The Magic of Time In Nature; a bounty of benefits
As a species, we’ve spent considerably more time walking outdoors and hunter-gathering than we have working in offices. Today we live in a highly demanding, technology-led society. Further to this, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to even more chair-bound virtual meetings and continued isolation and anxiety for many of us.(1) This sedentary lifestyle, coupled with the continuing rise in mental health conditions, is having a significant impact on our physical and mental wellbeing.(2)
Research on the psychological and cognitive effects of being outdoors has found that time in nature enhances higher-order thinking, restores attention, brings perspective and boosts creativity.(3)
The Working World Today
Our world today is facing major economic, environmental, political and technological change. The speed of developments in these areas affects all of our lives. Business leaders in organisations face these challenges coupled with endless internal demands. They feel overwhelmed with what is expected of them, the size of their role and the pressure to deliver results with fewer resources. And just when they feel on top of everything, along comes yet more change. It leaves our leaders struggling to find balance, being time poor and not always cash rich.
It is of little wonder that employees are at risk of burnout and/or depression and anxiety. Official figures show the number of antidepressants given to patients in England doubled between 2005 and 2015.(4) It is clear to see why organisations are focusing on development, resilience and wellbeing to help their staff survive.
Systemic Connection
One of the basic concepts of wellbeing arising from spending time in nature is that nature itself provides a therapeutic setting. Nature offers an environment that the human species belongs to, an independent and nurturing space. For 99% of our time on Earth we lived as hunter-gatherers. No cities, no internet. Our ancestors only survived because they had an intimate connection to nature. For over 2.2 million years, survival necessitated finding sustenance and shelter, and avoiding predators. These experiences have shaped many aspects of our modern brain functions. Nature’s cycles were what we lived by, for example, sleep and mood-regulating circadian rhythms became coordinated by natural light. The Earth has been here for 4.6 billion years. We are all related to the first cell on Earth; every human, plant and animal is related to that cell, which means we are all related to each other and the natural world is our home, not the boxes we currently live and work in.
Somatic coach Richard Strozzi-Heckler talks in evolutionary terms about our ‘intuitive knowing’: ‘Over 3 billion years of embodied knowledge of survival, adapting, social intelligence, co-ordinating, intuition and reciprocity live largely unused in us.’(5) This explains why, when we are outdoors we often experience gaining sudden insights as we tap into our embodied, intuitive knowing.
Organisational benefits of time in nature
In an era of information overload and constant demands, the ability to get some rich thinking time away from the office is a valuable resource. Enhanced clarity, perspective and creativity, not to mention the obvious wellbeing benefits of being outdoors offers a good deal to organisations. In a time-poor environment, where people are looking for quick results, insight, clarity and perspective are highly prized.
Planet benefits of time in nature
World leaders at the COP conferences focus on a single number – the amount of carbon in our atmosphere, in order to have a habitable planet for the human species. To prevent a rise in global temperatures of 1.5C or less, we need to reduce carbon emissions from the burning of fossil fuels and re-capture billions of tons of carbon from the air. Nature is a key ally in helping us do this. In the words of Sir David Attenborough: ‘Wherever we restore the wild it will recapture carbon and help us bring back the balance to our planet.’(6)
I propose that there are ecological benefits to spending time in nature, based on the premise that through spending time engaging with nature we increase our level of nature connectedness. Nature connectedness is the strength of a person’s relationship with nature. This is more than simply visiting and being in nature – it is about developing a reciprocal relationship with the natural world where both individual and environment are nourished by the contact, inherently evoking care for nature.(7) A person who is in relational connection with nature is more likely to feel passionate about the environmental agenda and take personal responsibility for making pro-environmental choices.(8)
The University of Derby has conducted some fascinating research(9) in this area, developing a ‘pathways to nature connectedness framework’, demonstrating that nature connectedness is increased through sensory contact with nature, having meaningful emotional experiences in nature, appreciating nature’s beauty, making meaning from nature and showing passion towards natural things.
Nature wins out
Time outdoors offers us a way of managing some of the pressures of the working world today. Nature is rich with stimuli and the opportunity to connect at a somatic and soulful level, to listen to nature and our intuition, brings incredible benefits for coaching results, wellbeing and environmental connection. All this is missed if we stay indoors with our phones, central heating and laptops. While it may seem simple to step outside, my experience is that people often don’t. So, go on, put on some comfy shoes and step out. Swap the handcuffs of technology for an enriching experience in all senses.
References:
World Health Organization. Green and blue spaces and mental health: New evidence and perspectives for action, 2021 [Online]. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/342931/9789289055666-eng.pdf (accessed 19 November 2022).
Aquafolium: reconnecting with nature to nurture. What is the evidence? [Online] https://aquafolium.co.uk/research/ (accessed 19 November 2022).
Chowdhury MR. The positive effects of nature on your mental wellbeing. Positive Psychology.com 2019; 11 March [Online] https://positivepsychology.com/positive-effects-of-nature (accessed 19 November 2022).
Meikle J. Antidepressant prescriptions in England double in a decade. The Guardian, 2016; 5 July [Online] www.theguardian.com/society/2016/jul/05/antidepressant prescriptions-in-england-double-in-a-decade (accessed 18 July 2022).
Strozzi-Heckler R. The art of somatic coaching: embodying skillful action, wisdom and compassion. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books; 2014.
Attenborough D. Sir David Attenborough's Address to World Leaders at COP26. 2021; 1 November: [Online]. https://youtu.be/qjq4VWdZhq8?t=7 (accessed 18 November 2022).
Marshall H. Taking therapy outside – Reaching for a vital connection. Keynote Presentation at CONFER Conference, Psychotherapy & the Natural World, 2016; 12–13 November.
Mackay C M L, Schmitt M T. Do people who feel connected to nature do more to protect it? A meta-analysis. Journal of Environmental Psychology 2019; 65, 101323.
Lumber R, Richardson M, Sheffield D. Beyond knowing nature: Contact, emotion, compassion, meaning, and beauty are pathways to nature connection. 2017; 9 May: [Online]. PLoS ONE 12(5): e0177186. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0177186 (accessed 18 November 2022).
Lesley holds an MSc in Executive Coaching from Ashridge Business school and she has 16 years commercial experience with Mars. She holds an EMCC Senior accreditation. Read More >
She is the author of ‘Coaching Outdoors; the essential guide to partnering with nature in your coaching conversations’.
Contact by calling +44 (0) 7799 581792 or email info@coachingoutdoors.com.