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How Nature Nurtures

Laura Ryder • November 1, 2021

Getting out of the house and seeing the blackthorns and lime tree opposite our cottage induces a response in me that I can only describe as a neuronal sigh of relief: an unseen, silent reaction in the brain that is simultaneously soothing and curative. (Mitchell, 2019, p. 5)

Laura Ryder works indoors with Westmeath Counselling, but also outdoors. Last year she completed a thesis looking at nature's impact on mental health and the potential of taking therapy outdoors. Below is an abridged version of the first chapter of "Counselling al fresco: is there a case for taking therapy outdoors?", which offers an explanation for why nature has sustained many of us through Covid restrictions and shows how it can help even now that restrictions have eased.


Anecdotal evidence has long suggested that nature is a resource for improving and maintaining mental health. A stroll on the beach seldom gets bad reviews. Walking the dog is for the person attached to the other end of the leash too. Weeding, pruning, planting and harvesting is good for more than just the garden.


Research looking at exactly how nature benefits mental health is becoming more common, and the picture is becoming clearer: anecdotal evidence is being backed up by empirical evidence that points towards nature being much more than just an aesthetically pleasing backdrop to busy lives.


Roger Ulrich is something of a pioneer in the area, with studies looking at nature as a stress-reducer. He found that views of nature with predominantly green vegetation “significantly improved the emotional states of stressed individuals” (Ulrich, 1981, p. 524) compared with exposure to urban scenes with no nature elements, which tended to have the opposite effect.


Psychologist Stephen Kaplan has also authored pioneering work researching the connection between nature and mental health. Together with Rachel Kaplan he came up with the idea of attention restoration theory (ART). Attention restoration is the antidote to directed attention fatigue, a state arrived at after mental effort has been put into concentrating intensely on one thing and ignoring distractions. Kaplan (1995) suggests that nature is an ideal restorative environment, where one’s attention is held involuntarily and with little effort. He argues that a reaction to beauty in nature is far from trivial, and that behind the reaction is an assessment of the environment culminating in a judgement that the area is compatible with human needs and where we are likely to function best (Kaplan & Kaplan, 1989).


A 90-minute walk in nature has been shown to lower levels of rumination and result in less neural activity in the part of the brain linked to risk for mental illness, when compared with a similar walk in an urban setting (Bratman et al., 2015). A meta-analysis by Robertson et al. (2012) found walking to be an effective intervention for depression, and noted a statistically significant, large effect on its symptoms in some populations. A study by Harvey et al. (2018) concluded that even small amounts of exercise could protect against future depressive episodes. O’Mara (2019) describes walking as a “simple, doable, personal fix” (p. 4) that allows him to “walk it off, whatever it is” (p. 12).


Mind, a charity working in England and Wales that promotes ecotherapy as a mental health treatment, found that people’s mental health significantly improved after activities in nature (Bragg et al., 2013; MIND, 2007, 2013). Being outdoors has been linked to positive effects on feelings of vitality (Ryan et al., 2010), while even small, short engagements with nature have been found to make for better cognitive control (Berman et al., 2008).


Students in Canada who completed a 17-minute walk between two campus locations along a riverbank reported improvements in mood to the order of about one-third compared to those who made the journey via underground tunnels (Nisbet & Zelenski, 2011), though interestingly substantially underestimated how the outdoors walk would make them feel compared to the indoor alternative. Pretty et al. (2005) found that green exercise (exercise in the presence of nature) is more effective than exercise alone in improving mental health, while Barton and Pretty (2010) concluded that while exercise in nature improved self-esteem and mood, exercise in the presence of nature including water made for more improvements. As Mitchell (2019) eloquently describes: “walking in a garden, field or wood is like reaching into an invisible natural medicine cabinet” (p. 10).


Being in nature makes for a better ability to reflect (Mayer et al., 2009). O’Mara (2019) makes a connected observation regarding the inclusion of cloisters in building designs of the past, allowing people to walk and think outdoors while simultaneously being protected from inclement weather. A report for Mind charity also makes mention of nature’s role in mental health in the past, in particular how mental health institutions were “often situated in pleasant gardens and natural landscapes” (Mind, 2007, p. 4).


