorders and depression” (Maas et. al, 2009, p. 969). 

If you can't live near green space, take a trip (Texas is full green space within a short drive)!

2. Put a Plant in Your Work Space: Leather, Pyrgas, Beale & Lawrence, (1998) studied the effects of sunlight on job-related stress for workers. They concluded that the amount of light had little to no impact on job workers’ stress levels, but that natural sunlight did have a positive effect on workers’ general well-being, decreased their intentions of quitting, and increased their overall job satisfaction.

3. Go on a Walk In Nature to Increase Focus:  Kaplan (1995) found that spending time in natural environments decreases mental fatigue and therefore helps individuals mentally focus. Kaplan asserted that tasks and situations that require one to deliberately direct attention or inhibit unwanted stimuli, thoughts, or impulses draw on a shared mechanism that subjects the individual to ADHD as well as “attention fatigue” (p. 170). Kaplan asserted that symptoms of ADHD can be seen in individuals without a diagnosis when they are experiencing attention fatigue.  Kaplan concluded that stimuli in natural environments are less taxing on the individual and give the individual something to focus on mindlessly, thereby decreasing fatigue (1995).

4. Join a Community Garden: Community gardening has also been shown to have a positive impact on the health of participants with regard to self-esteem, life satisfaction, and physical activity levels, as compared to non-gardeners (Brymer, Cuddihy & Sharma-Brymer, 2010). According to D’Abundo & Carden, 2008, and Harris, (2009) gardening is also linked to increased social and physical wellness (as cited in Brymer et al., 2010; Williams & Greenleaf,  2009). An explanation for the increased positive aspects of wellness that come with horticultural activities, according to Brymer, et al. (2010), is the opportunity for social interest and caring and nurturing of the environment. 

5. Eat Lunch Outside to Decrease Work Stress: Ulrich, Simons, Lisoto, Fiorito, Miles & Nelson (1991) recognized that urban environments can place stress on individuals due to overcrowding, air pollution, and community noise.  They sought to understand if some environments provide an opposite, positive affect on mental well- being. The goal of the study was to test how exposure to natural environments fostered or hindered stress. The researchers found that natural environmental scene exposure had positive effects on recovery to stressful stimuli, as compared with control groups. Stress decrease in subjects was evident in both physiological tests as well as the verbal reports. The verbal reports indicated that participants showed decreases in feelings of fear, anger, and aggression and increased feelings of positivity.

References

Brymer, D. E., Cuddihy, T. F., & Sharma-Brymer, V. (2010). The role of nature-based

experiences in the development and maintenance of wellness. Asia-Pacific Journal of

Health, Sport and Physical Education, 1(2), 21-27.

Kaplan, S. (1995). The restorative benefits of nature: Toward an integrative framework. Journal

of Environmental Psychology, 15(3), 169-182.

Leather, P., Pyrgas, M., Beale, D., & Lawrence, C. (1998).  Windows in the workplace,

sunlight, view, and occupational stress. Journal of Environment and Behavior,

30(6), 739-762.

Maas, J. J., Verheij, R. A., De Vries, S. S., Spreeuwenberg, P. P., Schellevis, F. G., &

Groenewegen, P. P. (2009). Morbidity is related to a green living environment. Journal

Of Epidemiology & Community Health, 63(12), 12. doi:10.1136/jech.2008.079038

Roscoe L.J. (2009). Wellness: A review of theory and measurement for counselors.

Journal of Counseling and Development, 87, 216-226.

Schreyer, R., Williams, D. R., Haggard, L., Easley, A. T., Passineau, J. F., & Driver, B.

L. (1990). Episodic versus continued wilderness participation-implications for self-concept enhancement. In The use of wilderness for personal growth, therapy, and education. Papers presented at the 4th World Wilderness Congress in Estes Park, Colorado, USA on September 14-18 1987.

Ulrich, R. S., Simons, R. F., Losito, B. D., Fiorito, E., Miles, M. A., & Zelson, M. (1991). Stress

recovery during exposure to natural and urban environments. Journal of Environmental

Psychology, 11(3), 201-230.