Are you getting enough Vitamin N(ature)?
Why nature is the naturopathic doctor’s favourite prescription, and 5 tips to help you connect with nature.
Japanese Garden, Naoshima Japan
Getting out to feel better
“Getting outside” was one of my mum’s favourite bad-mood remedies for me and my siblings growing up. Whether I was feeling stressed out about school, mad at one of my siblings, or sad about an unrequited pre-teen crush, a walk around the block was her magic fix. I used to think that she was just telling me to get outside as a way to get me out of her hair (which may have been a motivating factor), but a growing body of research is showing that getting outside might actually be the key to lower stress levels and better mood.
Spending time in nature, Squamish BC
Ever heard of forest bathing?
A Japanese study from 2010 found that sitting in or walking through a forest reduces perceived emotional stress, lowers blood pressure, and reduces levels of salivary cortisol (our bodies primary stress hormone) (1). In Japanese culture they even have a name for this activity – Shirin-yoku – which translates to “forest bathing”. If you don’t have easy access to a forest, don’t fret! A similar study was done by a Swedish urban planning group in the same year (2). These researchers found that city parks that contained a lot of nature provided a strong buffer against feelings of stress (2). Other research has shown that nature also buffers us from feelings of anger; a study among college students found that spending time immersed in nature significantly reduced anger and aggression scores in participants (3).
5 tips to benefit from nature, even if you’re stuck in the city
We know that spending time in nature has a wealth of health benefits. But with more and more of us living in towns and cities, it’s getting harder to connect with nature on a regular basis. So to help you connect with your natural environment, here are my 5 tips for harnessing all of the stress-reducing benefits that nature has to offer, even if you don’t have the ability to immerse yourself in a picturesque garden or a lush forest every day.
Enjoy some “plant identification” walks: I started doing plant identification walks with an old roommate – she was studying landscape architecture and had to do them for one of her classes – and they have quickly become one of my favourite ways to connect with nature. The activity is fairly self-explanatory: you go on a walk and try to identify as many plants as you can! I use an app called “PictureThis” (it’s free and really easy to use) to help me identify plants I don’t know. It’s a great way to connect with nature, especially in an urban setting.
Exercise outdoors: A recent study found that people who exercised in nature demonstrated improved emotional well-being over those who exercised indoors (4). My top suggestions? Hiking, biking, walking, or jogging – on trials or in your neighbourhood. And if that’s not your cup of tea, you can try workouts or yoga in the park or in your backyard.
Try your hand at gardening: Gardening is a great way to get up close and personal with nature, and it’s got benefits beyond managing stress; a study done in 2020 found that gardening improved body image (5). If you live in an apartment like me and don’t have access to a backyard, you can try patio gardening, or get involved with your local community garden.
Get yourself some house plants: If you can’t get outside there are still benefits to bringing the outdoors in as much as you can. Several studies have shown that having plants inside classrooms and workplaces can improve mood and increase productivity (6,7).
Hang out in front of your windows: Having windows with views of nature, or just being able to enjoy sunlight streaming into your space, can improve mental health and overall well-being. In healthcare settings, we’ve seen that patients in windowless intensive care units experienced twice the number of hallucinations and delusions compared to patients in an ICU room with a view (8). Researchers have also found that surgery patients exposed to greater amounts of sunlight during recovery required 22% less opioid medications (9). In an academic and workplace settings, we’ve seen that students with views of nature from their dorm windows had higher levels of attention (10), and employees with views of nature experienced less work stress (11).
What’s your favourite way to connect with your natural environment?