Can Nature Really Relieve Your Stress?

More and more people are spending time outside, even if it’s just a walk. The number of hiking clubs has multiplied, people are going out on the weekends to look for wild mushrooms, and families go camping instead of staying in hotels. As accustomed as we are to big cities and their conveniences, what makes us spend time outdoors? Is it possible that nature helps to relieve your stress?

Stress and what triggers it

Stress is a normal, adaptive feeling that helps you respond to urgent or acute situations. However, the intensity of life in the city sometimes tricks your body into a stress response as if you were in constant danger. When your stress gets to that point, it becomes chronic.

There are many internal and external sources of stress, such as:

• A biological tendency. Some people are more easily triggered emotionally than others, and therefore certain situations can stress a person and not others.
• Difficult living conditions. Poverty, abuse, natural disasters and chronic illness are some examples of stressful life situations that cause chronic stress.
• Diet. Although you may find it hard to believe, eating an unhealthy diet is also related to stress. Eating too much caffeine and processed fats can be a trigger for stress.
• Environment. If you live in a very noisy and busy place, or do not have much free time, it is very difficult for you to relax. As you can imagine, it can lead to chronic stress.

To talk about stress and nature, we will improve the environmental factors that contribute to chronic stress and anxiety. If you are interested in learning more about how these conditions can affect you, keep reading!

How nature helps relieve your stress

Human relationships with nature are very complicated. There are thousands of interconnected factors, and it is often difficult to identify where the spiral begins. Does it start in us or is it something that affects us from the outside?

On the other hand , modern life has evolved so much in the last couple of centuries that things are complicated for human biology and the natural world. Factors such as work environment, pollution and our fast lives inhibit the body’s natural rhythms. This is where nature comes in. The world of nature has an opposite pole for all “unnatural” elements in modern city life. Let’s take a look.

Listen to silence

Ambient noise in cities is constant. Your neighbor who plays music all day, the incessant traffic, construction work, cars honking, etc. In the absence of power outages, the city does not sleep. What is interesting is that if you live in the city, you are so used to this type of soundscape that you feel surprised when there is peace and quiet.

Alvarsson and his research team compared the performance of two groups on a task after exposing them to a stressful stimulus. One group listened to a recording of ambient noise in the city, while the other group listened to natural sounds. The group that listened to the city recording did significantly worse, which led researchers to the conclusion that natural sounds contribute to reducing the activity of the sympathetic nervous system. This is what is activated when the brain detects danger.

You need solitude to relieve your stress

People are social. We need a certain human activity for our mental and emotional well-being. That said, we have evolved to live in small groups, which makes cities quite stressful. In fact, some studies suggest that there is a link between fertility and overpopulation.

When you are in a natural environment, the simple fact that there is no one else around gives you a sense of intimacy and introspection. Such feelings are difficult to have when you are constantly communicating with other people.

Contamination

Air pollution in cities can also play a role in stress and anxiety disorders. We already mentioned noise pollution, but light pollution is also a problem. The fact that cities are very rarely dark can actually change the circadian rhythm of your body which is normally dictated by sunlight.

Take a natural pill

The good news, according to a study by Mary Carol R. Hunter, is that being in nature for twenty minutes a day is enough to reduce cortisol levels in the blood. This applies even if the natural environment is in a city (ie a city park). This “treatment” should be done without screens, aerobic exercise or even a book. Research suggests that you get the full benefit if you just walk around or sit in nature.

These new discoveries bring together scientific progress and our biological roots. Every day we find new ways to protect our health and the natural world, without giving up the comfort of modern life. So what are you waiting for? Go outdoors and let nature relieve your stress!