How Can Nature Calm Your Sensory Connections?

Nature can calm our sensory connections, help reduce stress and anxiety and a multitude of benefits but many of us still make excuses and do not take advantage of the sunshine and lose out on its benefits to our health daily.

Being in nature, or even viewing scenes of nature, reduces anger, fear, and stress and increases pleasant feelings and exposure to nature not only makes you feel better emotionally, it contributes to your physical wellbeing, reducing blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, and the production of stress hormones.

According to Lisa Nisbet, PhD, a psychologist at Trent University in Ontario,” Canada, who studies connectedness to nature.

“There is mounting evidence, from dozens and dozens of researchers, that nature has benefits for both physical and psychological human well­being “You can boost your mood just by walking in nature, even in urban nature. And the sense of connection you have with the natural world seems to contribute to happiness even when you are not physically immersed in nature.

According to a National Library of Medicine report;

‘Globally, the prevalence of mental health problems (particularly depression) is increasing at an alarming rate. Indeed, the WHO has stated that untreated mental health problems account for more than 10% of the total global burden of disease and have projected that, by 2030, mental health problems will be the leading cause of mortality and morbidity globally (World Health Assembly 2012).’

For this and all reasons we need to somehow bridge the gaps and support our sensory networks to experience the benefits of nature and incorporate it into our everyday live and learn to support our own mental health initiatives.

The benefits of being in nature are endless from a stroll through a city park to hiking in the wilderness, exposure to nature has been linked to a host of benefits, including improved attention, lower stress, better mood, reduced risk of psychiatric disorders and even upticks in empathy and cooperation.

Most research so far has focused on green spaces such as parks and forests, and researchers are now also extending their study to the benefits of blue spaces, places with river and ocean views.

Nature comes in all shapes and sizes, and psychological research is still fine-tuning our understanding of its potential benefits. In the process, scientists are charting a course for policymakers and the public to better tap into the healing powers of Mother Nature

According to an Australian study in the journal of environmental psychology;

"Views of nature can boost attention and mood over minutes to hours (see Bratman, Hamilton, & Daily, 2012 for a recent review). But, researchers speculate, this might occur after just brief glances of nature (Kaplan, 1993, Kaplan, 2001). Attention can improve after experiencing (Hartig et al., 2003, Lee et al., 2009) or viewing ‘restorative’ nature scenes (Berman, Jonides, & Kaplan, 2008, Study 1; Berto, 2005). According to Attention Restoration Theory (ART; Kaplan, 1995, Kaplan and Kaplan, 1989), people typically perceive these scenes as effortlessly fascinating, extensive enough to promote a sense of being away from everyday concerns, and as being compatible with their needs (Kaplan & Kaplan, 1989). Nature, researchers believe, is higher in these restorative components (Kaplan & Kaplan, 1989), and more able to boost waning attention (Berman et al., 2008) than cities"

We often take for granted that nature is its own reward and know this instinctively but often will still avoid walking in the park or even taking our laptop and sitting outside and working when it is just as simple to do this than not. There is mounting evidence that it can help our mood and,

“Just a walk in the woods or a stroll by the beach on a sunny morning can awaken the innermost feelings of happiness and peace, and Environmental Psychology has gone a long way proving this fact according to Bell, Greene, Fisher, & Baum, 1996.”

Some simple ways that can help us range from, paying attention to the movement of air, the sound of birds, the sounds of rain, the smell after rain (petrichor), noticing the textures on trees, seeking the differences in cloud patterns, looking at shadows and lighting, viewing how animal movements feel so free and being more mindful of the natural world in general.

In addition, an exciting hypothesis emerged in 1984 called the biophilia hypothesis (popularized by Edward Wilson) whereby the hypothesis states that humans have an affinity for nature and the life it flourishes. The hypothesis is now extended to understand the effect and potency of this affinity

For example if an employer cannot provide a biophilic design for you, you can improve your personal connection with nature by playing with animals, bringing a plant to the office, moving around, and looking out the window more, breathing in fresh air and visiting more natural environments like parks and sanctuaries

Research is piling up to show that a work environment with sensory contact to nature has positive effects and has found that employees interviewed after retrofitting a workplace with natural elements such as open spaces, plants, furniture which looks natural, etc. were found to have had an an immensely positive effect of employee’s state of mind and motivation to be at work.

All of this is not a panacea for mental health disorders and this should not be construed as a replacement for medicines, counselling, psychotherapy or any therapy, but just some food for thought in a world of increasing technology and rising toxicity and mental health problems.

Our sensory networks need space and variety and require more than just four walls and being inside 24/7 and the environment outdoors is a place that we need to protect and create solace in to thrive and feel energised for ourselves and all future generations to come.