The healing power of nature
When we want to improve our health, we usually think of things like increasing the amount of exercise we take or changing our diet. But there are several other important ways we can build physical and mental wellbeing, and one of these is spending more time in nature.
This can be as simple as sitting or walking in a park, looking at trees or even pictures of trees. Or we might spend time gardening, growing flowers, fruits and vegetables, or keeping plants in our houses. Best of all, if we have access to the countryside, is hiking in forests, hills or mountains; gazing on valleys, green meadows, winding rivers and snow-capped peaks; watching the sea in all its moods and colours. Doing so, we allow the forms, smells and sounds of nature to fill our senses.
During the tens of thousands of years of human evolution, our ancestors lived surrounded by the natural world. It’s only in the past couple of centuries that this contact has been lost. Given our evolutionary history, it’s not really surprising to discover how important being close to nature is to our health, and how we suffer when we are cut off from this rich source of life.
One of the first studies into the connection between nature and health carried out in 1984, found that patients made a faster recovery from gallbladder surgery if they had a view of trees from their hospital beds, compared to those whose beds looked out onto a plain brick wall.
Later studies found that people living in or close to green space (private and public gardens, agricultural land, forests and other natural environments), report fewer symptoms of disease, better perceived general health and better mental health. In fact just ten per cent more greenspace close to where people live results in a decrease in symptoms equivalent to being five years younger.
Even simply looking at film or images of the natural world reduces heart rate, blood pressure and muscular tension in the face, while images of urban environments has the opposite effect. Even the briefest contact with nature reduces anxiety and anger and increases positive feelings.
In Japan, mindfully strolling through woodland, absorbing the smells, sounds and sights, is known as shinrin-yoku or forest bathing. It has been found to significantly lower stress levels, pulse rate and blood pressure, compared to walking in the city.
Children who have a view of the natural (as opposed to the urban) world from their home, display better mental functioning and mental health, while children who live close to nature are better at dealing with stressful events.
Having a view of the natural world from the home or living within sight of green space results in reduced aggression and crime rates. Even something as simple as having plants in an office can reduce blood pressure.
So, the message is clear. We are nourished and healed by contact with the natural world – however small. Knowing this, must also inspire us to protect the natural environment. Those of us who understand how we are inseparably linked to the natural world, and who want to preserve its wonders for future generations, are now being called on to speak out and to act in every way we can to protect and preserve this beautiful planet and all the life that inhabits it.
Click here to read more about how the Jing app can be used by practitioners to recommend traditional self-care practices to their patients.
