Nature is a salient need and vital in keeping us emotionally, psychologically, and physically healthy. Regarding mental health benefits, nature has a very wide definition. It can mean green spaces like parks, nature reserves, and urban parks, and blue spaces like rivers, canals, wetlands, or beaches. It can also include trees on the side of a street, private or community gardens, verges, or even indoor plants or boxes. Even watching nature documentaries is great for our mental health. This all means that nature is accessible and available to almost all of us, no matter how big or small of a green space you can find.

Ways to feel connected 

Researchers use the term “connectedness” to describe the ideal relationship between us and the nature around us. Connectedness refers to the way we relate to nature and how we experience nature. A connected relationship with nature means feeling a close relationship or attachment to our surroundings. 

Activities that involve using all five senses can help with connecting personally with the natural world. This way, you can feel emotions, perceive the beauty around you, or find meaning in nature. You can do this by listening intently; listen to the birds chirping around you, touching the

grass beneath you, or touching the bark of trees. Gardening is a great way to really touch the soil between your fingers and to bring more life into your part of nature that you can eventually, potentially, taste if you grow certain crops. Looking around at the world, smelling the flowers, these are ways to connect. However, you don’t always have to be in nature to deepen your relationship. Thinking back on a time you walked down a nice spot, or watched your favorite plant grow helped you consciously notice and consider the good things in life.

High-quality spaces are even better for us and our wellbeing. A higher biodiversity–a wide variety of plants and wildlife–can boost our emotional health. Cleanliness, such as the absence of litter and the presence of more green and serene placement of the foliage in these landscapes, is also a huge factor in how our mental health benefits from existing in natural areas. 

Green and serene: How plants boost your health

Eliassen, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, mentioned the health impacts of nature and of being in nature. She explained how being out in green spaces has been “linked to better sleep, lower blood pressure, and reduced risk of chronic disease, most likely because people who are exposed to green spaces also report higher levels of exercise.” She also said that spending time in nature has been linked to better mental health and a decreased risk of psychiatric disorders among adults and children. “Time spent outdoors provides a combination of stimulation of different senses and a break from typical overstimulation. Exposure to green space results in mental restoration, increased

positive emotions, and decreased anxiety and rumination. Improved mindfulness can result from exposure to green space as well.” 

Do you now truly believe that being in nature and plants boosts your health? I hope you do because creating a deep, connected relationship with the natural world is vital to keeping us emotionally, psychologically, and physically healthy.