The healing power of nature is being studied more and more amidst rising rates of stress and anxiety. Over the past few years studies in the US and UK have shown that spending time in forests and other “green spaces” help us recover from stress and trauma by reducing adrenaline and cortisol levels. Taking a break from our stress-inducing lives can be tough…it can be easy to get stuck indoors tending to our lives but, spending even a short amount of time outdoors can be an effective way to add a little self care into our days without having to go far. By all means though, schedule full days for outdoor adventures whenever possible.
Types of Nature Healing
Hiking
At the top of our list for nature healing at home in Humboldt County is, of course, hiking. Getting to a community forest or nature trail can be the most accessible way to experience nature-as-healer close to home. What’s more, hiking can have many benefits for mental health. Hiking, or walking in nature, can help clear the mind and improve mood almost instantly. Plus, hiking is great for our physical health providing a full-body working. Other benefits hiking provides are:
- Mindfulness check – stepping over exposed roots, climbing over boulders, hearing the sounds of the trees or ocean, feeling the wind, inhaling the scents of the outdoors all work to bring us into our bodies in the present moment.
- Improved focus – spending active time in nature can improve working memory, cognitive flexibility and increase our ability to focus.
- Problem-solving skills – hiking reminds us that different paths can lead to the same goal.
Community Gardening
We don’t have to look far to see examples of nature being used for healing in our community. The Potawot Health Center includes 20 acres of natural space set aside for nature walks and a community garden where members have an opportunity to connect with nature by growing food. Gardening at home or at a community garden is a great way to incorporate nature into your routine. Cal Poly Humboldt provides a Community Gardens Resource Guide that includes information on many of our local community gardens.
Forest Bathing
Over the past decade there has been a lot of attention paid to another nature healing therapy: forest bathing (shirin-yoku in Japan.) Forest bathing is the practice of spending mindful time in a forest engaging all of your senses. This can include walking, sitting, quiet meditation, birdwatching, even running and playing. Forest bathing helps people slow down, it can awaken their senses and encourage deep breaths and relaxation. It promotes a relationship and connection with nature. Even people who work outside all day can benefit from slowing down and taking it in.
In Korea and Japan forest-bathing is covered by national healthcare and increasing numbers of mental health professionals here in the US are making recommendations to spend a specific amount of time in nature. You can even write your own nature prescription (link) at Park RX America.
Aminal-Assisted Therapy
Another type of nature healing is animal-assisted therapy. Animal-assisted therapy’s roots go all the way back to ancient Greece. It was, and is, used to improve mental as well as physical ailments. In recent years animal-assisted therapy has been a tool in developing social emotional intelligence and compassion as well.
Other Types of Nature Healing
Adventure Therapy:
Outdoor athletic activities that explore nature.
Arts & Crafts:
Combines creative arts with nature by creating art in a natural setting or using natural materials like found objects, clay, plants to create artwork.
Conservation:
Getting involved in repairing and conserving natural spaces.
Green exercise:
Any outdoor exercise like running or cycling; also exercising outside by doing yoga or similar activity outdoors.
Therapeutic Horticulture and Farming:
Growing crops, taking care of plants or farm animals, and possibly sharing or selling food.
Wilderness Therapy:
Spending time in the wilderness learning survival techniques or simply hiking and camping with a group.
The Healing Powers of Nature
Well-Being
- Access to nature lowers rates of obesity and depression.
- Time outdoors and exposure to green settings in neighborhoods are associated with improved sleep.
- Time spent in nature reduces ADHD symptoms.
- Sufferers of chronic depression show improved mood after walking in nature.
- Rates of depression are lower in neighborhoods with more green space and bird abundance.
- Exposure to nature is associated with less rumination and an improved mental affect.
Physical Health
- Spending more time outdoors leads to increased physical exertion.
- Extended time in nature improves immune function significantly evidenced by an increase in Natural Killer (NK) cells. NK cells are white blood cells that fight infection and even cancer cells.
- More time spent with nature is associated with a lower prevalence of diabetes.
- Forest bathing sessions decrease blood pressure and this decrease has been shown to last for up to 5 days after a session.
- Higher self-reported mental wellbeing after exercising outdoors vs indoors.
- Exercising in nature restores attention levels better than exercising indoors.
Children
- Children who spend more time outdoors have reduced rates of nearsightedness.
- Greener neighborhoods have lower rates of childhood asthma.
- Time spent in nature results in decreases in childhood stress and anxiety.
- Natural schoolyards are associated with decreased behavioral problems.
- Recess in natural environments improve tests of cognitive performance.
- Children with ADHD concentrate better after walking in a park or other green setting.
- Students with social emotional challenges showed greater improvements in self concept than a control group.
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves a strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature — the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.” RACHEL CARSON
Ways to Incorporate Nature into Your Self-Care
Take nature walks in natural spaces or in your neighborhood.
Search for shells, sand dollars, rocks, and drift wood while walking on a beach.
Hike in one of our many forests.
Meditate outdoors.
Ride a bike. Take advantage of bike rentals available in downtown Arcata.
Gardening or yard work.
Birdwatch from a yard, park, boat, beach, or forest.
Gather natural supplies and create art.
Read, journal, or relax in a comfortable outdoor space.
Watch the sunset.
Track the moon from new to full. Stargaze.
Go on a scavenger hunt to engage each sense: name something you hear, see, smell, touch, and sense.
Go on a litter picking walk on a beach or trail.
Can’t get outside? You can still benefit from natural sounds and videos. So hop on YouTube or ask Alexa to play you nature sounds.
Incorporating outdoor self-care into your routine as a parent is a powerful way to enhance your ability to provide compassionate care for the people in your life. Focusing any amount of time on your own wellbeing will provide you with benefit. Look for activities that relax and re-energize you then, make a commitment to yourself. It can be as easy as stepping outside and looking around.
EYS families may have access to animal-assisted therapy and organized wilderness adventures. Contact your CFS or call the office for information on these services.
SOURCES:
1. ParkRX America https://parkrxamerica.org/
2. Raypole, Crystal 2020. Ecotherapy and the Healing Power of Nature, Healthline https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/ecotherapy
3. Twohig-Bennett, Caoimhe and Jones, Andy 2018. The health benefits of the great outdoors: A systematic review and meta-analysis of greenspace exposure and health outcomes, National Library of Medicine https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6562165/
4. Li, Qing et al 2010. A day trip to a forest park increases human natural killer activity and the expression of anti-cancer proteins in male subjects, National Library of Medicine https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20487629/
5. Dennett, Carrie 2018. Could walking barefott on grass improve your health? Some research suggests it can. The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/could-walking-barefoot-on-the-grass-improve-your-health-the-science-behind-grounding/2018/07/05/12de5d64-7be2-11e8-aeee-4d04c8ac6158_story.html
6. Bratman, Gregory et al 2019. Nature and mental health: An ecosystem service perspective, Science Advances https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aax0903
7. Eastside TMS and Wellness Center https://www.eastsidetmswellness.com/the-effects-of-hiking-on-mental-well-being/#:~:text=The%20combination%20of%20physical%20exercise,solving%20skills%2C%20and%20creative%20thinking.
8. Nield, David. July 2024. Science Direct: Our Perception of Time Can Actually Speed Up Wound Healing. https://www.sciencealert.com/our-perception-of-time-can-actually-speed-up-wound-healing
