How nature affects mental health – top 10 effects

“I gotta go on vacay see some greenery, Gotta have some vitamin sea, birds singing is such a nice melody, ooh the smell of those flowers wow, let’s watch the sunset… have you ever encountered one of those sentences, thoughts, desires, wishes? And wondered, how really nature affects mental health?

You must have, at least once or something that involves nature experience with relaxation.

Why? cause we all came from nature, or maybe cause we allow ourselves to disconnect a bit in nature and reduce stress, maybe we breathe better in nature and maybe we weren’t meant to live so intense industrial living. Maybe all of the above, perhaps non but no matter what the subjective perspective be, the objective opinion is that nature does good with our mental state.

So what is it about nature that plays the therapist role in so many lives? What is it about this non-plastic scenery that takes our breaths away and put instead cleaner oxygen in our lungs that helps us think clearly, act calmly and most definitely function wisely.

What is the direct and side effect of nature on our mental health?

Like many things in life, the answer is not plain and simple as it seems that this piece of neutrality provides different things to different people. But for the sake of realization, we can generalize a good few points that seem to apply on the majority of the population when involves nature and mental health.

Nature affects mental health in more ways one can imagine, but when considering all contributors the following are most efficient:

• Green – nature is filled with this relaxing color, it affects us by calming our nervous system
• Proper ground – connection with the earth helps us with grounding, meditation, staying true to the moment, and creating positive feedback for further development
• Physical health to support mental health – clean oxygen, sports-oriented, hormones release

All those create a clear picture of how nature affects mental health. And I’ll start by saying straight on: Nature affect mental health in a most positive structure – we are healthier when encounter nature.

It does not have to be going on a day trip or living in the countryside necessarily. It does not have to be OSHO ZEN meditations while encounter nature but can rather be a small lovely plant we nurture in our metropolitan apartment or a small park by the house, an old tree right by the traffic light, or the birds sing in their sweet choir, eating an apple while watching the sunset by the sea if we live nearby and you just name it as long as it involves at least one natural element in our present. So excuses of “lack in time” and “too tired”, “can’t be bothered” with the travel is irrelevant as nature IS everywhere and within our reach.

Nature affects our mental health in so many aspects of life it’s a shame to give up on. Here’s why:

1. The color GREEN and our nervous system

The color green has far many amazing effects. It symbolizes health, new beginnings, and strength. Green is the easiest on the eyes and recommended by many designers to be used to relax and create balance in a design. It is a great color to use if wanted to create calmness in one’s surroundings and achieve stress level reduction by the impact it has on our autonomic nervous system.

So with all of the above, naturally the greenery in nature will have a similar effect on us… looking at trees, flowers and everything natural that has the color green in it will surely contribute to improving our mental health – even if just a bit. It’s good, it’s natural and most of the times can be achieved for free. So why not?

2. The cleaner oxygen and our respiratory system

“The lungs and respiratory system allow oxygen in the air to be taken into the body, while also enabling the body to get rid of carbon dioxide in the air breathed out. Respiration is the term for the exchange of oxygen from the environment for carbon dioxide from the body’s cells” Google search on clean oxygen and respiratory system.

It also mentions that :

The earth around us naturally provides clean air that is produced from a series of complex interactions between the land and atmosphere. Forests, for example, absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. To help produce clean air, natural resources such as wetlands, trees, and soil, filter many pollutants from our air.

So in simple mathematics, we can understand that by encouraging plants growth and being around natural environment we increase our exposure to cleaner oxygen, therefore, benefitting with our respiratory system.

It means that mental processes in our brain can occur faster and produces a healthier mental mindset.

3. Present. Simple – much easier when outdoors

Being present when you’re surrounded by nature can be a simpler task as something about the color, air and scenery allows you to just lay back and relax. By being relaxed you are able to experience happiness just by being present.

Those feelings are missing from daily life for the most part. However, taking a break and focusing on our being right now in nature environment will generate those feelings much faster.

4. Grounding – walk barefoot on the exposed ground

Grounding, in a nutshell, is the electrical connection with the earth. That’s why it is also called earthing – we benefit physically and mentally by being in physical contact, usually barefoot with the earth aka by being grounded.

Why is that? Well… according to quiet few readings I did in that department our bodies manufacture a lot of positive charges resulted from free radicals. This positive charge needs to be balanced and one of the best ways to do it if by being barefoot on the natural ground.

Also, common knowledge is that computers, mobile phones, radio & TV broadcasts, WiFi, Bluetooth, power lines, domestic wiring, and other electrical appliances can discharge electromagnetic radiation in an unspeakable quantity. This can cause severe health problems amongst harm the body positive-negative charge which is, again, essential for our good health in general and mental health in specifics.

By being grounded to the earth we significantly reduce the levels of positive charge and balance it to a state where ones effectively shielded by the Earth’s large electrical mass. And in a few words: grounding balances our electrical charge as electrical beings – the earth aids us with the absorption of the unnecessary charge we carry from modern life and devices. Pretty darn amazing ain’t it?

So once walking on earth barefoot we can achieve many health benefits such as Stress and anxiety reduction, Improved immune function, blood circulation, rapid bone and muscle recovery from sports activity, digestion improvement, better sleep, reduction of inflammation and ease in electrosensitivity at times.

All related one way or another to our nervous/hormonal system and can be reflected in a much better mental health.

So go do some barefoot walk in the park, beach or in nature.

5. Personal taste and needs – there is enough nature to fit everyone

An important point to take under consideration to benefit your mental health: don’t do what is considered to be beneficial for mental health nature activity but what is considered to YOU as beneficial.

I have a friend who absorbs all the nature she needs from sitting on a wooden bench in her town’s high street waiting for the bus. Another gets her mental therapy by feeding the cats in his neighborhood.

