Celebrating National Parks Week: Reconnecting with Nature for Our Health and Wellbeing
Hello, wonderful people of my vibrant health community! This week, we have an excellent reason to pack our picnic baskets, lace up our walking boots, and venture outdoors – it’s National Parks Week! It’s time to celebrate the incredible value of our green spaces and dive into how these beautiful pockets of nature significantly impact our health and wellbeing.
Nature and Health: An Inseparable Bond
Being personally passionate about natural health, I’ve always advocated for the close relationship between nature and health. A rapidly growing body of research supports this belief, illustrating how green spaces can have profound effects on physical health, mental wellbeing, and overall quality of life.
An impressive study carried out by Stanford University showed that walking in nature could lead to a lower risk of depression. Participants who walked for 90 minutes in a natural area, as opposed to an urban setting, showed decreased activity in a region of the brain associated with depression (Bratman et al., 2015). This suggests that immersing ourselves in green spaces could potentially be used as a therapeutic intervention for mental health conditions.
Further supporting the beneficial effects of nature on mental health, a systematic review by McMahan and Estes (2015) concluded that exposure to natural environments was associated with increased feelings of vitality and mood elevation. But it doesn’t stop with the mind – the physical benefits are equally exciting.
Research from the University of East Anglia synthesized data from 20 countries, including the UK, Spain, France, Germany, Australia, and the US. It found that exposure to green spaces reduces the risk of type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, premature death, and high blood pressure, among other health benefits (Twohig-Bennett & Jones, 2018).
And let’s not forget about children. A Danish study involving over 900,000 participants revealed that growing up surrounded by green spaces can decrease the risk of developing psychiatric disorders in adulthood by up to 55% (Engemann et al., 2019).
Rekindling Our Relationship with Nature
It is clear that our green spaces are not just pretty places; they are an essential prescription for our health and wellbeing. Yet, despite the compelling evidence, modern living often disconnects us from the healing potential of the natural world.
In celebration of National Parks Week, I urge you to reintroduce nature into your daily routine. Whether it’s a run in the park, a picnic by a lakeside, a hike in the woods, or simply a moment of quiet contemplation on a garden bench, take this opportunity to create an enriching and restorative habit.
Allow the healing hues of green, the peaceful sounds of birdsong, the soft rustle of leaves, and the fresh, rejuvenating air to envelop you. Explore the sense of calm and balance that comes with this reconnection.
Nature is a Gift
Our national parks and green spaces are a gift that continues to offer innumerable benefits to our health and wellbeing. It’s no longer a fanciful notion but a fact supported by an array of scientific research.
As we celebrate National Parks Week, let’s commit to enjoying these spaces more frequently, to deepen our connection with nature and reap the substantial health rewards. In doing so, we’ll not only enhance our individual health but also contribute to the conservation and appreciation of these invaluable spaces.
Let’s join hands this week and make the most of our beautiful, health-boosting national parks. Celebrate, enjoy, relax, and heal – nature is waiting for us.
Please let me know how you intend to celebrate National Parks Week in the comments below. I do hope that you get a chance to get outside and that the weather holds good for you – here in England, Summer seems to have ended rather early – so no picnics for me – but a properly attired rainy walk amid the trees with my trusty friend Bubbles (see pic), my Mum’s medical detection dog* will be just the tonic I need after a long work week.
Have fun – whatever you do.
With love
Jayney xoxo
*Bubbles is a “Hypo Hound”. She detects and raises the alarm if my Mum’s blood glucose levels drop below a safe level. Mum is a Type 1 diabetic, and Bubbles is a real life saver – and a very good girl to boot!
References:
– Bratman, G.N., et al. (2015). Nature experience reduces rumination and subgenual prefrontal cortex activation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112(28), 8567-8572.
– Engemann, K., et al. (2019). Residential green space in childhood is associated with lower risk of psychiatric disorders from adolescence into adulthood. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(11), 5188-5193.
– McMahan, E.A., & Estes, D. (2015). The effect of contact with natural environments on positive and negative affect: A meta-analysis. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 10(6), 507-519.
– Twohig-Bennett, C., & Jones, A. (2018). The health benefits of the great outdoors: A systematic review and meta-analysis of greenspace exposure and health outcomes. Environmental Research, 166, 628-637.
