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Home | Personal Development | Wellness Archives | Mental Health Benefits of Nature

Mental Health Benefits of Nature

Let Natural Beauty Recharge Your Soul

BY: T. Franklin Murphy | April 2017
A little stream in a meadow below Mount Lassen. A Flourishing Life Society article on the mental health benefits of nature.
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Life overwhelms and we need escape by moving away from modern problems and enjoying the simple tranquility of nature. 
There is an unwritten law that we instinctively follow. We attend to the business of living by fixating on problems. Healthy planning helps to avoid many tragedies while constructively building robust futures. However, in the feverish pace of living, we neglect the beauties of the present; the small actions not directly associated with success but that profoundly impact our futures. We need to make space in our hectic lives for calmness.

Nature cycles through cataclysmic storms and recovering moments of calmness when the winds stop, and the rains cease. The world takes a breath and recovers. For our mental, spiritual, and mental health, we also need rejuvenating breaks from our frenzied lives and recover with moments of tranquility.
"From a stroll through a city park to a day spent hiking in the wilderness, exposure to nature has been linked to a host of benefits, including improved attention, lower stress, better mood, reduced risk of psychiatric disorders and even upticks in empathy and cooperation." 
​Kristen Weir
Tranquility is a blessing of healthy living. Moments of serenity are difficult to enjoy when surrounded by impending calamities. Healthy planning helps reduce the anxieties; but what does a well-organized life offer, if we continually chase the storms without enjoying the fruits of our labors?
"What you are seeing, hearing, experiencing at any moment is changing not only your mood, but how your nervous, endocrine, and immune systems are working."
 Louise Delagran, MA, MEd

 
Whatever our circumstances, we need planned recovery—moments to escape the demands of living. Nature provides a liberating break. A walk in the park or along the beach coupled with practiced mindfulness releases the strains of a tortured pace. Our bodies absorb the surrounding beauties. Our minds relax without the burdensome weight of anxiety, fear, and anger. We momentarily see the world through the clearness of loving kindness, compassion, and joy.
“There is mounting evidence, from dozens and dozens of researchers, that nature has benefits for both physical and psychological human well­being.”
Lisa Nisbet, PhD
Occasional breaks from doing and planning creates a fertile state of mind that abundantly produces wisdom, security, and courage.
 
Breaks are not natural. We must schedule time to access this state of being; whether it’s a few quiet moments on the patio, a hike in the woods or along the beach, we experience the powerful blessings of an unstrained mind, recovering from the world while preparing for the future.
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T. Franklin Murphy
T. Franklin Murphy
Wellness. Writer. Researcher.
​T. Franklin Murphy has a degree in psychology. He is dedicated to the science of wellness. In 2010, he began publishing his findings.

References:

​American Psychological Association. (2020, April). Nurtured by nature. Monitor on Psychology, 51(3). Accessed 6-11-2021       
External Links:
External Link:  Deconstructing Shame: How to Break Free from Your Past
External Link: 3 Beginner Breathwork Techniques & The Best Time Of Day To Do Them
External Link: Turbocharge Your Brain
External Link: Six signs that you need a break
External Link: The Art of Solitude
External Link: It’s Okay to do Absolutely Nothing
External Link: A Psychologist's 5 Tips For Processing Anger & Frustration
Psychology of Wellness Banner link to Flourishing Life Society articles
Flourishing Life Society article link. Nine Pillars of well-being

​Other Flourishing Life Society articles of interest on this topic:

Flourishing Life Society Link. Article: Three Emotional Regulation Techniques
We are surrounded by beauty. In the struggles of daily choice, we need to slow down, smell the sweetness and then get back to work.
A Flourishing Life Society link. Overactive Mind
Mental Recovery:  A Flourishing Life Society Article Link
Liberation from Descriptive Words of Self. A Flourishing Life Society article link
FLS internal Link. My Amazing Discoveries in Wellness. We provide the unconscious mind with conscious work. The mind intertwines philosophies to create a personal narrative that promotes wellness.
Life has its challenges. Often the weight of demands drags us down. We need healthy escapes to rejuvenate and lighten our load.
Flourishing Life Society Link. Sunshine and Mental Health
Healthy Sleep Habits to Boost Your Mental Well-Being. A Flourishing Life Society article link
FLS Link. Burnout: We can deplete energy through emotions, mental and physical exertions. When we push too hard, for too long, we burn out. Recovery requires a lifestyle change.
FLS Link. Experiencing Awe: Experiences of awe promote pro-social behavior and invite psychological development. The wise find awe in the awesomeness of life.
Flourishing Life Society article link. Exercise and Mental Health
Mental Health Benefits of Nature. A Flourishing Life Society article link
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