Whenever an article comes along about nature, it piques my interest. Not only from a professional perspective, but a personal one as well. I like to say that I do my best thinking when I am walking through the woods.
In “Nature’s Role in Mental Illness: Prevention or Treatment” by Susan McQuillan and featured on Psychology Today, we read about how researchers at the University of Utah conducted a systematic review of research papers in order to examine the overall effects of nature on mental health:
“More than 80% of the relevant research papers reviewed for this study reported at least one association between outdoor activities and positive mental health outcomes, while none reported a single negative mental health outcome. The most common positive benefits seen were significant reductions in stress and anxiety after time spent in nature, as well as increased positive affect, or elevated mood. The overall positive effects documented in these studies were often described using terms such as “psychological healing,” “increased sense of well-being,” and “restorative.””
Restorative – a lovely word. The idea that we can restore a calmer state, clarity, a sense of feeling grounded, or just an overall good feeling gives us all the more reason to get outside. 🙂
To read the full article: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/cravings/201909/nature-s-role-in-mental-illness-prevention-or-treatment
Photo credit: https://unsplash.com/@sylwiabartyzel
Yes!
being outside in a quiet place makes everything more relaxed and slowed down. its almost like time stops during the calm. my dad would sit in the bush and the deer and other animals would be around him.