My Mind Needs the Outdoors
For as long as I can remember I’ve loved the great outdoors and being outside. One of my earliest and fondest memories is hiking up a mountain in the French Alps with my dad. The hike took a lot longer than we anticipated and we didn’t get back until after dark, with the rest of my family getting increasingly worried about when we would return. We had a fantastic time, and didn’t stop until we’d achieved our goal of hiking to the top and back, despite the darkening skies. The sense of adventure and wonder at the natural world I felt that day has never really left me, at times perhaps more dormant than others, but it’s always been there bubbling beneath the surface.
Over the past couple of years I’ve really appreciated how much being outdoors means to me and my wellbeing. Throughout the pandemic the bit of my day I looked forward to the most was getting outside and going for walks in the countryside around me. It refreshed my mind, calmed me down and allowed me to appreciate the bigger picture. Noticing this importance has been a bit of a lightbulb moment. I’ve realised where my true passions in life lie and decided to act upon them. Moving to Canada for 6 months with access to towering mountains, fast flowing rivers, and epic lakes was part of me realising this dream, although I truly believe you can immerse yourself in nature anywhere in the world.
Since noticing how my own mental health improved through spending time in nature, I became interested to know more. After digging a bit deeper, I’ve learnt that we benefit hugely from being outdoors, and that we can increase this positive reaction by fully immersing ourselves. The topic - called Ecopsychology, is a huge and emerging subject, but one that has very real benefits to people’s mental wellbeing. Numerous pieces of research have shown that spending time in nature helps mild to moderate depression and can be an antidote to stress. It can reduce anxiety, improve your mood and genuinely lower blood pressure. In Canada, with this research in mind, doctors have started to prescribe free National Parks passes to people suffering with depression, and reported hugely positive effects. The programme, called PaRx, is Canada’s first national nature prescription programme, and people who have been prescribed 2 hours a week for at least 20 minutes a time have reported a lifted mood, calmness and reduced symptoms of depression.
This initiative is backed by several new research papers and books. I recently read Losing Eden: Why Our Minds Need the Wild, by British journalist Lucy Jones. She focuses on how and why connecting with the natural world can affect our health and wellbeing, as well as how appreciating the power and beauty of nature can inspire action to save the planet from eco-destruction. Throughout the book her arguments are backed up by numerous research articles & papers, ranging from a 2015 experiment showing how microbreaks in green spaces (moments as small as looking at a green roof in a city) improve our cognitive functioning, to a study in which the participants were more generous to complete strangers after looking at awe-inspiring natural scenery. MRI scans in this second study showed reduced activity in the part of their brains responsible for their ‘sense of self’. Reflecting on the benefits exposure to nature has, she also touches on how children (particularly in cities) have severely reduced access to the outdoors, with ¾ of children aged 5-12 spending less time outdoors than prison inmates. She touches on how society is reacting to these problems, with ‘forest schooling’ (where children are encouraged to explore whilst being taught outside) being expanded upon in the British education system. She visits such a school in East London called Tower Hamlets Cemetery park and speaks to Kenneth Greenway (the cemetery park manager) about the initiatives. The school offers a wide range of experiences, which can include cooking on fires, building dens, bushcraft skills, bird watching and identifying insects to name but a few. To further immerse the children in the park, they can take part in tailored activities and games designed to help them connect to the natural environment on a deeper level. It’s a wonderful concept, and considering the park’s urban location, seems a great way to give kids in a built up environment immediate access to the outdoors.
Over the last 6 months whilst travelling in Canada I’ve visited some truly beautiful places which have energised me, and clearly exhibited the outcomes of the studies Lucy Jones focuses on in Losing Eden. I really notice the difference in my life outlook and motivation when I spend time outside, whether that be hiking, surfing, skiing, climbing, or just taking a simple stroll. With this knowledge in mind, I always try to get out for a walk or hike everyday, and whilst walking, use different techniques to feel present and notice things - how the ground feels on my feet whilst walking, the spectrum of different colours in the sky or trees, and my breath or heartbeat. These practices ground me, and stop distractions and thoughts, if only for a few minutes, allowing me to fully experience the place I’m in, and forget the stresses of the day. This connection to our natural environment and the practice of spending time in nature is a powerful thing, and something I believe everyone should try and implement into their daily lives. The benefits are very real and very important. Get outside people, and reap the rewards!
