Lately, I’ve been hearing lots about the therapeutic benefits getting out in nature has on the mind, body and spirit, and now I hear it everywhere. I was curious as to why I hadn’t heard much about this prior to last year? A part of me feels like I was living in a bubble for so long and I wanted to know if this buzz was from new developments or if I was in the dark because I wasn’t really paying attention to my overall wellness until recently. I also wanted to know if it mattered what the landscape or scenery looked like regarding personal preference and if that played into the advantages being in nature had on an individual. I had a recent first-hand experience a year ago that reinforced for me that there was something to this idea that getting out in picturesque nature was improving my wellbeing, so much so, that I feel need to share with others how this could have a dramatic positive impact in changing a person’s life. I decided to investigate this further and I found some studies to back this up as well.
How did I get here?
I think common knowledge is that if you go outside, it’s a great way to move the body with exercise and keeping physically in shape. In my earlier years of school, we were always encouraged to participate in cross country running for gym class and track and field or snowshoe and cross- country skiing in the winter programs for keeping fit. However, we were never taught about the positive impacts on the emotional wellbeing aspect to being in nature. Looking back, I loved participating in all these activities and now realize it wasn’t so much about the physicality of it, but more because it involved being in the beautiful wooded area surrounding our school and I always had more clarity and direction in my life. When we moved away in grade 8 from Ontario to Alberta, all that stopped for me. I used to think I didn’t like to participate in school outdoor activities because I left all my friends behind when we moved to a new school and had a hard time fitting in. I now understand it’s because we went from living in the beautiful forested Algonquin Park region to the flat bald prairie of what looked like to me as blah blah landscape with a lot of wind and dust when we were outside for these activities. Don’t get me wrong, the prairies can be beautiful for lots of reasons but for me, I love the forestry and mountainous regions over flat land as far as the eye can see and I believe it’s a preference as to what you relate to these surroundings as well. I have great memories associated with rocks and trees from those younger innocent years, just as someone would if all they knew was the prairie land and had a happy childhood.
I’ve been fortunate to live a short drive from the mountains for 23 years now and I can honestly say, I didn’t fully embrace and take advantage of what the wilderness in the Kananaskis and Banff areas have to offer. It took me well over half of those years to realize how much I am impacted by the scenery out there. I kept myself away from the mountains almost like resistance to wanting to be happy, healthy and at peace almost as if I didn’t deserve to have that life and I think after I got divorced, my confidence and self-esteem was at an all time low. It’s crazy really, that I didn’t put the two together, feeling at my best when in nature. Those first 12 years of my life that were spent in Ontario, I was spoiled with what was literally steps from the back door. We had a big, gorgeous pond in our backyard that the ducks and geese frequented, and beyond that, acres upon acres of beautiful crown land with a forest on one side, a sugar bush that you could tap for maple syrup and big rocks, cliffs and caves to explore on the other side. I spent every daylight hour when not in school exploring and reflecting on what I wanted to be when I grew up in the great outdoors and took full advantage of the glory and beauty of my surroundings with my siblings and friends. When I needed to be alone, there was a field that had wild sunflowers growing in it close by and I would hang out in the sunshine contemplating my life.
It was heaven, and I was very sad when we moved out to Alberta in 1979 to a small town on the east side of the prairie province where you could see nothing but grass and farmland for miles. It was a shock and a different lifestyle navigating the wind that blew all day, you couldn’t escape it as it whipped across the bald prairie land with only grain elevators that added to the landscape. You could hear and see the train rumbling by a few times a day and I wasn’t able to find any sense of inner peace from my surroundings and environment during the latter part of junior high and high school.
When I became an adult, I moved to Central Alberta to the city of Red Deer where the start of the great Canadian Rockies begin. There are many pretty bike paths amongst the trees and hills, rocky cliffs, large rivers, breathtaking ponds with ducks and all the fixings for a peaceful setting. It was incredible, and I spent a lot of time in the surrounding area out in nature canoeing and hiking. I soon found myself married with kids and it wasn’t as easy to fit in these moments in nature, but I adapted with baby bike seats and did what I could. My then husband was transferred to a small town in southwest Saskatchewan for work and I once again found myself in the flat lands of the prairies and this time, it was in what they call the badlands where a lot of dinosaurs were found that now are displayed in museums. Not a tree in sight! After a couple of years of struggling with living there, I knew I had to get back to the country landscape I love. We moved to Calgary (1998) and bought a cabin on crown land an hour out of the city in the mountains. We spent as much time up there as possible. It was so quiet and peaceful. Often there were bear sightings and deer and other wildlife to see and for the most part, a beautiful safe sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of city life and the stifling office buildings I worked in. This was some of our happiest memories for the kids and I and probably for my marriage. When our children grew older, they became bored of the seclusion of the cabin and wanted to be near the lake and do water sports with friends. At the time we thought being by the water would be great for weekend getaways as well but living in southern Alberta, most lakes are manmade or dams that offer affordable ownership opportunities where you could launch ski boats. We didn’t consider the busyness boats, and water toys cause when we bought into the idea and purchased a modular trailer, boat, water skis, and all the other stuff needed to keep up with these activities. We soon found that the peaceful tranquility our secluded cabin offered, was traded for a busy and noisy lifestyle being on the water within an hour from the city and easy access for anyone in the area with a boat! It was never quite as peaceful to me as being in the wilderness was and we sold the lake spot and toys after a couple of years and were glad to leave that lifestyle behind.
