Mind Set | written by: MEAGHAN HETHERINGTON, LCSW | Psychotherapist
photograph courtesy: Friends of Selleck’s Woods
We know how it feels. You’re on a Zoom call about an important project while incoming email and news alerts intermittently flash across your screen; your phone buzzes with a flurry of texts, tugging your attention away from your conversation. Context-switching, the toggling between activities, tasks or tabs on a screen, is highly taxing to our brains, and our bodies feel the stress.
There are physiological reasons for why such stress develops. The human mind has evolved in response to the natural environment for millions of years, and for most of history, our experience has looked very different than today. The rate of human evolution is no match for the rapid pace of change in our technologically-enhanced, information-overloaded modern world.
Fortunately, an antidote is accessible, effective and free: time spent in nature. Extensive research supports what we know intuitively—time outside is restorative and protective to our mental and physical health. For example, one well-known study showed surgical patients healed faster and better in rooms with windows overlooking natural scenery than patients with views of a brick wall.
What are some of the mental health benefits of time spent in nature?
- Stress Reduction – reduces the negative effects of stress on the body, lowering heart rate, blood pressure and cortisol levels.
- Mood Enhancement – functions as a non-pharmacological mood stabilizer, reducing anxiety, rumination and negative mood, while increasing positive mood and even making our lives feel more meaningful. Time in forests has been associated with a reduction in feelings of hostility, depression and anxiety.
- Boost in Motivation – increases self-discipline, impulse control, enhances motivation to learn and rejuvenates attention.
- Evokes Empathy and Cooperation – elicits more pro-social behaviors in children and adults, making us kinder to one another and to the planet.
- Inspires Awe – time spent in a more wild, natural place can foster a sense of awe, the positive emotion evoked by the perception of vastness that is associated with feelings of transcendence and connectedness. Awe is linked to increased positive emotions and positive physical effects, such as reducing inflammation.
Additional Benefits for Child and Adolescent Mental Health
Many factors contribute to the rising rates of depression and anxiety in children—social isolation, worldly stressors, excessive social media and screen use, to name a few. Fortunately, one intervention—time in nature—is a simple way to improve and protect a child’s mental health.
In particular, unstructured free play outdoors—time not directed by adults and without a defined purpose—provides important benefits for children of all ages. It inspires self-efficacy, enhances self-confidence, inspires creativity and builds resilience. These factors support mental health and overall well-being across the lifespan.
A study of U.S.-based college students found that those who engaged with green spaces in an active way 15 minutes or more, four or more times per week, reported a higher quality of life, better overall mood and lower perceived stress.
“Time outside is restorative and protective to our mental and physical health.”
A Simple and Achievable “Dose”
A ‘dose’ of as little as 15 to 20 minutes of daily time in green spaces has been found to have a meaningful impact in reducing stress, anger, anxiety and in increasing vigor, positive mood, comfort and a sense of revitalization.
Other research has shown people who exercise outdoors at least once per week have about half the risk of poor mental health compared with those who do not.
How can you integrate the natural world into your daily life?
- Take a hike! Engage in your surroundings. If time is short, take a walk around the block or a moment to gaze out your window. Observe what you can see, hear, taste, smell or touch.
- Tune in. Pause that podcast and notice what natural sounds you can hear—wind in the trees, bird song, leaves crunching below your feet. Stuck inside? Try listening to an app that plays ocean waves, rainfall or bird song and notice the effect.
- Let in the light: Step outside into the sunlight, early
in the day, to boost mood and energy levels, and improve sleep. - Spend time with animals, whether a favorite pet or the animals at the Darien Nature Center, seek out your own emotional support animal.
- Stargaze, using a website, app or book to help guide you.
So, the next time you or someone near you is feeling blue, in need of a boost or simply looking to live better, go green. There are plenty of places in Darien to get you started.
Outside in Darien
Darien is fortunate to have many “high-quality” environments. Characterized by a greater bio-diversity of plants and wildlife, they feel serene, are free of litter and pollution and produce the greatest mental health benefits. Here are few to consider visiting:
• Selleck’s Woods and Dunlap Woods Nature Preserve
• Woodland Park • Cherry Lawn Park • Pear Tree Point
• Weed Beach • Darien Nature Center • Olson Woods
MEAGHAN HETHERINGTON, LCSW and Psychotherapist, lives in Darien with her family, and serves on the board of directors of the Darien Nature Center. You can find her therapy practice at Wellness Insights, a Darien-based multi-disciplinary collaboration of integrative-medicine healthcare providers.
