Building A Relationship With Nature

A relationship with nature is vital to our mental health. Increased isolation from the global pandemic has stagnated mental and emotional stimulation, especially regarding one's surroundings. People have found themselves less active outdoors, growing feelings of detachment from themselves and their community. Studies show how clinicians are aiding people in reclaiming their relationship with nature through nature-based interventions to improve their mental wellness.

Nature-based interventions for mental health are activities designed to increase connection to the natural world. They are an effective way to improve mental health gains of secure emotional attachment, an increase in purposeful behavior, and an increase in social support. There are a variety of nature-based interventions that link people to structured and facilitated experiences. These interventions can be on an individual or a community level.

Some clinicians specialize in a treatment known as Walk and Talk therapy. The client and clinician walk side-by-side, often in nature, instead of sitting and facing one another. This experience results in feelings of comfort and joint experiencing, increasing the therapeutic connection. This form of therapy may benefit individuals who need movement to help them with mental and emotional processing. Additionally, Walk and Talk therapy uses a mindfulness-based approach, as the therapist can aid the client in orienting themselves to the here and now. Therefore it is helpful for individuals who have difficultly experiencing the present moment. 

Learning relaxation techniques can be achieved through nature-based therapies, such as forest bathing, wilderness therapy, and retreats. A community connection can be fostered through invovlement in community farming. Even creativity can be tapped and developed by photographing, sketching, or painting the outdoors. In areas where allowed, some people will increase experiences of personal pleasure, pride of ownership, and appreciation of beauty, through collecting outdoor items like rocks, leaves, and shells. Individuals may want to learn the skillsets of hiking and camping to reset their minds and bodies.

General exposure to publicly accessible vegetation and outdoor water spaces allows for a change in environment and stimuli. The mind-body connection can be improved through social or individual horticultural activities of food growing. It will enable people to see where their food comes from and appreciate the work put into growing it. Physical movement and exercise can be increased and may even be more pleasurable in environments with greenscapes or waterscapes.

Some clinicians may assign nature-based homework for their clients, including learning about their region’s natural plants and animals to increase awareness and a sense of belonging. For clients who are prone to skipping work-from-home breaks, clinicians may encourage them to take a walk outside. This provides a sensory shift and encourages self-care. A provider may even inspire a client to go out to journal, increasing mental clarity and stability.  Providers may even promote family engagement with nature, such as building sandcastles or nature forts.

Society has gradually, over time, disassociated from its surroundings. This disconnection may be the result of our view that nature is an external entity. Our modern society view's it as separate from ourselves. Therefore increasing and experiencing the outdoors needs to start with a self-assessment of our relationship with nature instead of our experience simply in it. Humans who develop a connection and sense of belonging in nature see that bond in a relational sense. They know the time they spend outside as meaningful and purposeful time spent.

Many Indigenous cultures describe the connection they have with nature as that of a kinship bond. They see all the natural elements of the ecosystem they live in as their family. They view themselves as having a familial partnership with nature. Their self-assessment is that nature is a part of them, not outside of them. Indigenous people are attuned to the fact that they are affected by nature. They are also attuned to the fact that they affect nature and the natural life around them. This symbiotic relationship allows them to honor, seek out, and thrive with natural surroundings.

As the pandemic continues, my clients with chronic illnesses have a limited comfort level regarding outdoor and social engagements. They have experienced the reality of hospitalization and daily come face-to-face with their mortality. These clients have a different baseline understanding of their bodies than their nondisabled peers. They know their body will not recover quickly from a new illness. These clients have vivid memories of experiencing medical situations where their pain has been dismissed, minimized, and misdiagnosed. They have come across scenarios where resources at a facility were not accessible, depleted, or denied to them. We devise ways to bring the outside in for these clients and any of my clients who aren't ready to re-engage outside.

Plants can be bought online and shipped to their home. They have joined online gardening forums to develop community and learn how to care for their vegetation. They have learned what vegetables can grow indoors. They have found a new fond for cooking as they learned to make new recipes with their grown food. We have discussed singing and talking to the plants to help them grow, as studies show that the plants respond to these vibrations and absorb the natural CO2 exhaled. Some of the clients have even named their plants, increasing their bond to them. Finding a way to bring the outdoors inside has helped develop the surrounding change needed to prevent experiences of stagnation and continued disconnection brought on by the pandemic.

How have you engaged with nature today? Let us know in the comment section below!

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