How can nature help our mental wellbeing thrive after COVID-19?

By Charlotte Brown

Being out in nature is frequently touted as a great cure-all for mental health, but why, and how are we supposed to access those benefits living in the city? Let’s talk about it!

Before I start recommending that everyone should frolic in the fields, I want to explain why nature has such a good impact on us mentally from a scientific perspective. A recent study in 2017 suggests that nature has a positive influence on the mental health of children with attention deficit disorder/hyperactivity disorder (Tillmann, Tobin, Avison and Gilliland, 2018), and these findings appear to continue into adulthood: people who spent more than two hours in nature a week reported significantly greater health and wellbeing (White et al., 2019) than those who didn’t, and these benefits seem to be long-lasting, especially for those who are more susceptible to mental illness (Bakolis et al., 2018). Furthermore, people who live in cities with at least 30% vegetation cover have been found to experience significantly less depression, anxiety and stress (Cox et al., 2017). This might be particularly beneficial for Exeter students as the university campus alone is covered with 10,000 trees (Trees | Grounds and Gardens | University of Exeter, 2020)!

There are several theories for why nature is consistently found to bolster strong mental health, but one particularly interesting one is that it stems from our lesser-used sensory pathways. Although society puts an emphasis on sight, the sensory experiences of nature through sound, smell, taste and touch could tap into our evolutionary psychology (from back when we used to live entirely in nature) in a positive way (Franco, Shanahan and Fuller, 2017).

I think being in nature is particularly important to talk about following quarantine. Technology has become more essential than ever, and for at least a few months this year, most of us derived all of our social interaction and entertainment from it. This is certainly a testament to the necessity of technology in modern life, but I believe this also makes us run the risk of neglecting the simple pleasure of enjoying nature. There’s debate that COVID-19 has permanently changed the way we live: workplaces and universities have a more than minor chance to decide that working and living online is much more beneficial, reducing commutes and the costs of seeing others in person while increasing the flexibility that people have when working from home. Now more than ever I think that it’s important to put down the screens and make an effort to spend time in nature. It might help you manage academic stress and feel calmer, in addition to all the benefits found in the studies cited earlier.

This guide by WWF UK and the Mental Health Foundation provides a great introduction to becoming more involved with nature in relation to improving your mental health. We also did a ‘Self Care Walk’ on our Instagram which toured Exeter’s most relaxing areas, and we listed some of our favourite outdoor places to chill on our list of hidden gems for students.

I challenge you to get out in nature a little bit more than you usually would this week. Read outside, have a socially-distanced picnic with friends, or even just bond with your favourite house plant. Let us know how it goes!

Bibliography:

Bakolis, I., Hammoud, R., Smythe, M., Gibbons, J., Davidson, N., Tognin, S. and Mechelli, A., 2018. Urban Mind: Using Smartphone Technologies to Investigate the Impact of Nature on Mental Well-Being in Real Time. BioScience, 68(2), pp.134-145.

Cox, D., Shanahan, D., Hudson, H., Plummer, K., Siriwardena, G., Fuller, R., Anderson, K., Hancock, S. and Gaston, K., 2017. Doses of Neighborhood Nature: The Benefits for Mental Health of Living with Nature. BioScience, p.biw173.

Exeter.ac.uk. 2020. Trees | Grounds And Gardens | University Of Exeter. [online] Available at: <https://www.exeter.ac.uk/visit/campuses/gardens/thegrounds/trees/> [Accessed 18 September 2020].

Franco, L., Shanahan, D. and Fuller, R., 2017. A Review of the Benefits of Nature Experiences: More Than Meets the Eye. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(8), p.864.

Tillmann, S., Tobin, D., Avison, W. and Gilliland, J., 2018. Mental health benefits of interactions with nature in children and teenagers: a systematic review. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 72(10), pp.958-966.

White, M., Alcock, I., Grellier, J., Wheeler, B., Hartig, T., Warber, S., Bone, A., Depledge, M. and Fleming, L., 2019. Spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature is associated with good health and wellbeing. Scientific Reports, 9(1).