Soon after, in 2007, I became divorced, and I was an emotional wreck. I didn’t throw myself into the healthy lifestyle of hiking or spending time in the mountains as I should have. At the time I didn’t understand the connection it could have had that would have allowed me the peace and harmony required to do the self-reflecting I needed to grow and overcome the tolls a divorce can have on a person and family. Instead, I retreated indoors and if I wasn’t at home, I was darkening the door of a local pub instead of being outside getting much needed vitamin D and health benefits I know now the outdoors can bring.
I remember 2 years into my new single life, a friend contacted a psychic (Rose) from the UK, and she went around Europe doing readings in pubs as she could connect with the spirits that lingered in the old buildings that would pass on messages from people’s loved ones. She was doing a quick tour in Canada and came to my neighborhood pub. My friend got me on the list even though I have always been a bit of a sceptic with that sort of stuff, but I took her up on the reading after a few drinks of courage. The main thing Rose kept telling me was that I needed to get myself into the state I was when I was a happy little girl between the ages of 10-12. Play like I was that age again, get outside in nature, get grounded and reconnect with myself. I didn’t listen to her advice for many years and I allowed my dark passenger to determine how I carried out my days of idle time; mostly drinking with friends. I dabbled a bit with a hike or a drive into the mountains maybe 2-3 times a year, but it was never enough to solidify any change in my emotional wellbeing or for me to connect that nature was what I needed if I just put in the effort.
When Covid shut down the world in March 2020, I was enjoying my time at home, but as the months wore on and the pounds packed on, the wilderness was calling me. I can’t really explain it, but I knew I needed to get out to the forest and mountains to shake off the depressed and unhappy mood that had become normal. Maybe I knew more than I was letting on about how I am if I get outdoors and I had come to a place where my psyche was ready to crack if I didn’t’ get moving. The government opened the mountain trails again on crown land at the end of May and I spent every opportunity I could out there and found myself again. I lost 55 pounds in a few short months and that allowed me the endurance to climb harder trails and receive the payoff the higher altitude gave for views. It was such a positive experience and an incredible summer that turned to fall and then winter. I found myself snowshoeing and hiking in ice cleats when there wasn’t quite enough snow, just to keep myself grounded in nature all year round. I pushed myself hard this last year getting out of the comfort zone of my home and the rut I found myself in and I spent a lot of time on self- reflection. It really motivated me to want to make drastic changes in my life for a more positive outcome. The more time I spent out there, the clearer everything became, and I found myself excited for all the opportunities life would bring me. It was a catalyst for so much gratitude in my life and the appreciation I have for who and where I am, is now limitless.
Getting an inside scoop!
A friend, Dr. Nicole Fortin, trained in Traditional Chinese Medicine, massage therapy and Acupuncture has a radio show on YouTube called, The Language of Healing, where she dedicates weekly time to educating others on emotional wisdom. A few weeks ago, she had a guest Dr. Rose Galikas, also a Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor, Acupuncturist, and Kinesiologist who has created a clinic called The Way Holistic Collective here in Calgary. Rose’s mission is to create a space where every individual has access to skilled, knowledgeable, educated and supportive care. A place where people can connect with and recognize that harmony is a lifestyle that is unique to everyone. She says it’s connecting to nature and having balance in that and believes there are many ways to connect and show ourselves our own truth and authenticity in that place of harmony. She mentions that it’s as simple as taking our shoes off and putting our toes in the grass to ground ourselves. Nicole talked about the philosophy of Daoism and its practice that emphasizes living the way of harmony and the holistic approach of living in accordance with nature. Cohesiveness and your body are always changing with the seasons within each year and it’s really about the journey. It was a great episode as I am paraphrasing a lot here, but it really triggered something in me to help explain why I feel so connected when I am out in nature as if I am truly myself. I am grateful to have someone like Nicole in my life to plant seeds of curiosity for how I can keep me moving forward on my journey. This all had me thinking about how Eastern philosophy has been teaching the therapeutic benefits of this since the 6th century BCE, but in Western culture, I don’t even know if it’s taught much here, I mean I didn’t know that there was a clinic out there like Dr. Galikas until a few weeks ago! With depression and suicide on the rise and at an all-time high, why isn’t this being taught in schools and at the work place? It all seems so skewed and backwards to me and it gets me worked up when I think about all the emotional issues so many people are having. I need to do more about this, educate myself and others as much as I can.
