According to Eco Therapist J. Phoenix Smith, soil has healing properties that can thwart depression and address an array of health concerns. I understand you may be nodding slowly, attempting to absorb this new information whilst maintaining a healthy dose of skepticism. Understandably so- let’s break this down. Eco Therapists are recognised medical practitioners licensed to provide nature based activity programs that will aid in both physical and mental health. Ecotherapy is one of multiple advances in modern medicine. Perhaps you’d call it a holistic approach. Listen to birdsong through your headphones. Start a veggie or plant garden and consider the seeds and their growth a metaphor reflecting life’s transitional essence. Find a spot in a park and plant yourself there for twenty minutes each week. Resist the urge to check your phone. Instead, bring a good old pad of paper and a pen. Note down the week to week and seasonal changes you observe.
Zarr is part of a growing group of healthcare professionals who are, in a way, medicalising nature and highlighting the correlation between western and alternative medicine. A compendium of three hundred and eighty two locals parks, all of which have been mapped out and rated on accessibility, safety and amenities, are part of a community health initiative that the good doctor created. Park prescriptions are a low risk and cost intervention that people are quick to accept. Sure, you’re more likely to move around in a park than when watching tv, but there’s more to this concept. Researchers in the United Kingdom found that people who undertook physical exercise in a natural setting over a synthetic environment experienced less anger, fatigue and sadness. Furthermore, the blood flow to the part of the brain associated with brooding was reduced. In a well documented study on the topic, patients recovering from gallbladder surgery healed faster and with fewer complications when their hospital room looked out on trees rather than a wall.
This kind of research is why cities across the world are investing in urban greening schemes. Even in built up areas, green spaces such as nature reserves, parks and tree lined streets offer a connection to wildlife, provide cooling shade in the summer and visual respite from man made structures. The accumulation of these experiences in nature can help distract us from sources of stress, improve cognition, sleep quality, lead to increased physical activity and keep us healthy and out of hospital. Take residential building One Central Park, which put Sydney suburb Chippendale on the map. It has been named best tall building in the world, trumping over eighty four other entries. One Central Park is among an elite collection of the world’s best new buildings. It was the love child of visionaries Jean Nouvel, architect, and Patrick Blanc, french artist and botanist. One Central Park combines polished highrises, a shopping centre, rooftop gardens and a swimming pool. All areas are either overlooked by or have greenery incorporated within them. This ambitious project has drawn international acclaim and attention for its impressive vertical garden, the largest and most beautiful of its kind. Patrick Blanc is to thank for this. The garden features thirty five thousand irrigated plants that cascade down eleven hundred metres of the buildings exterior. Imagine being the one responsible for watering such a structure! One Central Park has won numerous awards the like of The International Green Infrastructure award, the Landscape Design award at the Sydney Design awards, the LEAF Sustainability award and the UDIA award for Design & Innovation and Development of the Year.
Forest bathing:
The Japanese people coined this term for spending time in nature whilst being mindful. To try it yourself, why not head over to your local nature reserve or park? Wander the trails and make sure to engage your senses as you walk. Pick out five things you can see, four things you can hear, three things you can feel, two things you can smell and one thing you can taste. This will have the effect of bringing you back to the here and now, grounding you in the present.
The Japanese coined this term for spending time mindfully in nature. To try it yourself, head to a nature reserve or park and wander the trails, engaging your senses as you walk. An easy way to do this is to simply pick out five things you can see, four things you can hear, three things you can feel, two things you can smell and one thing you can taste, suggests Maz. It’s a quick way to bring you back to the here and now.
Gardening:
No matter your speed, getting your hands dirty has a calming effect. Perhaps you like to plant herbs or are in the process of potting an indoor fern. Gardening is a lesser known form of meditation. If you plan to add greenery to your backyard or balcony, native plants are usually easy to grow, won’t break any wildlife rules and will attract diverse bird life. Take the Australian Grevilleas for instance. They’d be quite lovely if they didn’t cause me to break out in a rash!
Earthing:
This exercise requires you to slip off your shoes and feel the grass under your feet. Draw attention to the individual blades and notice the sensations that arise. Spending time barefoot in nature allows you to tap into the earth’s natural charge. It serves to re-energise you.
