{"id":7288,"date":"2022-04-08T11:32:04","date_gmt":"2022-04-08T11:32:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christian-works.org\/forest-bathing-nature-deficit-disorder\/"},"modified":"2022-07-01T22:34:09","modified_gmt":"2022-07-01T22:34:09","slug":"forest-bathing-nature-deficit-disorder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christian-works.org\/es\/forest-bathing-nature-deficit-disorder\/","title":{"rendered":"Forest Bathing, Nature Deficit Disorder…"},"content":{"rendered":"

Forest Bathing, Nature Deficit Disorder,<\/strong><\/h3>\n

and other phrases I absolutely did not learn in grad school<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

<\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.\u201d \u2013 Henry David Thoreau (Walden)<\/em><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

Walden, <\/em>Henry David Thoreau\u2019s book about spending two full years living alone in the Massachusetts woods, has always fascinated me. As a teen in English class I remember being perplexed at how lonely and taxing it must be to just be with oneself in the woods for such a length of time. Now, pushing into my 30\u2019s at warp speed with responsibilities snowballing by the minute, I can absolutely see the allure of some time with my own thoughts and a cabin.<\/p>\n

What is it, though, about the outdoors that can be so beneficial? How does it affect our overall wellness? Have we been missing out on something important as our society continues to develop in a way that has us indoors at increasing intervals?<\/p>\n

Since I could not very well sit and chat with Thoreau himself to learn more about the biopsychosocial benefits of being in nature, I did the next best thing: I called up my friend Kelly.<\/p>\n

(Listen to our full conversation here)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Kelly Coble could be described as many things: intelligent, kind, & passionate\u2014all worthy characteristics of a promising clinical mental health counselor. Unique to her field, however, is Kelly\u2019s distinct interest in capitalizing on the benefits of nature as part of her future counseling practice.<\/p>\n

Kelly attributes her personal interest in this topic to a combined love for the outdoors and a desire to provide hands-on support for individuals seeking to grow within the counseling experience.<\/p>\n

She first became interested in wilderness therapy as a career path when she and one of her college roommates were watching Survivor one evening, and a contestant shared about her own work in the wilderness therapy field.<\/p>\n

For Kelly, her next professional steps were obvious after that night. And though she had been currently working in a research capacity and assumed her professional life would continue that trajectory, Kelly decided pretty quickly that she would pursue counseling\u2014and specifically, counseling with a twist of the outdoors.<\/p>\n

It turns out that Kelly is not the only professional with an increasing interest in this topic. <\/strong><\/p>\n

In the past few years, a wealth of studies have been conducted on nature\u2019s health benefits in an effort to quantify how much outdoor time begins to yield positive results in a person\u2019s life. Many of us feel different and lighter after time outside, but what exactly is happening biologically, and how can other people recreate these effects?<\/p>\n

An online Yale article from 2020 cites a study of 20,000 people that deemed 2 hours of green space per week is the magic cut-off point at which individuals begin to see results in mental, emotional, physical and relational health [6]. Any less that 2 hours a week provided no benefits whatsoever.<\/p>\n

The Yale article also quotes Richard Louv, well-known author of the book The Last Child in the Woods <\/em>and coiner of the phrase Nature Deficit Disorder [4], as saying that the research on this topic has leapt from 60 to about 1000 credible studies since his work began in 2005 [5].<\/p>\n

This research is likewise beginning to inform both local and large-scale policies. People are craving the outdoors; the helping field, as well as policymakers, are beginning to take note. Terms such as \u201cforest schools,\u201d \u201cpark deserts,\u201d and \u201csit spots\u201d are becoming commonplace terms that were unheard of a few short years ago (see definitions list below for discussion of these terms). <\/em> <\/p>\n

The Trust for Public Lands has created a campaign entitled Ten Minute Walk, boasting a plan to ensure that every neighborhood in the United States has access to green spaces within-you guessed it\u2014a 10 minute walk of their homes [5]. This effort is meant to decrease the number of park deserts (communities lacking a green space) nationwide.<\/p>\n

It has also been noted that the up-and-coming generation is prioritizing green spaces when seeking real-estate and educational spaces for their children.<\/p>\n

