Reunited with nature and it feels so good
At the start of my first year at Guelph, I found myself struggling to get out of bed, to check my email, to keep up with the constant flux and flow of life around me. I dropped a course and performed poorly in another. I felt like I was just barely staying above the surface, choking on saltwater as everyone else swam smoothly from one point to another.
In 2013, the Toronto Star reported that 795,000 youth in Ontario under the age of 24 have at least one mental health issue. In addition, one in every five Canadians will experience mental health issues in their lifetime.
As humans, the developed environment we have built our lives around is still unfamiliar to our bodies and brains, which have spent thousands of years adapting to natural surroundings. Like a clingy younger relative, our biological ties to nature just can’t be shaken off.
“…795,000 youth in Ontario under the age of 24 have at least one mental health issue.”
While current understanding of the link between natural environments and health has only just begun to scratch the surface, the research is pointing to a common theme: we need nature for our mental and physical wellbeing—not just as a means to produce more stuff.
Insufficient daylight has often been linked to increased depressive symptoms. Jo Barton and Jules Pretty’s 2010 analysis of the results from 10 U.K. studies with over 1000 participants concluded that green exercise, or activity in the presence of nature, improved self-esteem in females, and both self-esteem and mood in males. The effects were higher for participants who were younger or had mental illnesses and if there was a body of water nearby. The greatest changes occurred in just five minutes of green activity. A 2005 study by Cecily Maller and colleagues found that looking at natural views or being in contact with nature has positive effects on blood pressure, cholesterol, energy, focus, outlook, empowerment, and stress-reduction.
“Insufficient daylight has often been linked to increased depressive symptoms.”
Engaging with nature does not need to entail standing knee-deep in grass and nettles for hours. There are a number of different ways to get your nature fix, all of which provide benefits for mental and physical well-being.
The easiest way is to view nature through a window or even in a book or through a screen. Looking out the bus window and being alone with your thoughts instead of the bluish, soul-sucking glow of a phone screen is a good place to start.
A slightly more involved approach is to carry out an activity near nature, such as talking with a friend outside on a park bench or eating outside. Finally, there’s actively interacting with nature directly through gardening, farming, or hiking, for example.
Now, I volunteer at a Conservancy in my hometown during the summer. I often bike and walk and stare adoringly at various unassuming plants and critters. My potted plant collection is growing. I weaned off my medication. I may not be happy all the time, but there’s always nature and sunshine.
Photo by Mido Melebari.