Learning how to take care of your mental health is a battle that many college students struggle with on a daily basis, but it also serves as one of the most important lessons while pursuing academic and professional goals. Especially when immersed in a bustling college environment, mental wellness can easily be placed on the back burner in comparison to the other demands of life. However, it’s important to remember that mental wellness can’t be placed on hold until a free moment becomes available; a proactive role in caring for mental health needs must be taken each and every day. A nature-based approach to mindfulness is just one alternative solution to traditional treatment options that can help college students prioritize their mental health without overloading busy schedules. By forming a connection to nature within community green spaces, individuals can not only aid in the effort of preserving local environmental areas, but receive aid in the process.
Many Undergraduate Students Aren’t Seeking Out Solutions For Mental Health Concerns
Stress, anxiety, and depression, commonly referred to as SAD, are some of the leading mental health concerns that undergraduate college students across the United States face, regardless of gender. In a survey of over one thousand undergraduate college students, roughly twenty-four percent displayed symptoms of anxiety alone, while almost ten percent displayed symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression together. Medical treatment costs, concerns, time constraints, as well as the stigma associated with mental health often prevent these individuals from getting the help they need and deserve, and even when aware of resources available to them, many individuals will opt-out of receiving traditional treatment pathways for their symptoms, leaving them at risk of spiraling in silence.
SAD can stem from a variety of sources. Stressful schedules and demanding courses are just some common sources of mental health issues within college students, alongside other risk factors such as biological and psychological ones, personal relationships, and individual lifestyle choices. To add onto the pressure, “a mutual relationship can exist between grades and mental health, as having a poor mental health can reciprocally cause students to get lower grades, leading to a vicious cycle of mental health and academic performance.” Therefore, choosing to prioritize other demands in life, such as academic performance, isn’t a solution to minimizing the symptoms of SAD.
The Practice of Nature-Based Mindfulness
There are a variety of valid reasons as to why an individual may not want to seek traditional treatment pathways in search of mental wellness. However, an alternative solution must be found to help manage symptoms of anxiety, sadness, and/or depression. Nature-based mindfulness is just one alternative practice available that serves as a nontraditional, holistic, and inexpensive pathway to ease symptoms of SAD. By connecting individuals to nature through sensory engagement and outdoor activity, the practice of nature-based mindfulness provides an opportunity for individuals to take charge in the role of caring for mental health needs.
Mindfulness itself is a psychological practice that involves being present in the moment, acceptance without judgement, intentionality, and curiosity to new experiences. A nature-based approach amplifies this process, taking the traditional mindfulness practice a few steps further by involving sensory engagement, outdoor activities or exercise, and a connection with nature. When examining studies, conducted to measure the impact of this kind of practice, each experiment presented a larger change in the anxiety levels of the subject than in more traditional types of treatments. This form of self-care doesn’t have to engulf hours of free time though. In fact, when compared to an urban view, spending just 15 minutes in a campus park can have a decrease in physiological indicators of stress, such as heart rate, blood pressure, and cortisol levels, as well as in psychological measures of stress, including depression, hostility, fatigue, and anxiety. This means that the practice of nature-based mindfulness can easily be incorporated into any busy schedule.
Community Green Spaces
Although many university campuses are nestled in primarily urban areas, many spaces for students to engage in this practice are still available. Free or discounted community green spaces, such as Hampton Roads’ Brock Commons at ODU, Norfolk Botanical Garden, Bluebird Gap Farm, and Elizabeth River Trail, all feature a variety of abundant wildlife and outdoor activities that students can enjoy. Students can hike through, eat, or study at the Elizabeth River Trail that runs through ODU’s campus as well as ODU’s Brock Commons, or even participate in educational tours and volunteer/work programs at the Norfolk Botanical Garden and Bluebird Gap Farm. In fact, individuals who engaged in nature-based mindfulness practice through educational tours and volunteer/work programs found themselves with a deeper appreciation for their local environment, and began taking a much more proactive role in environmental preservation.
Nature-based mindfulness practice may seem like too simple of a solution to easing symptoms of SAD, but the benefits are proven. During experiences within community green spaces, individuals can embark on their mindfulness journey and gradually form a connection to the nature surrounding them through the intentional practice of being present in the moment and acceptance without judgement. Just 15 minutes of this practice will aid in easing both physiological and psychological measures of stress, and ultimately minimize symptoms of SAD. Environmental internships, educational tours, volunteer programs, outdoor fitness classes, and nature-based therapies are only a few examples of how students can incorporate nature-based mindfulness practices into their daily routines.
By focusing our attention on green spaces within the community that might need some extra support, these spaces can aid us in the process of caring for mental health needs, truly displaying the idea that ‘you get what you give.’