Naturally Good Health
Eating a healthy diet, staying physically active, getting enough sleep, not smoking and seeing the doctor when we’re sick are essential habits for being healthy. These self-care behaviors are what you do to take care of yourself. But the conditions in which you live your life have just as profound an impact on your health as your habits. These conditions are called the social determinants of health and include economic stability, education, social and community context, health care and neighborhood environments.(1),(2)
Nature, a commonly accepted social determinant of health and an example of a neighborhood condition, is the focus of this article.
Nature = green space
The broadest definition of nature used in research is any outdoor space that has been partially or completely greened with grass, shrubs, trees and other vegetation. Examples: small and large city parks, trails, public plazas, vacant lots, playgrounds and schoolyards, cemeteries, community gardens.
Health benefits(3)
There is a growing body of strong scientific evidence confirming what we have perhaps intuitively known all along: nature is good for our health.
Living near nature has been associated with decreased risk of heart disease, diabetes, mortality and improved depression. Nature visits can reduce blood pressure and decrease depressive thought patterns. Adding green space to low-resourced neighborhoods reduced crime, improved feelings of safety and reduced feelings of depression. Nature positively impacts health through enhanced immune response, improved quality of air, reduced stress among parents and children, improved resilience in children, increased physical activity and the development of social connections.
Recommendations
In order to optimize your health, try to make nature a part of your day as often as you can, even if you only have a few minutes.
Here are some suggestions to help you get started:
Enjoy meals outdoors in nature whenever possible, alone or with family and/or friends.
Read a book or listen to music outdoors.
Try your video or phone conferencing outside as possible.
Instead of catching up with a friend by phone, meet for a talk in a green space.
Express your creativity by writing, drawing or painting in nature.
Sit in a comfortable chair surrounded by nature and do nothing, just relax. Pay attention to nature’s sights and sounds. Can you hear the wind rustling through the leaves of the trees? Can you hear any bird songs?
References
https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/social-determinants-of-health
https://www.who.int/social_determinants/sdh_definition/en/
South EC, Kondo MC, Razani N. Nature as a Community Health Tool: The Case for Healthcare Providers and Systems. Am J Prev Med. 2020 Oct;59(4):606-610. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2020.03.025. Epub 2020 Jul 9. PMID: 32654863.
