If you have been spending any of your time lately taking walks, gardening, or otherwise enjoying nature and fresh air, I probably don’t have to tell you that being among nature can be extremely therapeutic.  Researchers at the University of Essex in the UK* sought to prove this by comparing a group of people who took walks in a country park (referred to as a “green walk”) with another group of people who took walks in an indoor shopping mall.  The researchers indeed found that the green walks were more likely than the indoor mall walks to help reduce and prevent depression.  Here are some interesting findings from the study:

• 88% of people reported improved mood after the green walk • 71% of people said they felt less fatigued after the green walk and 53% said they felt more vigorous • 71% reported decreased levels of depression after the green walk • 22% felt their depression increase after walking through an indoor shopping mall and only 45% experienced a decrease in depression • 71% said they felt less tense after the green walk • 50% said their feelings of tension had increased after the shopping mall walk • 90% had increased self-esteem after the country walk • 44% said their self-esteem decreased after window shopping in the shopping center. 

Why such a difference between the way nature walks and mall walks made people feel?  The researchers suggested that spending time in nature evokes thoughts and memories of happier times and stimulates the senses (think of the soothing sounds of wind or water, vibrant colors of trees and flowers, feel of fresh air). Nature also provides an escape from the stress of urban life and provides an opportunity for reflection.    As we make our way through the fall, and as the temperatures get cooler, it is very common to want to retreat indoors, which makes it more challenging for us to reap the mental health benefits of being among nature.  What are some ways you like to incorporate nature into your life during the colder months?  Putting on some warm clothes and boots and continuing to take walks outside, taking up a winter sport like skiing or snowshoeing, planning a vacation to a warm climate during the winter, tending to your indoor plants, or visiting an indoor place with lots of greenery like Phipps Conservatory are some ideas that come to my mind.  Please feel free to share your own ideas!