Feeling Good With Nature
We spent one of our weekend days in a garden. Alongside the apples that would be harvested in a month or two, ripe peaches and grapes were waiting for us to pick them. Leaning a ladder against a tree and climbing a step or two, we entered a lush green world that truly symbolizes peace. The worry of "did a bug get inside my shirt?" is part of that peace too. A thorn in your foot, a dirty top, muddy slippers… Compared with city life, these are worries that sound wonderful.
Nature promises us so much. If you've noticed, some of the posts we've shared on our Instagram page so far are photos taken in natural settings (we only just noticed :)). A study conducted in the United States examined how stressed individuals reacted while looking at nature photos and city photos. The results showed that looking at nature photos reduced stress, while looking at city photos triggered stress and even anger. So, without realizing it, we've actually been spreading peace with the posts on our Instagram page! Jokes aside, being in nature over the weekend, picking some fruit, and sharing space with a tractor, a pickaxe and a shovel made us feel good. We took some lovely photos, too. So we'd like to share a few photos from our weekend along with what research says about nature's positive effect on our mental state.
Many studies have shown that nature contributes to psychological well-being. In fact, never mind being out in nature: even being able to look at a natural view through a window is a factor that affects happiness. One study compared office workers based on the views from their windows. The results suggest that individuals with a view of nature are more satisfied with life.
There are also findings showing that nature improves human attention and memory. When given tasks involving memory and attention, people who walk in nature perform better than people who walk along city streets. From this, for example, we can infer that choosing a natural setting to study in could give us an advantage.
It is also an accepted finding that being in contact with nature, or engaging in an activity related to nature, is directly linked to psychological well-being. Individuals diagnosed with depression were found to feel better after a nature-related activity. And not only among people diagnosed with depression: it is an accepted fact that nature evokes positive emotions in the general population as well. Spending more time in nature strengthens our emotion regulation skills. In other words, it helps us manage difficult emotions such as sadness and anxiety.
Dozens of studies in the field of environmental psychology suggest that nature contributes to psychological well-being and improves mental and cognitive skills. We experience this in our lives to a greater or lesser extent, too. Based on a few studies we reviewed and our own experience, here is our takeaway: instead of staying home on weekends, we should more often do things that keep us energized and lift our mood, such as going out and wandering around, walking, touching leaves, feeling the soil, breathing in fresh air, swimming in a natural setting, running, having a picnic, picking fruit and watering flowers. We just need to not be lazy and to unplug from Netflix a little :)
After a lovely day, we headed home with smiles on our faces and a bucket of fruit in our hands. As we return to our busy city lives, the energy we've stored up looks like it will last us about a week!
See you soon.
Note: If you're interested in the topic, you can read resources on environmental psychology. Some of the online sources we read:
apa.org/monitor/apr01/greengood
