Walking In The Fresh Air, A Benefit For Our Mind
Strolling outside is fun and healthy for your body, and it’s good for your brain and mind, too. Anyone who has done so can attest to it. But, beyond the personal testimony that anyone can give, it is scientifically proven that spending time outdoors has a lot of mental benefits.
Walking outdoors helps us fight negativity, relieve stress, and even fight depression. The feeling of physical liberation that you feel when you go out, helps you also feel mental liberation and be more optimistic. But this is not all.
Walking in the fresh air helps ease depression
According to a study from the University of Michigan, walking outside is linked to better mental health and greater positivity. Also, being outdoors improves depression and stress levels.
On the other hand, a study from the University of Glasgow found that people who walked outdoors, cycled or jogged in nature had a lower risk of poor mental health than people who played sports indoors.
Walking outside can improve your focus and increase creativity
According to a study published in Psychological Science, interacting with nature gives the brain a break from the overstimulation it is subjected to every day, which can have a restorative effect on levels of attention.
The multitasking of modern life puts too much strain on areas of the brain that are involved in suppressing distractions, creative thinking, and developing a sense of identity. In this sense, a group of researchers from the University of Utah discovered that spending a few days in nature improved people’s creativity by 50%.
Nature helps us calm down
Being among trees has a positive impact. It has been shown to reduce stress levels and blood pressure. Research conducted in Japan, a country with long working hours and high suicide rates, reveals that immersing yourself in the natural world significantly reduces stress levels and protects against depression.
On the other hand, the sounds of nature have a great positive impact on our health and well-being. Various studies reveal that natural sounds and the silence of nature have many benefits for physical and mental health, especially for stress management.
The smells of nature also play an important role in the impact that the natural environment has on our health. Our sense of smell is closely linked to the parts of the brain responsible for processing emotion.
Thus, smells have an immediate and profound impact. Trees and plants emit phytoncides, an organic compound that slows breathing and reduces anxiety.
Water is good for the body and soul
Research conducted by the University of Exeter School of Medicine in England on the essential qualities of water and its role in our psychological well-being found that negative ions in water are natural antidepressants. These negative ions are found in large quantities even in a bucket of water.
Therefore, walking near lakes, rivers and streams, even ponds and fountains, is very beneficial for emotional health. If you can also take a dip, the benefits are multiplied, since the blood vessels are dilated by the cold water, which stimulates the body to expel toxins and release endorphins to feel good.
Nature helps us recover and strengthens the immune system
According to research carried out at the Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, the field has a positive impact on convalescence. The research found that even just viewing trees through a hospital window improves recovery rates.
On the other hand, a group of researchers from the Nippon Medical School in Tokyo found that women who spent six hours in the forest over the course of two days had an increase in white blood cells and that they fight viruses and tumors, and that the impulse lasted for at least seven days afterwards.
