7 Key Benefits of Being in Nature for Healthy Body and Mind

Since the outbreak of the COVID pandemic, we’ve been hunkered down in our homes and trying to not get infected and to not infect others. We are doing the right thing, but let’s not forget to do everything in our power to keep our bodies in top shape and our sanity preserved. Let’s talk about some key benefits of being in nature and spending time outdoors, all while “social distancing” of course.

Love of Nature

I grew up in simpler times and a simpler place. For me as a kid, my birth country of Poland was a wonderful place full of enchanted forests and city parks, summer camps, and visiting the countryside. The communist regime was terrible on many accounts (persecution of dissidents, lack of personal freedoms, and basic human rights), but it was also in certain respect taking decent care of its citizens.

Simpler Place and Simpler Times

While a good portion of the population people worked in mines and factories with less than optimal air quality, the regime ensured several weeks of paid vacation, free or discounted stays in sea and mountain resorts, and visits to sanitariums and medical spas in forested areas for those who needed them, free of charge.

For us kids, there were three or four weeks of free-of-cost summer camp, being somewhere in the woods and living the camp life. People had fewer cars, so Sundays meant going for long walks to parks or onto fields on the outskirts of town.

Whoever could afford it, would invest in a tiny cottage or even just a garden shag away from the city on one of the communal (or, more rarely, private) lots. People would garden there or just spend some relaxing time off work in the presence of nature and one another. In effect, it’s fair to say that for the first 18 years of my life, I have spent about a fourth of my time in nature in one way or another.

Spending Time in Nature during Times of Crisis

Also later, during the most trying time in my life, when I was sick with cancer, venture daily for a long walk or hike if my health condition allowed it. At the least, I would spend long hours in my California backyard surrounded by trees, bushes and flowers, and the sound of buzzing insects.

Nature helps us is so many ways: It keeps us healthy; it can make us stronger; it lets us recharge our batteries, it lets us unwind and unplug, and it restores our mental balance.

We need contact with nature now more than ever. This current Corona Virus crisis calls for social distancing, but we can still find room for encounters with the natural environment.

Key Benefits of Spending Time in Nature

When we stay in contact with nature – be it untouched wilderness or a backyard tree–we do our physical and mental wellbeing a huge favor. In fact, studies show spending time in the green outdoors can not only boost our mood but also improves how our many health systems function. Especially the nervous, the endocrine, and the immune systems can benefit from being in nature.

The benefits of outdoor activities are numerous for people of all ages and all fitness levels. Even just sitting still and looking at an object of nature in its natural environment can have a tremendous impact on the overall wellbeing of everyone.

Bodies in Nature

Being able to get out of the doors can motivate people to be more active physically, which is fundamental to offset illness and disability.

1. Increased Energy Level

Spending time outside makes us feel energetic and alive, it can help raise one’s self-esteem and can be a cure for boredom. So, unplug, get out and get moving.

2. Reduced Inflammation

Inflammation is a natural process within the body in response to threats. However, if it gets out of check, it can lead to chronic illnesses such as asthma, diabetes, IBD, and even cancer.

Getting out of doors can help reduce chronic inflammation. In one study, elderly participants were asked for one week to spend time in a forest setting. Upon their return, their markers of inflammation were significantly reduced along with an indication that the contact with nature had a positive effect on their hypertension.

3. Improved Immunity

Research shows that spending time in nature provides protection against a range of diseases. It has been, however, a mystery on exactly how nature is able to bring about such improvements in human health. After reviewing hundreds of studies examining nature’s effects on health, one environment-and-behavioral researcher suggests that spending time in green spaces can enhance the functioning of the body’s immune system, which then leads to better resilience and the ability to fight off disease.

One way to understand this relationship between nature, health, and the immune system, Kuo explains, is that exposure to nature switches the body into “rest and digest” mode, which is the opposite of the “fight or flight” mode. When the body is in “fight or flight” mode, it shuts down everything that is immediately nonessential, including the immune system.

Science Daily

Important!

In a study of 20,000 people, European Centre for Environment & Human Health found that people who spent two hours a week in natural environments exhibited significantly better health and psychological well-being than those who don’t. Two hours per week – all at once or spaced over several visits – was necessary. There were no real benefits for people who didn’t meet that threshold.

