Nature Connection and Wellbeing
14th May 2022
Today marks the start of Green Health Week here in Scotland (other parts of the UK seem slower to catch on!) and it has been suggested that nature should be considered to be the fourth pillar of health alongside diet, sleep and exercise.
Green Health Week and the Benefits of Nature-Connection
We have previously discussed the concept and importance of nature-connection in greater depth, but increased connection with nature has been shown to lead to lower levels of anxiety, depression and stress; increased attention span and cognitive functioning and improvements in psychological and social well-being. These are all traits that appear negatively affected by modern life which can have a significant impact on our mental and physical wellbeing. The last few years having been particularly difficult for many people, but what has also become much better recognised during this time is that improving your connection with nature can help to counteract this and can lead to significant increases in your wellbeing.
Nature-Connectedness itself is often seen as including both an individual’s sense of their relationship with the natural world, and the mental, physical and emotional benefits that can be felt as a consequence of spending time actively engaging with nature, as well as nature-connection activities themselves such as an individual’s engagement with the natural world through their different senses. It is important to appreciate that nature-connection is more than just spending time in nature - it is about actively connecting with nature and usually involves using most if not all your senses; noticing beauty in nature; noticing how being in nature makes you feel; exploring and expressing how being in nature makes you feel; and taking action to care for nature and the natural environment.
How Long Do I Need To Spend Connecting With Nature?
Research undertaken by Exeter University, Uppsala University and University of Michigan Medical School that was published in the journal Nature, shows that people who spend at least 120 minutes in nature each week are significantly more likely to report higher psychological wellbeing than those who don't visit nature at all during an average week. The benefits peaked at between 200–300 minutes of contact with nature per week, with no further gain beyond this. The pattern was consistent across a wide range of key groups including men and women, older adults, across different occupational and ethnic groups, among those living in both rich and poor areas, and those with long-term health issues. Importantly, the research found that it did not matter how the 120 minutes of contact a week was achieved, whether in a single visit or over several shorter visits.
As Dr. Mathew White of the University of Exeter Medical School, who led the research reported, "The majority of nature visits in this research took place within just two miles of home so even visiting local urban green spaces seems to be a good thing. Two hours a week is hopefully a realistic target for many people, especially given that it can be spread over an entire week to get the benefit. Just getting out in nature, it doesn't have to be physical exercise - it could be just sitting on a bench - seemed to be good for just about everybody and it doesn't seem to matter how you get it. You could go for one long walk for two hours on a Sunday or you could go for four lots of 30 minutes at lunchtimes during the week”.
So, whilst the University of Derby Nature-Connectedness Research Group stress that actively connecting with nature can hold more benefits than merely being in nature, this figure of two hours a week seems like a good starting place!
Sit Spot and Nature-Connection
Sit Spot is a simple but powerful practice from Forest Bathing that encourages you to become more mindful; to connect with nature; to cultivate a deeper awareness of yourself and others; and most to cultivate a deeper understanding of the relationship that you have with the natural world.
Very simply, just find yourself a place in nature where you can comfortably sit and just ‘be’, immersing yourself in the world around you, engaging with it through all your senses and reconnecting with the rhythms of the natural world. Give yourself permission to simply sit, observe and be present. Turn your attention to each of your sense individually. Notice what you can see, what you can hear, what you can smell, what you can feel and what you can taste. When thoughts arise, gently bring yourself back to your sense; to the sounds, sights, smells and feel of your surroundings. An ideal length of time to practice Sit Spot is 20 to 30 minutes, but you may find that starting with 10 minutes and building up to half an hour is easiest. Whilst Sit Spot can be practiced anywhere and anytime, if you have a regular Sit Spot that you can go to a few times a week, then you will gain a real insight into, and greater appreciation of, the changes that occur over time as the seasons change.
If you practice Sit Spot for 20 minutes three times a week then, that's already 60 minutes! Add a couple of self-guided Forest Bathing walks lasting at least 30 minutes, or one longer walk lasting at least an hour, and you have your 120 minutes.
