Spring truly is the light at the end of the cold, dark, tunnel that is winter. The weather is nicer, the sun is out for more than a couple hours, and brightly colored flowers are blooming. Despite my seasonal allergies, I love to be outside during this time enjoying the sun and appreciating the beauty of nature. Unfortunately, I don’t always get around to it because of my course load as well as overall burnout from sophomore year. Between multiple essays and other deadlines, I spend more of my free time vegging out in my room than I’d care to admit.
But this doesn’t always make me feel better in the long run. Therefore, it is especially important to get outside not only for the weather but also for the sake of my health. There is a growing body of empirical research backing up the claim that time spent in nature– real nature, by the way, not necessarily urban spaces or shopping centers– improves our physical and mental health. This is especially true for those who are having an acute episode of stress; whether from grief, mental illness, or life stressors, spending time in nature can give the biggest benefit to those who are the most stressed.
The mental aspect of being in nature is being researched more and more, but what we have right now looks very promising. Scottish doctors are prescribing nature as a treatment for physical ailments (such as high blood pressure) but also for anxiety and depression. There is an increasing amount of therapists practicing ecotherapy, which combines standard therapeutic practices/ medication with spending substantial time in nature settings. There is more to it than just getting exercise (which we know is good for our mental health); there are studies that have seen hospital patients recover faster and use less pain medication when their room had elements of nature. I think the next few decades are only going to see more and more research in medical fields that involve nature.
The good news about nature improving health is that it is free, and most everyone can do it! (This is why advocating for more green spaces in underprivileged areas is important.) While you can always go to a park and go people watching (or my favorite: dog watching), there are many ways to get your daily “green time” while having fun. My friends and I love going to farmer’s markets, and even though some are in the middle of the city, I think being around the fresh produce and plants brings me happiness. There is also a night market in the middle of a park so you can enjoy your fresh food on top of grass/surrounded by trees. We also have done a couple of study dates at Cal Anderson Park, which can be especially effective if it is school work that is getting you down. My roommate likes to go on walks when she’s stressed, and my favorite form of exercise is running outside since it gives me enough visual stimuli to distract myself. Also, some of my favorite days spent relaxing tend to be outside events–whether it’s spending a day doing a nature hike, or just enjoying the sunshine while walking to a slightly farther coffee shop during study breaks (plus, you know, I have to get those 10,000 steps in).
I’m a big fan of practicing mindfulness, and I think this concept comes in really handy here. I love being near water (specifically the ocean), but I don’t get nearly enough satisfaction if I am sitting on my phone or worrying about my to-do list. The best times in nature are times when you can just be in nature: listen to the birds chirping, the waves lapping at the shore, and the wind blowing past your ears. I’ve tried meditating in my room with varying levels of success, but I think I unintentionally enter a state of zen when spending uninterrupted time in nature.
If you’re really lucky and you can easily access to wilderness or relatively untouched nature (think: mountains, natural rivers, forests, conservation areas, etc.), I think there is something therapeutic about realizing the beauty of the earth. No matter if I fail my next test, or if I am super stressed, or even when I feel like my life has no meaning, the earth keeps spinning, plants keep growing, and seasons keep changing. The world will go on no matter what happens to me, and the insignificance of my life in the grand scheme of things, strangely enough, gives me comfort. It’s not that I don’t matter but that my life is a part of something so much bigger, an ecosystem that is living and breathing just like me. This appreciation for nature always leaves me in a calm state and helps me set my intentions to live a good life by my values and to block out the noise that media and life drama brings.
If you take anything from this article, I hope it’s to simply get outside, feel some grass, admire the beauty of nature, and pet a fuzzy animal (preferably a domesticated animal, though). You may feel a little hippy-dippy in the beginning, but at the end of the day, spending time in nature is a wholesome way to fulfill a part of our humanity that we’ve had access to since the beginning of our existence. It only makes sense to let this ancient connection to nature continue into the future.