A growing body of epidemiological evidence indicates that greater exposure to, or ‘contact with’, natural environments (such as parks, woodlands and beaches) is associated with better health and well-being, at least among populations in high income, largely urbanized, societies.

Nature 

Proven Benefits for Your Mind and Spirit

Spending some time outdoors, whether in the wilderness or in urban parks or backyards, can have a huge impact on our mental well-being as well.

4. Stress Reduction

Stress reduction is one of the most researched and acknowledged benefits of being in nature. Even only looking at scenes of nature can reduce feelings of fear, anger, and stress, according to this University of Minnesota research. 

In one study in Mind, 95% of those interviewed said their mood improved after spending time outside, changing from depressed, stressed, and anxious to more calm and balanced.

University of Minnesota study

5. Better Mood

A study published in The Journal of Positive Psychology found that even spending as little as five minutes in nature was associated with a significant mood boost.

6. Improved Memory

Spending time or even only looking at nature is linked to improved short-term and working memory. In fact, one suggested that walking in nature could improve your short-term memory by a whopping 20%.

The results showed that people’s performance on the (memory) test improved by almost 20% after wandering amongst the trees. By comparison those subjected to a busy street did not reliably improve on the test.

2009 study

7. Relief from Anxiety and Depression

Anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues or disorders may be eased by spending time in the great outdoors. This is especially true when combined with exercise.

More than half of the world’s population lives in urban settings, and that is forecast to rise to 70 percent within a few decades. Just as urbanization and disconnection from nature have grown dramatically, so have mental disorders such as depression.

Stanford University study

A team of researchers from Stanford University found that those who walked for 90 minutes through a green campus space – versus strolling next to a loud highway – dwelled less on the negative aspects of their lives and exhibited generally more “quiet minds.”

Moreover, these participants exhibited decreased activity in the specific area of the brain associated with depression. The research concluded that spending some time in nature was linked to a significantly positive effect on overall mood and mental wellbeing.

Love of Nature Across Cultures

Different countries and cultures have different ideas about whether and how to optimize their time in nature. Generally, there is a consensus on the benefits of spending time outdoors. But the policies on helping people achieve the goal of being in nature vary from country to country.

In some countries, spending time in natural environments has become the staple of medical care. Doctors are literally prescribing “nature” to their patients in hope of improved physical and mental outcomes.

In other countries, being in nature has been enshrined in the national culture. These are the countries that tend to have more sound environmental policies and that exhibit more “respect” for the natural world. They also place more attention on the need to protect the wilderness for our and future generations.

Example #1 Japan and Forest Bathing

Walking and spending time in the green, known as shinrin-yoku or forest bathing, is a popular form of commonly used, preventive health care in Japan. The term was first coined in the 1980s but is now attracting increasing attention around the world.

Yoshifumi Miyazaki from Chiba University, Japan discovered that a 40-minute walk in a cedar forest lowers the level of cortisol, a stress hormone, significantly more than a similar 40-minute walk indoors in a lab setting. According to Miyazaki, lowering our stress can help recover our immune strength. The benefit of forest is clear here. It helps us develop bodies that can be much more resilient against illness.

“Although human beings and their direct ancestors have existed for approximately 7 million years, we have spent over 99.99 percent of that time living in nature. Our genes are adapted to nature, and they have not changed over the two or three centuries since the industrial revolution. Because we have bodies that are adapted to nature, living in modern society places us in a condition of stress.”

Yoshifumi Miyazaki

Furthermore, Japanese researchers suggest that inhaling the aerosols from the forests can elevate the levels of Natural Killer or NK cells in the immune system, which fights tumors and infections.

Example #2 Scandinavia

Friluftsliv (“open-air life”) concept calls for a connection with nature that has become part of cultural heritage in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. It means, for instance, a good amount of time spent in nature during the school day for kids. School children in Nordic countries play outdoors and explore all signs of nature around them like worms and insects or a bird’s nest.