Bush Adventure Therapy:
Do you remember the last time you spent a night under the stars or abseiled down a cliff face? This unique therapy sees counsellors guide people on outdoor expeditions to help them work through issues ranging from chronic illness to trauma.
Outdoor workouts:
Outdoor workouts are perhaps the simplest tip of all. If your local gym is closed or you don’t feel comfortable exercising in such a sweaty, enclosed space during the pandemic, green spaces can be a great alternative setting. Exercising in nature is known to improve your mental health and give you a dose of socialisation without the risk.
I do a bit of earthing, grounding, walking in nature (we actually live in a forest), and garden each day. Being a tech worker, I can attest to the fact that these things bring me to a state of ease and calm. Especially, when I do these midday. ❤️🦋🌀☯️☮️
Oh, you live in a forest? That’s incredible Sheila! What’s your experience of remote living been like so far? I imagine this wasn’t a recent move. Midday is a perfect time to get out and about in nature and just immerse yourself in its’ healing properties.
Hope you are keeping well! x
We move from the beach to the forest days before COVID was announced (Feb 29th). It’s been a very challenging time. We are only now beginning to feel balanced. (We also had to learn how to live off grid). Hope you are staying well too! Thank you! ❤️
Just going outside in the middle of my day brings me peace, so I believe everything you stated in this post! Loved all the activates you mentioned, especially forest bathing. It just sounds calming! I need to do that more often. Hope you’re doing well 💚😊
Thank you Wardah! I’m doing well over here. Very happy we’ve hit Thursday! It’s crazy how fast time is flying by though. You’re absolutely right- even taking ten minutes out of your work day or breaking up large chunks of time spent at home to be in the natural world is invaluable. It can do us a world of good. Let’s go forest bathing together, haha! x
Glad to hear you’re doing well! I know right, I feel that too! Completely agree with everything you said. And yes let’s do it 😂💛
I 100% agree with you! Sometimes when I feel overwhelmed or stressed, I just plant my bare feet in the grass and I swear it sounds weird but I feel really grounded and I feel calmer. Or during the rainy season here, taking a hike or walk through a nature park makes me feel like I can breathe three times deeper into my lungs and gives my eyeballs a break from electronics and blue light screens. 🌺🌸🌼
I love the photos of the picnic, I totally want to join! ❤️
Oh, not at all! This feeling is based in science, after all. How beautiful it is to know that all we need to achieve optimal wellness is already within the natural world, just waiting for us to tap into it and discover great bounties. There is no feeling that compares to being surrounded by a forest. In that moment you are acutely aware of your presence in this big ecosystem. Birds chirp, tall, ancient trees form canopies, leaves crunch under your feet and animals dart in and out of their hiding spots. How beautiful. When I visited my cousin in Victoria a couple of years ago I had this experience. It was like no other. I cannot wait to be back in my happy place! You do indeed breathe deeper. The air is so fresh and the environment so incredibly revitalising x
Such a great read! After years of absolutely not wanting to do ANY gardening, I’m now, in my 20s, finding it very therapeutic and calming. Thanks for sharing Maryam! 💕
Sounds like you’ve settled into a slow and steady but sure rhythm with gardening. It sounds very peaceful! I’m picturing the beautiful fruit trees you spoke of in your most recent post. They’re growing very well. Glad you could benefit from this post and resonate with what I shared x
This was so interesting! I liked the forrest bathing, it is something that I should definitely try! 💖😊
I do agree! I think it will do you good Jorja x
So true!!! ❤️ I Hope you can visit Victoria again soon as well!! 🥰🌲🌼🌸🌳🍃🌷
By the way, I nominated you for the Sunshine Blogger Award! Here’s my post: https://silentsilverytears.wordpress.com/2020/11/25/sunshine-blogger-award-3/ 💕
This post really opened my eyes and taught me a lot. Thank you for sharing 🤍
Yoga can also help. You have to think of nothing while doing yoga.
Sorry for the late reply! Your comment ended up in spam for some reason. I do agree- I used to be an avid yoga fan and spent many evenings clearing my mind, focusing on breath and moving throughout the postures. It’s a very grounding and intentional practice so if that takes your fancy, I’d say go for it! x