Touch grass from your couch
Nature documentaries are criminally underrated. Who wouldn’t love exploring the world from your living room couch while eating a pint of ice cream? They’re beautiful, educational, entertaining and calming. I always feel better after watching a nature documentary.
According to happiful.com, nature documentaries significantly boost mood and wellbeing. Watching just one nature documentary can alleviate feelings of anxiety and combat boredom. Furthermore, watching a nature documentary connects you with the natural world. It’s a way to touch grass without actually touching any grass (I still recommend actually touching real grass from time to time).
Nature documentaries make you feel small, in a good way. Watching a small ant retrieve food in the rainforest, or an epic battle of rhinoceros in the African grasslands, makes you realize how big, wide and complex the world is; and you’re just a tiny part of the big puzzle. With this perspective, you feel less intense pressure and it can foster empathy and understanding. You never walk away from a nature documentary ready to angrily text your co-worker or say a spiteful comment to your roommate.
In our digital world, life is busy and always moving. We are immersed in the worlds of our social media feed and in the meantime we have work to do (that is likely on a screen). It is beneficial to get a healthy dose of nature to keep us grounded and boost our spirits. It is even better to explore somewhere new, maybe across the world or in the city you grew up in. But, the time and money to do so is an extreme privilege. Many people don’t have time for a nature walk, they have to go to their shift at work. Most people definitely cannot afford to travel to a remote place in the world just to see something new. So, how do we interact with nature in our digital worlds? Nature documentaries.
Although they are not a replacement for going outside, they are a wonderful way to wind down and re-center after a hard day’s work. Nature documentaries provide an opportunity to explore corners of the world most would never be able to see. Because of nature documentaries we can watch dolphins interact with each other, prairie dogs hide from predators and sea turtles hatch on a beach. These are wonders of the world captured by fantastic cinematographers and made possible by talented producers.
Additionally, nature documentaries take us away from our anthropocentric world. Everything is about humans, for humans, because of humans. But, our world isn’t just humans. It’s deep sea fish, funky fungi, vast mountaintops, baby orangutans and lush coral reefs. When you watch all these different living beings survive, fight, love, eat, run and play, you realize how real and alive they really are. Life is very complicated, but in the end it’s all about living and dying.
Nature documentaries come in all shapes and sizes. Some feature specific ecosystems, others specific species. There are scientifically focused options, and socially focused options. Many highlight human-nature relationships, while others are devoid of humans altogether. Disney + and Netflix have a variety of great options. Our Planet is a classic one and anything with David Attenbourugh is the authentic nature documentary watching experience.
So, next time you’re scrolling through Netflix unsure what to watch, put on a nature documentary. I guarantee it will leave you completely calm and totally grounded.