THe BENEFITS OF NATURE

I have a question for you. How much time do you spend outdoors? Or better still, how much time do you spend in nature?

I have noticed how different I feel after spending ten minutes to a day surrounded by trees and wildlife. I feel more calm, grounded and can think more clearly. I also see how different my children's behaviour is after I take them on "another one of dad's bushwalks". (Hopefully, they will thank me when they are older). They get along much better and don't seem to lose their shit as quickly afterwards.

So my always intrigued brain went looking for answers. In the last issue of my Examine subscription, the team highlighted a study which was an umbrella review of 16 systematic reviews that investigated the effect of forest bathing on psychophysical well-being and its potential use as a therapeutic practice. (1)

Forest bathing ('shinrin-yoku' in Japanese) is a traditional meditative practice characterized by walking in a forest combined with breathing and meditation exercises.

The study found evidence that forest bathing promotes overall well-being, promising effects on relaxation and stress relief, anxiety reduction, and mood improvements. As little as 10 minutes of forest bathing can have positive short-term effects on mental well-being.

I also stumbled across a 2012 paper that noted the three-day effect. It's the idea that something "clicks" in our brains after spending three days in the wilderness. The University of Kansas administered tests to 28 backpackers before and after going on Outward Bound trips. Immediately after a trip, the participants performed 47 per cent better in a word-test game that measures creative thinking and insight problem-solving. (2)

Straya, who conducted the study, believes that by the third day in nature, you start to disconnect from all the distractions of modern life.

Florence Williams has a great 6 part audio series on Audible called the 3-Day Effect that looks at the science behind why being in the wild for a minimum of three days can make us happier, healthier and more creative. (3)

Think back at how the world has changed over the last 2.5 years due to ridiculous restrictions and how much more addicted to technology most of us are. We have sat indoors for long periods, surrounded by screens, unnatural blue light and technology. It's no wonder most people I speak to are more physically and mentally unhealthy than ever before.

So do yourself a favour and allocate some time to immerse yourself in nature. Leave your headphones off, the phone on flight mode and give your internal batteries and recharge.

(1) https://examine.com/summaries/study/94K3Q0/

(2) https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0051474

(3) https://www.amazon.com/The-3-Day-Effect/dp/B08DDGKDDS