I discovered an article called Ecopsychology: How Immersion in Nature Benefits Your Health by Jim Robbins that mentions the benefits to being in nature didn’t catch on in the Western world until around 2005. In this article, Robbins explains “A growing body of research points to the beneficial effects that exposure to the natural world has on health for reducing stress and promoting healing that policy makers, employers and healthcare providers are increasingly considering the human need for nature in how they plan and operate”. He makes references in this article that it takes precisely 120 minutes in nature to feel healthy and have a strong sense of well-being according to a study of 20,000 people. Mathew White of the European Centre for Environment & Human Health at the University in Exeter, found that people who spent two hours a week in green spaces, local parks or other natural environments, either all at once or spaced over several visits, were substantially more likely to report good health and psychological well- being than those who don’t. Two hours was a hard boundary and there were no benefits for people who didn’t meet that threshold. Robbins goes on to mention that back in 2005 Richard Louv a journalist in San Diego wrote the book Last Child in the Woods and it triggered a movement and he coined the term Nature Deficit Disorder. Louv goes on to say that before he wrote his book in 2005, there were only 60 studies on this and the theory was ignored by the academic world. He also says there are now over 1000 studies and “they point in one direction: Nature is not only nice to have, but it’s a have-to-have for physical health and cognitive function”.
What are the benefits?
According to Louv, the studies have shown that time in nature, as long as people feel safe, is an antidote for stress: It can lower blood pressure and stress hormone levels, reduce nervous system arousal, enhance immune function, increase self-esteem, reduce anxiety and improve mood. Attention Deficit Disorder and aggression lessen in natural environments which also helps speed the rate of healing. It is also known to reduce feelings of isolation, promote calm and lift mood. More employers are recognizing that employees who have access to green space are more productive. Cities are adding or enhancing parks and Louv states the number of “forest schools” has increased by 500 percent since 2012 in the United States. I have met a couple of people that work at daycares and schools here in Calgary where the children are outside the majority of the time regardless of the weather. I first heard about this a few years ago, however, I didn’t put it together with this research regarding the benefits to humans at the time, I looked at it as more of an environmental stewardship to have children growing up to respect their surroundings in nature. The more I look into this, I think that is probably a supplement to the cognitive and states of mind for these growing children. I still say our society is in the dark on some of this. We are now 16 years later from the start of this movement and there are gaps in what employers and government are doing to educate, and financially support people on this.
The last piece I want to highlight is regarding individual preference for scenery and how that impacts what benefits they get. I like to think is in the eye of the beholder, but I found some answers in an article by Richard A. Fuller titled “A Review of the Benefits of Nature Experiences: More Than Meets the Eye” explaining it’s in more than that. In this article, studies were mentioned that took into account more than just the visual aspects of nature that I noticed with my attraction to the mountains, and trees over the bald prairie but also it’s in the soothing sounds of water rushing from a waterfall or birds chirping. This article talks about taking into account the other senses that can allow for more benefits depending on what the individual relies on. I’m an auditory learner as well and can close my eyes and enjoy the soothing sounds of nature I find in the forestry landscape to calm me down. The studies looked at the sensory pathways of sound, smell, taste, touch and three non-sensory pathways. They mention there are mindful benefits of eating food that you know is grown in nature versus in a green house or buying in a grocery store and the effects it has on tasting better for people’s moods due to what a person knows regarding where their food came from. The article goes on to mention that smell has a profound effect on our mood. For example, thoughts of odors of flowers, cut grass and damp earth, might evoke feeling of pleasure for some and our preference for odors seem to be associated with the value we place on the objects associated with that odor. It’s a very lengthy scientific paper that might be worth a read for you if you have an interest to know more but in conclusion, they say there are many benefits that people receive from nature through the five senses as well three non-sensory avenues: sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, phytoncides, negative air ions and microbes.
Wow, well there you have it folks, I like where this is going. What I sum here is that there is a preference for each person regarding where they can go and what appeals to them in nature for the benefits they need for the mind and emotional wellness. I am going to experiment and become more present of this next time I am out on a walk in my neighborhood or out for a hike in the mountains to figure out how I can maximize these benefits for my well-being. I am also going to ensure I find 2 hours a week from my busy schedule to be in nature, and I know now that I need to in order to be my best self; to fulfill commitments I have made to myself and my daughter with regards to maintaining a happy beautiful state always and being in the best physical health I can be to crush my goals.