Viewing Nature Can Help Aid Off Psychological Issues
The presence of trees, water, and open spaces of greenery transition the mind into feeling an escape from everyday concerns. It brings simplicity back to life.
The isolation of being locked up in offices and high-rise condominiums is being linked to psychological disorders including depression, anxiety, and a short attention span at work.
Viewing nature can help aid off psychological issues
New York Times article, How Nature Changes the Brain by Gretchen Reynolds, found that people who live in cities spend more time ‘brooding’, a term meaning an enumeration of thoughts in your mind as to what is wrong with yourself and your life.
The study compared those who lived in high-density urban settings to those who had more exposure to greenery and trees.
So what if you don’t have a park on the route to work or cannot give up the highway commute? There is still hope.
The Journal of Environmental Psychology suggests that even small mental breaks viewing nature can help aid off psychological issues such as reduced attention span. The study looked at subjects that viewed either concrete or green spaces and found that the ones who viewed the natural environment made fewer errors and were more consistent in responding to given tasks.
Nature literally changes the brain
And not only are the people who have more exposure to natural settings mentally healthier, but they also enjoy a higher quality of physical health as well.
A convincing example in the New Yorker, What a Tree is Worth, by Alex Hutchinson, showed that patients given hospital rooms that looked over spaces with trees as opposed to a brick wall, recovered faster. In fact, researchers are discovering that surrounding yourself with nature can be one of the most powerful stress-relievers out there.
As unlikely as it is to take a twenty-minute detour for a scenic route or to move to a park surrounding area, there are small changes that you can implement into your life today. Change your desktop background to outdoor scenery or hang visual art of the sky and ocean on your wall. Spend more of your breaks outside, and plan more trips to the park or runs along the water. Vote in favor of green roofs, and of course, make an effort to get into nature and enjoy it.