“The expression Friluftsliv literally translates as “open-air life” and was popularized in the 1850s by the Norwegian playwright and poet, Henrik Ibsen, who used the term to describe the value of spending time in remote locations for spiritual and physical wellbeing.”

In Sweden, nearly everyone who lives in a city on a regular basis will also have a summer cottage, where they can spend time in close proximity to nature during the warmer months of the year. In this ultra-modern country of 10 million people, there are 25 non-profit associations anchored to friluftsliv, with 1.7 million memberships spread across thousands of local and regional clubs.

Example #3 Germany

Throughout history, Germans have had a fascination and deep love of forests and trees. The bountiful nature and the beauty of the environment of the German-speaking territory – think the majestic Alps, the fairytale-like Black Forest, the glorious meadows and heather fields of Lüneburger Heide, or the white, quiet beaches of the Baltic Sea – have inspired countless writers, poets, and visual artists.

When the national forests in Germany began dying in the 1970s and 1980s, this decline sparked one of the most effective environmentalist movements in world’s history. The Green Party which grew out of this movement has been part of the political scene in Germany ever since. The party has influenced sound policies geared toward preserving the natural environment and it’s been crucial for combatting climate change.

You might have heard the word Wanderlust (“the joy of and desire for walking”), which has become part of the English language by now. There is another, a closely related word in German, Wandervogel, which can be translated as “rambling, hiking, or wandering bird.”

Wandervogel was also a late 1800s youth movement started by young people yearning for a return to the freedom of nature. Since the mid-20th century, the movement has been experiencing a renaissance and has several thousand members across Germany today. And so, the good concept of the importance of being in nature lives on.

Simple Steps to Get Closer to Nature

A growing body of research points to the positive impact that exposure to the natural world has on our physical and mental health. And vice versa, lack of such contact, can have tremendously detrimental effects for our bodies and psyche.

USA and the Lost Connection to Nature

In the USA, there is not much in terms of policy that would encourage people to spend time outdoors. There is rarely a paid vacation, there are no paid medical spas or sanitariums located in proximity to nature. Nature camps and retreats for kids and adults alike are available only for those who can pay their way. And it is not cheap, by any means.

This doesn’t mean that Americans are blind to the need for contact with nature. Richard Louv is the author of Last Child in the Woods and The Nature Principle. These two books started a national discussion about the importance of nature in children’s and adults’ lives. Louv even coined the term “Nature Deficit Disorder” to describe the growing epidemic of chronic disease and obesity amongst Americans. Louv sees the cause for these ills – at least partially – in the overly sedentary lifestyle of the majority of Americans, as well as their lack of meaningful connection with the natural environment.

Actionable Steps

Even without concerted policies and/or workplace or governmental fostering of “forest bathing” or “Wanderlust”, we can do a lot as individuals toward reducing stress and promoting healing by just spending several hours per week in a natural environment outdoors.

Even at the current time of crisis, when the encroaching Corona Virus calls for social distancing and partial or total lockdowns at homes, we can still spend time outdoors:

1. Drive out to the closest “wilderness” that is accessible to the public (don’t encroach on the wildlife!)
2. Go for a hike
3. Play frisbee or ball with the family on the local green
4. Take a stroll in the park
5. Take your morning coffee or afternoon tea in your backyard, unplug and look at the greenery around you
6. Pack a picnic for the family and eat in a park or your own backyard
7. Take a yoga mat outdoors
8. Play a board game on a blanket outside rather than on your couch
9. Walk around your urban block and focus on trees, shrubs and flower beds you encounter on the way
10. Garden, garden, garden! You’ll avoid some of the trips to the crowded supermarket and you’ll get your dose of sunshine and nature at the same time.

On the societal level, we can only hope that policymakers and healthcare providers everywhere around the world will consider the benefits of nature for human health and implement strategies to include contact with the natural environment as a prescription for good overall health. We need concrete steps to preserve our environment so it can serve us and future generations. This is where policy can play the biggest role.

In the meantime, we as individuals can also take some lessons from the Japanese and the Nordic people. We can slow the pace of life and mitigate the rat race of the urban environment. Our society should think beyond the capitalist net-gain mentality and improve our health and mood by spending more time playing, exploring, or just being in contact with Mother Nature.