Summary

The web content outlines five strategies for integrating nature into daily life to reduce stress, improve mood, and enhance overall well-being.

Abstract

The article discusses the mental and physical health benefits of engaging with nature, emphasizing the importance of spending at least 20 to 30 minutes in natural settings to lower cortisol levels. It suggests various nature-based recreational activities, such as walking, gardening, and fitness training, to improve mental health outcomes. The calming effects of water are highlighted, recommending water-based activities for their positive impact on self-esteem and mood. The article also advises bringing nature indoors with plants to reduce stress and aid mental recovery in home and office environments. For those unable to access natural settings, the article proposes listening to nature sounds or watching nature videos to achieve similar benefits.

Opinions

The authors of a 2019 article in Harvard Publishing advise that spending 20 to 30 minutes in nature significantly reduces stress.
Susan McQuillan, a Registered Dietitian and Food Writer, believes that nature-based recreation can enhance general well-being, resilience, restoration, and cognition, and may decrease symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression.
Research published in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology suggests that the presence of water during activities can improve self-esteem and mood more effectively than green-based activities.
Caitlin Bishop, a writer for WeWork, argues that indoor plants can relieve stress and increase attention capacity, providing a sense of relaxation and mental recovery in sterile environments.
Authors from Harvard Health Publishing indicate that listening to natural sounds or viewing pictures of nature can shift brain connectivity to an outward-directed focus, akin to daydreaming, and counteract the inward focus associated with anxiety and depression.

5 Ways To Benefit From Nature

I’ve lived most of my life in an urban environment (here in Singapore). Nature was definitely not an activity my family thought of as enjoyable! It was only in my 20's when I lived in Perth, Australia that I started to get engaged in nature-based activities (i.e. swimming in the ocean, sunbathing on the beautiful beaches and walks in the forest). It was then when I realized how much I enjoyed it and how healing it was. In my recent article “Take A Nature Pill To Reduce Stress, Anxiety, And Depression” I’ve shared the science behind how nature can improve our well-being, self-esteem, moods, and so much more.

Feeling Stressed, Anxious, or Depressed? Take a Nature Pill

Find out what nature can do for you.

medium.com

But how can we reap the benefits of nature? How should we incorporate it into our lives? Here are 5 strategies and several practical tips:

1. Spend at least 20 to 30 minutes in nature.

“Spending at least 20 to 30 minutes immersed in a nature setting was associated with the biggest drop in cortisol levels…” advised authors of a 2019 article in Harvard Publishing. To experience the greatest stress-reduction benefit you’ll need to spend a minimum of 20 minutes in nature.

Tips:

Have your breakfast or lunch in nature.
Sit, read, walk, meditate, play, or paint in nature.

2. Engage in recreational activities in nature.

“Nature-based recreation has a strong potential to improve mental health outcomes in areas of general well-being, resilience, restoration, and cognition, with some potential for decreasing symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression…” said Susan McQuillan a Registered Dietitian and Food Writer. If you’re choosing to engage in any recreational activity such as running, walking or fitness training see if it can be done in nature instead of an urban/indoor setting. This will allow you to reap the benefits of nature and get fit at the same time.

Tips:

Perform your fitness activities in nature.
Engage in activities involving nature such as gardening, hiking, horse-riding, and climbing.

3. Participate in water-based activities

The sounds of waves or the presence of water can have a calming effect on our nervous system. Participating in activities with the presence of water has been found to improve our self-esteem and mood much more than green-based activities.

Tips:

Participate in water-based activities such as swimming in the ocean or kayaking in a river.
Walk or hike around natural bodies of water (e.g. lakes, beaches, ponds).

4. Bring nature to your home or office

Having indoor plants can help to relieve stress and increase your attention capacity. “They give us a sense of being away; feeling relaxed, tranquil, and simply existing. And when introduced to sterile environments, natural elements can help in mental recovery and stress relief.” Said Caitlin Bishop, writer for WeWork.

Tips:

Have some small potted plants on your office desk.
Incorporate plants into your home decor.
Consider growing a vertical herb garden if you live in a high-rise.

5. Look and listen to videos or audios with nature

If you don’t live close to nature you can also reap the benefits of nature by looking at pictures/videos of nature or listening to the sounds of nature. “Listening to natural sounds caused the listeners’ brain connectivity to reflect an outward-directed focus of attention, a process that occurs during wakeful rest periods like daydreaming. Listening to artificial sounds created an inward-directed focus, which occurs during states of anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression. Even looking at pictures of nature settings, your favorite spot, or a place you want to visit can help.” said authors of Harvard Health Publishing.

Tips:

Search for “nature music videos” on YouTube and you’ll find plenty you can listen to and watch.
Play nature music or sounds while you’re working, cleaning, cooking, or resting.
Print some scenic pictures and hang them in your home or office.