Our world is full of problems and thanks to our connectedness we are more informed about them than ever. Maybe that’s why so many people nowadays are suffering from anxiety and other mental health issues. A new research led by the University of York revealed a good way to improve mood and reduce anxiety – just go walk in the forest.
Just stopping in the forest to take in the atmosphere (“forest bathe”) is going to do tremendous things to your mental health. Image credit: Amadvr via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Scientists looked through 14,321 Nature-based interventions records and analysed 50 studies to see whether simply being in nature can have a noticeable positive impact on one’s mental health. Researchers found that regular activities lasting for 20 to 90 minutes sustained for a period of over 8 to 12 weeks may have a huge positive impact. This study showed that nature-based activities improve mood, reduce anxiety and helps create and maintain positive emotions. In other words, people feel better is they regularly spend 20-90 minutes outdoors, away from the city mess.
What could those activities be? One of the common new activities is so-called forest bathing. Sometimes it includes hipster nonsense (something about energy, etc.), but it is basically going into the forest to take in its atmosphere. Mindfulness exercises in the forest are a good idea too. In fact, walking around in nature is probably good enough for most people – hiking is a beautiful hobby to develop. It may even help you maintain your social relations if you choose to do it with other people. In fact, this study showed that nature’s benefits to mental health are even greater when it’s done in larger groups. Other helpful activities include gardening and exercising in nature.
Dr Peter Coventry, lead author of the study, said: “We've known for some time that being in nature is good for health and wellbeing, but our study reinforces the growing evidence that doing things in nature is associated with large gains in mental health.” Scientists believe that activities in nature allow us to connect with nature, rather than observing it passively through a car's window.
Importantly, this study should encourage city planners to protect little islands of nature everywhere. Also, in some cases specialists could advise people to spend more time in tarue when they are feeling down. This study argues that there is a need for substantial, sustained investment in community and place-based solutions such as nature-based interventions. Scientists themselves want to come up with methods that could be used to measure the effects of nature-based activities on physical and mental health.
We all knew this already – being outdoors is good for you. You need to move, you need fresh air, you need positive views. So make a point to leave your house today, drive to a forest and just walk.
Source: University of York