Feeling Anxious? Spend Time with Nature
Brian M. Murray, MS, IMH
“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” ― Ralph
Waldo Emerson
Have you ever wondered why people gravitate toward nature
when they want to relax? A walk on the beach, sitting by the lake, laying on a
blanket at the park, standing in awe of waterfalls, a river, a mountain view,
walking a nature trail, camping, fishing, kayaking, canoeing, backpacking and
the list goes on. How come this is so attractive? Look at music videos during church, rarely is
there one that depicts scenery that does not involve nature as the setting. Coincidence?
Hardly, there is a connection between our stress and anxiety levels and
spending time in the great outdoors. While not true for everyone, most people
marvel at nature, it’s peaceful and found living on its own terms. Sure, we
attempt to bottle it up and put it into a zoo or theme park, but when we find
it out in the wild there is something special that happens in those moments.
History and Research
Research and how nature impacts therapy goes back to the
early 1990’s when a Psychologist by the name of Dr. Francine Shapiro noticed
she felt better after taking nature walks and had a sense of feeling calmer.
She followed up on it, conducting years of research to try and understand why
this was happening. To make a long story short, this initial walk in the woods
was the beginning of what is known today as EMDR, an acronym for Eye Movement
Desensitization Reprocessing. It is a common technique used to treat PTSD (Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder) which is a form of anxiety based on exposure to past
traumatic events.
How It Works
When we are out in
nature, the mind and our eyes scan, looking around in a controlled manner and
they tend to focus on natural objects. In the process of looking around, we
fixate on an object - even if only for a second - and then another and another
while sweeping back and forth from left to right and back again. When we are
experiencing high levels of anxiety, our eyes shift around in a very rapid
motion in an uncontrolled way. This may also explain why we close our eyes to
avoid stress, to take a moment to breathe and gain back some composure of our
well being. Dr. Shapiro notes in her research what she discovered about herself
that it is the controlled movement of the eyes, like mini multiple focal
points, is what produces the relief from anxiety.
What is intriguing is that, for Dr. Shapiro, the whole
process began with a simple act of relieving stress and relaxing her mind by
taking a nature walk. Recently, some combat veterans who suffer from PTSD have
also reported that time spent doing outdoor recreation activities helps relieve
their symptoms. Popular outdoor themed recreation ventures designed to help
veterans are beginning to spring up such as Heroes
on The Water which is a kayak fishing organization designed to get veterans
out and on the water fishing. Chances are there are plenty of local
organizations whose sole purpose is designed to get people outdoors, and for
good reason.
Self Help
There are plenty of ways to get out into nature and one of
the easiest can be to visit a local park and find a trail or path that has some
of the key ingredients essential for relieving anxiety. Trees work very well as
opposed to open fields. Trees give closeness and the opportunity to look around
for even the smallest of wildlife. Slow down the pace and make it more of a
stroll; this is not about being competitive or trying to burn off those next 2
inches off the waistline. Take some bread along to feed some ducks at a local
pond. Avoid taking music or headphones as this can be a distraction from the
therapeutic experience. Taking a pet along for the stroll can be good too, as both
can benefit from being outside. Remember, the idea is to relax, enjoy being
outside and just take it all in.
