photo courtesy Pexels

You know those ads for prescription drugs, “Take This, it will fix that!” (Then a fast-talking lower-toned voice warns of all the other thats the This can create.)

What if the This was right outside your door, free, and didn’t cause those thats… would you try it? (No, it’s not meditation – though for sure, that’s a good This too.)

It is a regular dose of… nature.

Some label it green therapy, eco-therapy, nature-based therapy. Some just label it relaxing, restoring.

The change is being led by psychologists on a branch of the tree (no pun intended) called “ecopsychology.” It explores how humans and nature interact, far beyond the one nature-related disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM-V), seasonal affective disorder (though there is growing awareness of eco-anxiety and distress, especially related to climate change).

Ecopsychology research and training explores the links between human well-being and nature in many different ways, including how time in nature improves our physical or mental state, including:

  • Boosted mood;
  • Improved immune system response;
  • Enhanced energy, concentration and cognitive functioning;
  • Ease of computer fatigue;
  • Lowered stress, anxiety, depression and anger;
  • Lower blood pressure; and
  • Increased life expectancy.

Clinical psychologist Maria Nazarian summarized: “When we feel connected to the world around us, we experience more joy and belonging, less depression and less anxiety, all of which increase our thinking, creativity, well-being and generosity.” Family therapist Christian Dymond (VT) says he witnesses this every day; “Getting a child outside into nature can bring life back into their eyes.” Pediatrician Robert Zarr sees the field “starting to think about nature not just as a place to recreate, but also as a social determinant of health.”

Natural England’s Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment Survey is the world’s largest study of people’s weekly contact with the natural world. The study’s co-author, Psychology Professor Terry Hartig of Uppsala University in Sweden, observed: “There are many reasons why spending time in nature may be good for health and wellbeing, including getting perspective on life circumstances, reducing stress, and enjoying quality time with friends and family. The current findings offer valuable support to health practitioners in making recommendations about spending time in nature to promote basic health and wellbeing, similar to guidelines for weekly physical.”

And those recommendations are shifting to prescriptions for nature. According to the ParkRx 2018 Census by the Institute at the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, as of July 2018 there were 71 provider-based nature-prescription programs in 32 states in the U.S. (up from eight in 2010), including Prescription Trails in New Mexico, “a program designed to give all health care professionals tools to increase walking and wheelchair rolling on suggested routes.”

Ok, you may think, this makes sense. But, um, what’s the dose… how much nature makes a difference? I have a job, a family, things to do. Do I need to move into the woods and live in a tent, or get a job on a beach?

Good question (and let us know when that job on the beach opens up)! Dr. Mat White of the University of Exeter Medical School wondered the same thing, and led a study of 20,000 people to figure it out: “It’s well known that getting outdoors in nature can be good for people’s health and wellbeing but until now we’ve not been able to say how much is enough.”

His research was funded by the UK’s National Institute for Health Research and published in Scientific Reports. It concluded that we should spend at least (drumroll, please):

Two hours a week.

The study showed that people who spend at least two hours in nature each week are significantly more likely to report good health and higher psychological well-being than those who don’t visit nature in an average week. The benefits also were not found in people who visited natural settings for less than two hours each week.

The results applied across gender, age, occupation, neighborhood, ethnicity, health status and ability.

Sounds great, but I can’t spend 2 hours in nature today (or tomorrow, or the next day).

That’s ok! The two hours averages to just over 17 minutes a day, and the study found that the time in nature did not need to be in a row. Dr. White hopes it is “a realistic target for many people, especially given that it can be spread over an entire week to get the benefit.”

Ok, I hear you, you say. But that sounds expensive. How far do I have to travel to get deep into nature?

Another good question!

As it turns out, any “natural setting” right outside your door is also great – a city park, water or woodland area. Dr White explains: “The majority of nature visits in this research took place within just two miles of home so even visiting local urban greenspaces seems to be a good thing.”

How will I know if it’s working?

Take Reduce Reuse Renew blogger Laura Durenberger’s invitation to simply notice how you feel. She writes that when she goes too long without being outside (like the time period after she gave birth to her son), “My anxiety spikes. I am irritable. My energy is low. I don’t feel motivated or creative… After my time outdoors, I feel grounded, renewed, energized and much more clearheaded than before I started.”

And remember that if your own doctor doesn’t prescribe nature, you can give yourself the Rx. Or feel free to take this virtual one: go visit your favorite park bench or path by the Quinnipiac River, Long Wharf, West River, East Rock, Lighthouse Point or any of many others. The one you like or want to check out, but that hasn’t felt your footsteps lately. See you there.

Curated & written by The Circle’s Creative Director & Editor, Lara Herscovitch (Cohort 10). To reach Lara directly: thecircle@clpnewhaven.org or Lara@LaraHerscovitch.com

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