Spending a good hour or so outside might not be for everyone, especially those who are in a polygamous relationship with their bed, their sweatpants, and Netflix. But when it comes to your health, specifically your mental health, giving your body that injection of fresh air and greenery might just do you wonders. From improving your mood to reducing stress to even improving your self-esteem, spending some one on one time with nature can really do it all. There is a strong connection between time spent in nature and reduced negative emotions. This includes symptoms of anxiety, depression, and psychosomatic illnesses like irritability, insomnia, tension headaches, and indigestion. It doesn’t even have to involve spending hours walking outside in worrying temperatures if that’s not your thing. Just keeping a little garden with a few pots around you, in your dorm room or apartment is enough. According to: “Nurturing something else into life really helps with one’s wellbeing – gently caring for something helps you learn to care for yourself.” Plants such as the Aloe, Jade plant, Umbrella Tree, Kalanchoe, and many more are forgiving low-maintenance houseplants that will bring vibrance into your living space, recycle the air, and give you peace of mind.
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Sunlight is extremely important for our well-being as well. According to: “Vitamin D is crucial not only for bone health but for proper brain development and functioning. Low levels of vitamin D are associated with depression, seasonal affective disorder, and schizophrenia in adults.” Sometimes it worth just opening your window and watching the dust particles in the sunlight or feeling the sunlight on your skin.
Humans need to feel connected to the outside world, according to Dr. Lynne M. Kostiuk. It helps us to tune into ourselves because of the lack of overpowering stimuli. With fewer things grabbing our attention we are able to relax. Research has suggested that the average person should spend at least 2 hours outside per week, which seems reasonable even in this new normal we’re living in. Taking your dog for a walk, hanging out with some friends or family at a park, or even just strolling around your neighbourhood on your own is enough to help you feel like yourself again. Researchers at the University of Utah found significant mental health benefits from participating in outdoor activities, the most common and positive benefits being reductions in anxiety and stress.
Although more clinical research is needed to determine how effective these activities really are in terms of mental health, there are many physical benefits including improvement of cognitive abilities, endurance, and cardio balance. We all talk about nature’s healing ways, how natural products are obviously much better for us than processed products, so why wouldn’t we be able to say that nature is good for our mind and our soul too?
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