What works for you works for you and it is ok. There’s no room to be politically correct or mainstream here. As long as you have at least one natural element in your doing you’re on the right path of bringing good solid mental health into your life.

Also please bare in mind your needs can change from time to time – you do not have to do 30 minutes of nature a day to improve your mental health and if you don’t then it’s not gonna work. Sometimes you need once a day, sometimes once a week, sometimes 15 minutes, an hour or even 30 seconds a day can do the job. Its all about your personal taste and needs. Not anyone else’s…

6. Meditation meditation meditation

Meditation is more of a going “inside” of yourself, being still in our presence, in the moment, the now… with ease, effortless and with the perception of the self in any given moment.

Mental health some say include the capacity to move “outside” of yourself and by that increase and expand your mental and emotional perspective about people, situations and life in general. But in order to do this “getting out of your own skin” state it’s only given you learn first to go “inside” yourself, be there in peace and once a quiet mind is achieved – noticing your surroundings is enabled.

By the individual ability to accept oneself the ability to accept others is born. Nature can provide us the ideal platform to practice this meditative procedure towards acceptance and healthy mental state cause when we meditate in nature we allow ourselves to objectively observe and develop receptive presence to nature cosmus.

By doing so we start to notice life around us in nature and within ourselves – we literally become more alive and able to revive the neuron’s in our brains to function better-hence improvement in mental health can be achieved simply by sitting quietly in natural environment.

It most definitely does not have to be the Himalaya or the wilderness of Africa but can rather be in our back garden, or nearby local park, the beach or just by sitting under a tree… anywhere.

I once read in this lovely yoga journal a paragraph that stayed with me and would like to share:

”Unlike our mind, our body and senses are always in the present. Being present in nature makes it much easier for us to inhabit our body and the realm of the senses. Unlike our temperature-controlled houses, the natural world entices our senses to wake up. When we step outdoors, our skin receptors enliven as we feel subtleties of temperature and breeze. Our hearing becomes sharper as we listen to nuances of birdsong, silence, and the rustling of leaves in a forest. Most of all, our eyes become captivated by the beauty, texture, and sheer diversity of color, shape, and form”.

7. Positive thinking it creates

Nature gets the best from us. Something about being as closest to origin can make us feel somewhat free, and this sense of freedom often makes us happier and once happier positive thoughts tend to be created more frequently.

So basically amount any natural element we as individuals become more of positive and creative thinkers. It can be about the tree at a bus stop in the middle of a city and the positive effect that one tree can have on us or sitting in a strawberry field and enjoying the fresh air and beautiful site for us to be more positive and even creative.

What’s sure is that being positive will keep mental health high in the sky. So keep it real.

8. Do sports and workout in nature

Well combining two good things together never hurt anyone. The effects of sport on mental health are long known and have been researched, so why not do some sport outside?

Do any sport outside, anything that you feel comfortable with. I personally try slacklining from time to time and surfing as much as I can. However, it can sum up with a walk through the nearest park or your favorite beach. As long as you combine the two your mental health will grow. Enjoy!

9. Hormones – nature increase their release

Hormones have profound effects on our mental, physical and emotional health. They play a major role in so many metabolic processes in our bodies and usually when all is balanced they produce the accurate quantity of hormone needed for the multiple processes to conduct healthy living.

However, when hormonal imbalance occurs (which is very common in our stressy modern living) and the decline of hormones with age actions must be taken to balance it back. That’s where nature can play a significant role as well alongside a nutritious diet.

Decrease of stress hormone cortisol for example by taking a relaxing stroll in the park twice a week for about 45 minutes can contribute tremendously to your hormone levels balance, or for depression therapy.

Studies have shown that “individuals with a major depressive disorder who engaged in 50-minute walks in a natural setting showed significant memory span increases compared to study participants who walked in an urban setting. That participants also showed increases in mood”.

Once you balance one hormone the rest of the system start working towards that direction into a whole systematic balance. One for all and all for one.

10. Garden therapy

A therapeutic garden is an outdoor garden space that has been specifically designed to meet the physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs of the people using the garden as well as their caregivers, family members, and friends.^[1]

Some research indicates that the natural environment is related to the longevity and quality of life of the elderly. Precisely, the natural therapeutic landscapes, and the therapeutic garden) contribute to active and healthy aging in the place.

Yup. a nice little garden can definitely contribute to our mental health. The relationship created between you and the little plant can be very fulfilling and bring one’s sense of relish. As growing any kind of plant, witness their blossom, prosper and yes sometimes even the opposite – plants death, can teach a person a lot about the circle of life and gain a new perspective on life.

Nature is an excellent distraction from our daily problems so when gardening we can also achieve some ease and strength restoration to deal with those problems in later time much better.

In the end of things we all understand one way or another that the closest we get to the source of all things, nature, the closer we get to ourselves.

Once there – life can become more and more understandable, just when one connect to self, one understand thyself, and once understanding thyself, some ease may tag along. And just when life seems a little easier on our brains- our mental health can improve greatly.

Lack of freedom to just be who we are and who we want to be can be the barrier that separates between us and our mental health. The bridge that can overlap this barrier modern life can create is nature, so once sense of freedom is being brought to us by the “nature bridge”, we can suddenly open our eyes and see, hear, smile, breath, appreciate, enjoy and start building our wellness path of good solid mental health.

Stop and smell the roses-but literally smell them… in your garden, in the flower shop, in the park or if you’re lucky enough in the wilderness. Maybe just then you’ll be able to stop for one moment to appreciate what you have, mind the things you don’t and mostly understand better and much more authentically what is good -for YOU and you alone.

“We are all connected to nature and it is important to maintain this vital connection for our health and wellbeing” said a wise guy… I tend to agree, would you?