Can it be that there is truth in the widely held belief that activities in green spaces make us feel more relaxed and at peace with ourselves, asks JOHN G O'DWYER
MOST OF us have one – some favoured practice we reach for when the going gets particularly tough.
Gay Byrne walked regularly on the Hill of Howth and credited it with keeping him sane when he worked a six-day week at the unrelenting grind of TV and radio presenting. Pope John Paul II believed in the therapeutic effects of green spaces and had the Vatican gardens cleared daily at 4pm so he could enjoy a solitary walk, while President Barack Obama has recently been seen escaping the high octane world of politics by cycling in the countryside.
And these high-profile individuals are not alone as nearly everyone has some place of retreat used for re-threading values and reflecting on life. When we think about it, however, this bolt-hole from overload is very unlikely to be a car park, a shopping mall, an industrial estate or any other concrete jungle. Instead, it will almost certainly be a forest trail, a riverbank, a city park or some other green space that we are unavoidably drawn to when we feel the need for a mental car wash.
Somewhere deep in our subconscious we seem hard-wired to seek natural spaces in times of mental overload. But why do we do this? Can it be that there is, after all, truth in the widely held belief that activities in green spaces make us feel more relaxed and at peace with ourselves?
The answer from Mind – the mental health charity for England and Wales – to this question is now a firm yes. Research it carried out has found consistently that not only are there measurable biological benefits from leaving the structured environment and exercising in wilder, greener spaces but the psychological dividends also stack up.
Such ideas are, of course, not new and there is plenty of other research in the field of study commonly referred to as ecotherapy, supporting the belief that regular recourse to natural environments leads to long-term mental health benefits. The problem up to now has been that in green spaces we also tend to take exercise which in itself brings therapeutic benefits. So when William Wordsworth danced with the daffodils, was it the floral display or the exercise that created his elation?
A survey commissioned from the University of Essex by Mind set out to tackle this issue. To identify the primary factor creating the mood uplift that most of us experience when exercising in the outdoors, participants were asked to record their feelings first having undertaken a walk through a shopping centre and later after the same walk in a green space.
One of the principal findings was that the green walk increased feelings of self-esteem whereas walking in a shopping centre tended to decrease them. The survey also found that green exercise particularly benefited people experiencing mental distress by significantly lowering stress, depression and fatigue while improving physical health and providing a valuable social connection when taken as part of a group.
Mind spokeswoman Alison Kelly advocates the therapeutic effects of natural environments. She believes green exercise has now “been proven to enhance mental wellbeing, lift mood and boost self-esteem. Whether it’s involvement in a horticultural development programme, an outdoor exercise programme or a rambling group, all can provide significant improvement to mental wellbeing,” she says.
The Essex University report also drew on research among English GPs which showed that 93 per cent of them have prescribed antidepressants because of a lack of alternative treatment options. Kelly believes that as a consequence of such findings, green care should be part of the future for mental health and that adopted as part of mainstream practice, it could help large numbers of people affected by mental distress.
So while it seems that ecotherapy may not be a magic bullet guaranteed to dramatically raise our mood in all situations, nearly everyone will agree that removing ourselves occasionally from urban environments filled with negative influences for a breezy country walk is hugely beneficial to our overall wellbeing.
Read Ecotherapy – the Green Agenda for Mental Healthat mind.org.uk/campaigns