Nature has an impact even when viewed from indoors. A study of hospital patients discovered that those in rooms with windows looking out at a tree had shorter post-operative stays, had fewer negative evaluative comments from nurses, took fewer moderate and strong analgesic medicine doses and had slightly lower scores for minor postsurgical complications than their fellow patients in rooms looking out at a brick wall (Ulrich, 1984). Meanwhile workers in an office setting have been found to be more hostile, anxious and depressed than those working in rooms with windows, while those working near windows are reportedly more content than their colleagues seated further away (Selhub & Logan, 2012).


Nature does not have to remain outside to positively influence a person’s mental health. Adding plants to an indoor room makes for a better mood (Selhub & Logan, 2012), while McGeeney (2016, p. 74) argues that adding “a bowl of fresh flowers or a potted plant can make a difference” in the therapy room. Fearful patients waiting to see the dentist have been found to be less stressed when a large nature mural was added to a previously blank wall (Heerwagen, 1990, as cited in McGeeney, 2016, p. 77). A study recording intentional damage to artwork at a Swedish psychiatric hospital over two decades found that no pictures of nature were touched over the duration of the study (Ulrich, 1986, as cited in McGeeney, 2016, p. 74).


Raynor Winn and her husband set off on a 630-mile walk in 2013 when they became homeless in their 50s. A tough existence with few comforts, Winn (2019, p. 370) nonetheless describes nature as her safe place and acknowledges how the couple changed with their path, becoming “stronger, calmer, our passage quieter”.


The ancient intuitive understanding that nature plays a very important role in mental health has more recently been augmented with theories and supported in a wide range of research studies. The bottom line is that nature is a resource we could all harness for our own good. Perhaps you could forge a closer connection to nature in your life, either by bringing it into your indoor environment or meeting it outside and allowing its benefits to soak into your very being?


References

Barton, J. & Pretty, J. (2010). What is the Best Dose of Nature and Green Exercise for

Improving Mental Health? A Multi-Study Analysis. Environmental Science &

Technology, 44(10), 3947-3955. doi: 10.1021/es903183r


Berman, M., Jonides, J., & Kaplan, S. (2008). The Cognitive Benefits of Interacting With

Nature. Psychological Science, 19(12), 1207-1212. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02225.x


Bragg, R., Wood, C. & Barton, J. (2013). Ecominds effects on mental wellbeing: An

evaluation for MIND. Retrieved from https://www.mind.org.uk/media/354166/Ecominds-effects-on-mental-wellbeing-evaluation-report.pdf


Bratman, G., Hamilton, J., Hahn, K., Daily, G., & Gross, J. (2015). Nature experience

reduces rumination and subgenual prefrontal cortex activation. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences, 112(28), 8567-8572. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1510459112


Harvey, S.B., Øverland, S., Hatch, S.L., Wessely, S., Mykletun, A. & Hotopf, M. (2018).

Exercise and the prevention of depression: Results of the HUNT cohort study. American Journal of Psychiatry. 175(1), 28-36. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2017.16111223


Kaplan, R. & Kaplan, S. (1989). The experience of nature: A psychological perspective.

Cambridge University Press.


Kaplan, S. (1995). The restorative benefits of nature: Toward an integrative framework.

Journal of Environmental Psychology, 15(3), 169-182. doi: 10.1016/0272-

4944(95)90001-2


Mayer, F., Frantz, C., Bruehlman-Senecal, E., & Dolliver, K. (2009). Why Is Nature

Beneficial?. Environment And Behavior, 41(5), 607-643. doi: 10.1177/0013916508319745


McGeeney, A. (2016). With nature in mind: The ecotherapy manual for mental health

professionals. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.


MIND (2007, May). Ecotherapy: The green agenda for mental health.

https://www.mind.org.uk/media/211255/Ecotherapy_The_green_agenda_for_mental_health.pdf


MIND (2013). Feel better outside, feel better inside: Ecotherapy for mental wellbeing,

resilience and recovery. https://www.mind.org.uk/media/336359/Feel-better-outside-feel-better-inside-report.pdf


Mitchell, E. (2019). The wild remedy: How nature mends us. Michael O’Mara Books

Limited.


Nisbet, E.K. & Zelenski, J.M. (2011). Underestimating nearby nature: Affective forecasting

errors obscure the happy path to sustainability. Psychological Science. XX(X), 1-6. doi: 10.1177/0956797611418527


O’Mara, S. (2019). In praise of walking: The new science of how we walk and why it’s good

for us. Vintage Publishing.


