6 simple ways to tap into the healing power of nature
For good health, go outside and play!
Spending time outdoors can melt stress, boost your mood, and even lower your risk for heart disease and diabetes, according to a growing stack of scientific research. And you don’t have to hike a steep mountain trail or visit the off-the-beaten-path wilderness to reap nature’s health benefits. A short stroll on a tree-lined street, a few minutes in your backyard, or just enjoying the view of a green landscape from your window has benefits.
“Being in nature reduces activity in the part of our nervous system responsible for the fight-or-flight response,” says Matthew H.E.M. Browning, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences and director of the Virtual Reality and Nature Lab at Clemson University in South Carolina. “It also gives us a break from having to focus our attention intently, which we do at work and in other areas of daily life.”
In an experiment led by Browning, volunteers spent just six minutes looking at trees and water either in person or via a virtual reality headset. They filled out a questionnaire measuring their positive and negative moods before and after. Both real and virtual nature visits reduced distress, fear, irritability, and nervousness. “For people who cannot get outside, a virtual reality program with nature scenes or just looking out a window could be helpful,” Browning says. There’s even research underscoring the power of great window view to lower feelings of stress and anxiety, he adds.
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Nature’s Big Health Benefits
Recent research suggests that time in nature has lots of health benefits, including:
- Less stress. In one small study, participants wore heart-rate monitors as they walked through their Philadelphia neighborhood. Their heart rates rose by nearly 10 beats per minute as they passed litter-strewn vacant lots and fell by more than five beats per minute near grass and trees.
And the relaxation response that eases stress in the moment could also have long-term benefits, preventing increased stress-related inflammation that can damage the heart and brain and even raise blood sugar levels over time. Being in a green area eases stress by lowering levels of the stress hormone cortisol, report Scottish researchers.
- A break from worry and anxiety. Strolling through natural landscapes reduced rumination, patterns of ongoing worry, and anxiety that increase the odds for depression, according to a Stanford University study. Researchers scanned study volunteers’ brains, finding that time outdoors turned down brain activity in a region involved in rumination.
- More energy and happiness. According to a study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, when older adults strolled along forest trails, their moods shifted from tense, anxious, tired, and stressed to upbeat and energetic. Participants were “forest bathing,” experiencing the physical sensations of being in the woods. Scientists in South Korea say tiny droplets of plant oils called terpenes released into the air by trees may lower stress and blood pressure.
- Better health. Living in a neighborhood with more grass, trees, and outdoor greenery was linked with lower risk for heart failure, coronary heart disease, heart attacks, and irregular heartbeats, according to a 2019 study of 249,405 older adults. Researchers found that nearby green spaces are also linked with more physical activity, lower weight, less exposure to air pollution, and lower risk for high blood pressure and diabetes. In fact, in a study in Diabetes Care, researchers discovered a nearly 10 percent lower risk for type 2 diabetes for people living in greener neighborhoods.
- A longer life. Increasing a city’s tree canopy could mean longer lives for urban residents, according to a 2020 study in The Lancet. More green, shady tree cover could cool neighborhoods, reduce stress, and inspire people to be more physically active and socially connected, researchers say.
Your Green Prescription
Here are six simple ways to tap into nature’s healing powers:
- Take a green mini break. Spending 10 minutes outdoors three times a week was enough to lower cortisol levels over eight weeks in a 2019 study. The scientists called these brief outdoor breaks “nature pills.” Don’t have 10 minutes? Just five minutes in nature boosted positive moods like awe, gratitude, and wonder, according to research published in the Journal of Positive Psychology.
- Savor a green view. Watch the trees outside your window, tune into a nature video, or try virtual reality for an experience that feels like a three-dimensional trip to the great outdoors. “You can buy an inexpensive virtual reality headset for about $10 to $15 to use with a smartphone,” Browning says. Use your new headset to watch meditative simulated nature videos from YouTube or your phone's app store.
- Grow a houseplant. In a recent study, people who spent three minutes a day watering and gazing at a small plant on their desk reported lower anxiety — and 27 percent had a lower pulse rate, a sign of stress reduction. Giving yourself time to look at nature may ease stress by giving your brain a break from stressful mental work.
- Write your own nature prescription. Log on to the website of Park Rx America for an interactive locater service that can help you find a park close to your home. This nonprofit organization, in partnership with the National Park Service and agencies around the country, encourages health care professionals to write green prescriptions for their patients to help increase happiness, boost health, and lower risk for chronic health conditions.
- Walk, run, bike … or just stroll and sit. In a 2019 study in Scientific Reports, British researchers found that people of all ages who got outside for two hours a week were more likely to have good physical health and emotional well-being, regardless of what they did outdoors.
- Enjoy a blue view (or a fish tank). “Seeing water, especially if it stretches to the horizon, also has benefits for well-being,” Browning notes. According to a 2019 review in the journal Alternative and Complementary Therapies, being near a river, lake, or pond may also have physical and emotional benefits. And just watching a fish tank or aquarium can lower heart rate and blood pressure and lift feelings of well-being.
