Why Mother Nature is So Healing - Even in Small Doses Inside
Incorporating nature into everyday life, whether it be a new plant in your workspace or a quick stroll outside, has never been more prevalent or important than it is at this moment in time. We are learning how to survive an ever-fluctuating pandemic and the shift to work-from-home resulting from the pandemic, and seem to intuitively sense that Mother Nature can change our mood, and that plants can even become your friends (if you’re as doting as I am). Despite this seemingly spontaneous boost in channeling nature to power your healing, the science behind it has been around for decades.
Forest Bathing
This Time article chronicles the scientific study of The Healing Power of Nature, recent studies and its effects on the body, and even the benefits of fake nature. In the early 1980s, Japanese scientists set out to discover clinically therapeutic benefits of people taking strolls in the woods to improve their health. This practice was called forest bathing or shinrin-yoku. In one early study, scientists found a 40-minute walk through the forest lowered the stress hormone cortisol (that “inner critic ick,” fight/flight/freeze/appease response chemical).
Studies also show nature positively impacts our health by:
Improving short-term memory by 20%.
Increasing levels of Vitamin D.
Improving sleep quality.
Lowering blood sugar in diabetics.
And even increasing creativity.
Similarly, recent studies have found natural changes in scenery offer relief for health issues like heart disease, depression, cancer, and anxiety.
Shifting Scenery, Even Indoors
Depression and anxiety thrive during uncertain times, even more so when there is an admittedly blurry line between home and work. This is less than ideal, but unfortunately unavoidable. The good news is that a 2015 study done by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that people who walked for 90-minutes in a natural setting (ie. a forest or park), were less likely to ruminate on depressive or anxious thoughts. The author of this study wrote, “Accessible natural areas may be vital for mental health in our rapidly urbanized world”. Unfortunately, urban dwellers are less likely to have easy access to natural walking spaces and thus are more prone to higher stress levels and anxiety. Fortunately, a study conducted by the American Society for Horticultural Science shows indoor plants promote the same feelings of happiness and well-being as forest bathing and nature walks.
Free Stress-Relief
Urban areas are home to more than 84% of Americans, and with that, exploring nature has become less of a normalized practice. We don’t prioritize, let alone validate, the basic human need for connection with mountains, water, and trees (in addition to the fact a majority of people view natural connectivity as a touch woo-woo). Instead of viewing nature as an inconvenience or a woo-woo holistic medicine, we should be viewing it as free therapy. Matthew Miller notes in this article that the human body is “fully conductive” and the earth pulses out an electromagnetic frequency that immediately grounds our bodies whenever it touches the earth directly. Twenty years of medical studies on grounding show that when we are connected to the earth’s energy, everything from our brain waves to our muscle tension positively responds to grounding.
The biggest takeaway from all of these case studies is to log off, unplug, and take a much-needed walk, or sit, to reconnect with nature.
A Guided Meditation to Get Started
Amazing nature-connected coach Jenya Kuvshinova has some wonderful thoughts on using nature to boost resilience - I’ve been lucky enough to hear them first hand on hikes and over her delicious home cooked meals - and she has a whole webinar available on YouTube if you are interested in diving deeper with her. At minimum, I encourage you to experience the meditation piece, which I’ve cued up below. All you need is a quiet space (even better if you are outdoors) and have some sort of natural element with you, whether you grab a stick, leaf, flower or rock while outside, from outside or from that cute house plant.