Robertson, R., Robertson, A., Jepson, R., & Maxwell, M. (2012). Walking for depression or

depressive symptoms: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Mental Health And Physical Activity, 5(1), 66-75. doi: 10.1016/j.mhpa.2012.03.002


Ryan, R., Weinstein, N., Bernstein, J., Brown, K., Mistretta, L., & Gagné, M. (2010).

Vitalizing effects of being outdoors and in nature. Journal Of Environmental

Psychology, 30(2), 159-168. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2009.10.009


Selhub, E., & Logan, A. (2012). Your brain on nature [Ebook]. John Wiley and Sons

Canada, Ltd. Retrieved from https://libgen.is


Ulrich, R. (1981). Natural versus urban scenes. Environment and Behaviour, 13(5), 523-556.

doi: 10.1177/0013916581135001


Ulrich, R. (1984). View through a window may influence recovery from

surgery. Science, 224(4647), 420-421. doi: 10.1126/science.6143402


Winn, R. (2019). The salt path. Penguin Books Ltd.

When your feeling stuck

By Louise Yourell • March 9, 2023
When your not sure what's next, but you feel things need to change

Five ways to bring mindfulness into your busy life

By Mary O' Neill • October 25, 2021
The last eighteen months have been very stressful for us all. Who would have anticipated two years ago that we would find ourselves living through a worldwide pandemic and the life we took for granted would change so much? We have all been exposed to fear, uncertainty, and endless feeds of bad news on a daily basis. This has caused upheaval in our lives leading to stress, anxiety, and depression in some people. Practicing mindfulness can help us break out of the endless negative stories our minds tell us. It can help us to stay focused and deal with life’s challenges. It can bring peace and calm into our lives and lead to mental and physical wellness. What is Mindfulness? So, what is mindfulness? John Kabat Zinn one of the leading figures in the modern mindfulness movement describes mindfulness as “the awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally” Why practice mindfulness? When we practice mindfulness and pay attention to the present moment, we begin to live more fully in the present. We are less likely to have negative thoughts about the past and the future. Have you thought that you would like to practice mindfulness meditation, but you simply cannot find the time in your busy day to sit down and meditate? The good news is that you can still bring mindfulness into your day without having to sit down and meditate. Here are five ways you can practice mindfulness during your busy day. 1 Take a breath and slow down Are you aware of how you are breathing moment to moment? Are you breathing rapidly? Is your breathing shallow? Reset your breathing by noting to yourself that you are breathing in and breathing out. Remind yourself to breath slowly and deliberately. Try breathing in to the count of four, holding your breath to the count of seven and breathing out forcefully through your mouth to the count of eight. This has an incredibly calming effect on the body and mind. 2. Take mindful breaks during everyday tasks Did you know that you can practice mindfulness when you are doing everyday tasks? All you have to do is to become aware of what you are doing in the moment. It is as simple as that. Become aware of every step in the task you are doing anything from cleaning the cooker to cooking a meal to gardening. 3. Practice mindful walking and sitting. Pay attention to your body when exercising or at rest. If you are exercising tune into the movements of your body. If you are out walking become aware of the sensation of walking. Focus on the feeling of the soles of the feet on the ground and each movement your body makes as you walk. Tune in to your surroundings. Notice the trees, the clouds in the sky and the wind in your hair. When you are sitting become aware of the contact between your body and the chair. The more you practice this the more you will benefit from these mindful moments. 4. Practice Mindful Eating Have you ever had the experience of eating a meal and not being aware fully of what you are eating or how you are eating? So many of us sit down to eat while watching television or listening to the radio or playing with our phone. If you eat mindlessly, you will eat more, and your digestion will suffer. The next time you sit down to eat be aware of how you eat. Do you eat fast or slow? Do you chew your food properly or do you just bolt it down so you can get on to the next thing? 5. Take a break from your phone Have you ever found yourself mindlessly scrolling through your phone particularly in the evening and at night? Do you have problems sleeping? Park your phone and take a break from it before bedtime. Observe what happens when you do this. You may find this uncomfortable at first, but you can fill that space with a mindful break or mindful breathing. You will reap the benefits in a restful sleep. I hope these simple tips help you to bring mindfulness into your daily life. Doing this will help you feel more positive, and more in charge of what you are thinking and doing. If you feel you would like to give more time to sitting mindfulness meditation, you could use an apps such Headspace, Insight Timer and YouTube. If you feel anxious, depressed, or stressed and it is having a significant impact on your life counselling and psychotherapy can help. Mary O’Neill (MIACP), Counsellor & Psychotherapist
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