Kia Ora!
Here at Accessibel, we are passionate about Mental Wellbeing. It is one of the big drivers for us, as we are well aware of the clear link between time spent in nature and Mental Health.
For Mental Health Awareness week, we want to show our support for those living with mental illness. Almost one third of Kiwi’s experience mental distress, with youth, the LGBTQIA+ community and those with disabilities being affected the most.
With the state of the world right now, it’s understandable our Mental Wellbeing is taking a hit. However, there are ways we can try and take some small steps to help ourselves, and others.
The five ways to well-being is a great start. Volunteering, connecting with others, and being physically active are proven ways to boost our wellbeing. Check out https://www.mhaw.nz/explore/five-ways-to-wellbeing/ for more info on this, plus plenty of other resources to support those in Mental Distress.
Here at Accessibel however, we also believe in a 6th way to wellbeing - connection to nature. Thousands of years ago, early humans were interwoven with nature. We hunted, grew food, lived off the land, bathed in rivers and lakes and had an upmost respect for mother nature.
However, with the industrial revolution, expansion of concrete jungles, houses and roads, paired a boom in population we have seen a steady destruction of our planet - and therefore a huge disconnection toward nature.
This has clearly been shown in our youth, with modern children being more successful in identifying pokemon species than real life animals.
Children are spending less time outdoors and more time on screens, and parents report their own knowledge of nature is often too limited to teach their kids about the wild expanses of the outdoors.
However, researchers predict that the need to connect to nature is likely to remain an innate part of who we are.
So, where does mental health come into this? Well, over the last few years, much research has been put into establishing this link, and the results are profound. Here are just a few benefits getting into the outdoors has on our mental wellbeing;
Improved self esteem (especially in the mentally ill)
Improved mood
Lowered rates of depression
Lowered stress (especially shown during lockdowns)
Lowered physiological stress symptoms
Improved cognitive function
Faster recovery from illness
Concentration and self discipline in children
Lessened anger, confusion and tension
Just to name a few. Another amazing piece of research into hospital patients also provided an astounding discovery. Patients who had a view of trees, wildlife and nature from their window were shown to experience less pain, as well as a shorter recovery time post-surgery compared to those with a city view. How amazing!
And the best part about getting into nature? It’s free. Evidence even suggests that nature exposure promotes higher increases in wellbeing than other interventions cited in psychology literature - so not only is it free, it’s one of the best tools out there to improve our mental wellbeing.
Here in NZ, we are so lucky to be surrounded by stunning beaches, mountains, and bushwalks.
At Accessibel, our aim is to improve access to these fantastic resources for all. We want to see everyone experiencing the benefits mentioned above, no matter your ability.
If you’ve got this far, hopefully you have gained a little bit of inspiration to connect with nature.
This Mental Health week, we encourage you to head outdoors and utilise the 5 ways to wellbeing. Invite some friends or whanau to come with you and connect, learn through reading information signage on the different types of flora and fauna, be active by going on a walk/run/bike, take notice of the bird songs, the sun shining through the leaves or the sound of the river running, and give your presence, being mindful and connecting to nature.
For some info around accessible tracks, check out accessibel.co.nz.
And most important of all, reach out to your loved ones. Give nana a call, flick that friend you haven’t talked to for weeks a message, tell your mum you love her. You never know what someone is going through.
Let’s connect for mental wellbeing. To nature, to each other, to ourselves.
Kia Kaha!
References:
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2016.00260/full
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es102947t#
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412021002890
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/es903183r
