I grew up in a small town in the Netherlands. A town so small you could bike everywhere: to the grocery store, school, a friend’s house, horse riding class or the swimming pool in summer.
On the right end of the street where we lived began a stretch of farmland and the forest and natural lakes were nearby.
Some of my fondest childhood memories happened outdoors: picking and drying wildflowers, foraging trips with my mom to pluck wild berries, Sunday walks with the entire family in the nearby forest and winter ice skating on the frozen lakes. Summer holidays were spent camping and hiking in the mountains of Switzerland or Austria.
Fast forward a couple of years and country life was replaced by big city living: starting with Paris, then Mumbai, New Delhi, Singapore, Las Vegas, Manila, Dubai, and now back to New Delhi.
While it took some effort, I always made it a point to seek out nature wherever we lived: whether it was a stroll with the kids in the Botanical Gardens in Singapore, hiking in Red Rock Canyon near Las Vegas, climbing mountains in the Philippines, or dipping in the ocean in Dubai.
Being in nature has multiple health benefits. We all know and can feel it and research backs it up too. Reduced anxiety, reduced stress, a lower heart rate, increased focus and attention are some of benefits reported.
In Japan the popular practice of Shinrin-Yoku, or forest bathing, involves immersing oneself in nature by mindfully using all five senses. Research findings on the benefits of this practice report therapeutic effects on the immune system, the cardiovascular systems, the respiratory systems, depression and anxiety, mental relaxation, and increased feelings of awe.
Being in nature may have an impact on our microbiome as well. A 2022 review of intervention studies concluded that there is evidence for an increased diversity of the human microbiome after nature exposure.
Last but not least, being outdoors exposes us to natural light, which helps to regulate our circadian rhythm, also known as our internal body “clock”. This in turn helps to regulate and improve sleep. You can read more on that here.
As you can see it pays to head outside on a daily basis and find a patch of green in your city or a bigger stretch should you be so lucky.
Where we live now in New Delhi there is a beautiful park in my neighborhood, with peacocks, squirrels, monkeys, and little streams. I am making it a point to get my vitamin N there as often as I can.
Be Well!
Monique
PS The image shown is of me and my friends at the crater lake of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines. As you can see the “awe” is written all over our faces.
References:
- A Review of the Benefits of Nature Experiences: More Than Meets the Eye. Franco et al., 201
- Shinrin-Yoku (Forest Bathing) and Nature Therapy: A State-of-the-Art Review. Hansen et al., 2017
- Transfer of environmental microbes to the skin and respiratory tract of humans after urban green space exposure. Selway et al., 2020
- Interplay between natural environment, human microbiota and immune system: A scoping review of interventions and future perspectives towards allergy prevention. Tischer et al., 2022
