Whether it is by going for a walk in the fresh air, looking at the sunrise or sunset, or simply surveying a beautiful green landscape, there is an environmental route to wellness and wellbeing. Many people believe that simply being in a pleasant environment can do wonders to heal the soul and to reinvigorate you.
The word nature itself comes from the Latin word ‘natura’ which means ‘the course of things, natural character’. This refers to the way that the animals and the plants of the world grow of their own accord, and the way that the weather, cosmology and geology all work independently and interact, such as rivers, mountains, stars, wind, sunlight and rain. Natural environments can be a blend of living and non-living components.
Psychologists claim that exercise and better physical fitness, when associated with a nature-based activity, leads to better health. The research behind this also shows that those who take outdoor exercise are likely to be more healthy than those who only exercise indoors – for example those who run on an outdoor track are likely to get more benefit from that activity than those who run on an indoor track.
Some research even indicates that being around nature can help to boost your immune system and can improve your heart health. For this reason, hospitals are often built with a view of nature, and it is widely believed that having a view of nature from your hospital bedroom window can help to reduce the recovery time and therefore the number of days you have to spend in hospital, and can also reduce the quantity of medications needed to treat medical conditions.
Being close to nature also helps to reduce stress and dramatically reduce the symptoms of ADHD, depression and anxiety, as well as psychosomatic illnesses.