Nature is a Powerful Healer

I spent a few days hiking with my husband in the amazing landscapes of the Danish wild western coast, sweating under a heavy backpack, dragging my feet clad in hiking boots, with occasional breaks for meals and swims in the sea. In the evenings, we were admiring the huge red rising moon, the starry sky, the sounds of animals coming from outside of our tent. It was so precious, and I felt so blissfully happy. Nothing was missing, nothing was superfluous - everything was just prefect! Life became so wonderfully simple – no fussing about stuff, no need to make plans… Just simple, plain being.

The science of psychology has proven that spending time in nature, even for relatively brief periods of time, promotes hedonic as well as eudaemonic well-being (Capaldi, Passmore, Nisbet, Zelenski & Dopko, 2015). This means that being outdoors makes us happier both in the sense of pleasurable emotions as well as feeling that our life is meaningful. Moreover, in the long term, repeated contact with nature leads to enhanced emotional functioning, greater life satisfaction and more psychological resilience (Capaldi et al., 2015).

The concrete benefits of spending time in greenery are many: McCormick (2017) summarizes in a review that green space has been associated with better mood and higher self-esteem in adults and children (Barton & Pretty, 2010), less daily stress (Wells & Evans, 2003), greater self-discipline (Taylor, Kuo, & Sullivan, 2002), lower levels of depression, anxiety and stress (Beyer et al., 2014). Moreover, people who spend time in nature reported improved mental and social health and increased physical activity (Cox et al., 2017, all cited in McCormick, 2017). Maybe you have noticed the recent fashion of “forest bathing”, which is basically about spending mindful time in the forest. As a matter of fact, research shows that being in the forest improves our immune function by boosting the activity of our natural killer cells which in turn can kill tumour cells. Moreover, it leads to decreased blood pressure and a decrease of salivary cortisol, a marker of stress (Li, 2010; Li & Kawada, 2007).

Yet for many of us, this wonderful source of health and wellbeing remains untapped. Rushing about, all consumed with our everyday worries and plans, we have lost contact with nature. We barely have time for going out and when we want to boost our well-being we often turn to proxy, artificial solutions. When I was lying in a heated salty-water pool, looking at a LED-lit night sky with fake falling stars, a feeling of absurdity came over me: the real sea, with its breaking waves, the sound of the wind, the beach and everything, and the real night sky with shooting stars, a thousand times more beautiful, was right there outside, yet we chose to pay to enter into an artificial world that was only a bleak copy of that which is free-of-charge and much more energising.

Some of the best things in life don’t cost a penny. This is the case of nature, a great healer, therapist and energizer. It has the power to wipe out our worries, and it is proven that it can boost our physical and mental health. In order to go out we don’t need any special equipment, not a four-wheel drive, not a bike, no smart clothes, no skis… not even Nordic-walking sticks. No excuses – just a pair of comfy shoes and out we can go, taking in all those substances that can make us happier and healthier.

References:

Capaldi, C. A., Passmore, H. A., Nisbet, E. K., Zelenski, J. M., & Dopko, R. L. (2015). Flourishing in nature: A review of the benefits of connecting with nature and its application as a wellbeing intervention. International Journal of Wellbeing, 5(4). doi: 10.5502/ijw.v5i4.449

Li, Q. (2010). Effect of forest bathing trips on human immune function. Environmental health and preventive medicine, 15(1), 9-17. doi: 10.1007/s12199-008-0068-3

Li, Q., & Kawada, T. (2007). Healthy forest parks make healthy people: Forest environments enhance human immune function. Department of Hygiene and Public Health, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan. Retrieved on 28 March 2021 from http://infta.net/files/references/Qing-Li2-2.pdf

McCormick, R. (2017). Does access to green space impact the mental well-being of children: A systematic review. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 37, 3-7. doi: 10.1016/j.pedn.2017.08.027