7 WAYS GREEN ENVIRONMENT BOOSTS MENTAL HEALTH: SUNDAY MIRROR
Happy World Environment Day…
Nature is our cradle. Our affinity towards nature is genetic and deep-rooted in evolution. Nature helps to decrease stress and improve mental health. For example, have you ever thought why most people like to have a great natural view from the balcony or the terrace? Why do patients have a view of nature from their hospital bed to recover sooner? Or why do we feel a mental cooling effect when we see a garden? Or why does it happen that when you are stressed you take time to figure out things amidst nature?
But now things have changed. Both nature and other species suffer from the strain caused by the massive human population, which is rising rapidly. It is the primary cause of the environmental pollution. Slowly and steadily we are going away from nature.
As the greeneries around us decrease, both our mental and physical health face huge challenges. It causes a continuous and relentless rise of greenhouse gases driving climate change, the acidification of the oceans, and shortages of fresh water. Our brain undergoes several steps of maturation after birth. The development of the brain depends upon both genetic and environmental factors. The nature boosts our mental and physical health.
How does nature shape mental health?
How does nature help in brain development?
We all feel relaxed when we walk in a park after a day’s work. Several researches have confirmed the decrease in mental fatigue due to studies and work. It increases our efficiency and performance substantially.
Contact with nature helps children to develop cognitive, emotional, and behavioral connections to their nearby social and biophysical environments. Experiences with nature are important for encouraging imagination and creativity, cognitive and intellectual development, and social relationships. So let the child play in a park for some time every day.
Nature Improves Memory & Reduces Stress
Outdoor activities can help alleviate symptoms of Alzheimer’s dementia. Nature helps in emotional regulation and improves memory functions. The research found that people who took a walk along nature did better on memory tests than the subjects who walked down the urban streets. Along with it boosts immunity and decreases inflammation.
Staying outdoors reduces stress by lowering the stress hormone cortisol along with regulating blood pressure. A study was conducted to see the effects of connection with nature on stress. Each participant observed visuals of either a natural landscape or an urban environment randomly. The people who viewed nature had lower stress scores.
Nature Improves self-esteem & helps in physical exercise
Green spaces provide necessary places and opportunities for physical activity. Exercise is a boon for both physical and mental health.
Nature in Urban areas consisting of parks and walkways incorporated into building design, provides calming and inspiring environments and encourages learning, inquisitiveness, and alertness. It increases positivity and helps us to improve our self-esteem.
Decreases hyperactivity in children and helps in focusing
Walks among nature and other outdoor activities build attention and focus. Many studies reveal strong environmental connections to be related to better performance, heightened concentration, and decreased fickleness. Symptoms of ADHD in children can be reduced through activity in green settings.
We need nature for our body and brain. That’s why we need Green space in every rural or urban setting. Every day we need to spend some time in the lap of nature (green time). Both adults and children need green time at work or school for better mental ability and function.
Excessive stress is a new epidemic. It may be workplace stress, study, and career-related stress, or covid-19 anxiety. It’s the primary cause of many neurological and psychiatric diseases.
Ecotherapy in a green environment is a very good solution to many of our problems. Make a routine to take a walk to your nearest green space every day at least for half an hour it can save you from many dreaded diseases of the brain.
Greeneries can save us from many mental illnesses. So let’s pledge to plant a tree in this environment day.
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