The numbers and studies are clear: people want their nature, and as Louv points out, \u201cNature is not only nice to have, but it\u2019s a have-to-have for physical health and cognitive function\u201d [5].<\/p>\n

So what exactly are these health benefits we are all raving about?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The short answer is that pretty much every area of wellness is positively impacted by increased exposure to the natural world; time outside equals positive effects on ones\u2019 quality of life. Even positive self-esteem makes the list. Kelly\u2019s take on self-esteem from nature is that<\/p>\n

I feel small (in the outdoors), but I also remember that the God who made THAT made me.<\/em><\/p>\n

Such a bigger-than-self response and outlook on the world can not only boost self-esteem, but also provide a sense of calm and connectedness, which is one goal that ecopsychology (the study of human\u2019s relationships to the earth) <\/em>seeks to pursue.<\/p>\n

According to the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides, \u201chealth benefits attributed to forest therapy include boosted immune function, improved cardiovascular and respiratory health, attention restoration and a reduction in stress and depression\u201d [1].<\/p>\n

For an aesthetically pleasing overview of these benefits, I\u2019d encourage you to take a couple minutes to watch the following short video by Florence Williams, author of The Nature Fix, <\/em>for a quick introduction into the body\u2019s natural, positive response to spending time outside [7]. Williams asserts that even a short time outside can boost creativity and productivity later on in the day, and even increase feelings of connectedness to other people in your life.<\/p>\n

The Nature Fix – What Happens When You Spend Just 5 Minutes in Nature?<\/a><\/strong>
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Another resource is this website dedicated to the practice and research of forest bathing (which simply means spending time engulfed in a wooded area)<\/em>, with a webpage listing over 20 different studies discussing forest\/nature bathing\u2019s effect on areas such as attentiveness, stress reduction, self-discipline, mood improvement, cardiovascular performance, and more.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/forestbathingcentral.com\/forest-bathing-studies\/<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

While stress reduction and other obvious benefits to being outside are all well and good, my favorite, and most intriguing, health benefit from nature was first introduced to me by Kelly during our conversation together.<\/p>\n

Exposure to nature literally boosts the immune system.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I immediately had to look this up after hearing about it from Kelly, and the facts check out. The science behind this claim is as such: The air we breathe in the presence of trees and plants includes chemicals called phytoncides\u2014which are essentially protections that trees emit to deter insects. These chemicals not only help plants fight disease and ward off bugs, but, when they are inhaled by humans, our bodies respond by increasing white blood cells that kill tumors and viruses. Research is currently being completed to determine if phytoncides can even prevent cancer of some kinds [3].<\/p>\n

Great. But how can I make outdoor time happen for myself?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Another highlight of my chat with Kelly was her description of her open-ended time in the woods each week.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI take my time. I go In and if I feel like running I\u2019m going to run. If I feel like walking I\u2019m going to walk. If I feel like turning around I\u2019m going to turn around; I don\u2019t worry about the mileage. If I feel like sitting on a log and watching a bug, that is what I do…<\/em><\/p>\n

My life is so structured. I have ADHD…all day long, every day, I am forcing myself to accomplish tasks and get through these things like reading textbooks and writing papers, which are not my strong suits, and are hard. <\/em><\/p>\n

[Being out in the woods] is like letting your inner child out to go and play, almost. I just do whatever I feel like doing, which is awesome. We don\u2019t get to do that very much in that sort of way.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

Kelly\u2019s weekly time in the woods is so striking to me because, unlike most activities in our adult worlds, it is an opportunity to be unstructured and unpressured. Kelly meets herself in the woods in the way that she best needs in that day. It is an antidote to the pressures of daily life\u2014which honestly reminds me a lot of the theories of play therapy. Nature is an adult space to make sense of your world in a non-judgmental, unassuming atmosphere.<\/p>\n

Kelly has some practical tips below for getting outside, even for people who live surrounded by concrete, or in a park desert. But honestly, my biggest tip is to just begin. Step outside between tasks at work. Pause on the way to your car to feel the temperature of the air and note the noises that are different than your indoor experience.<\/p>\n

Pause. Feel. Be.<\/p>\n

And somewhere out there one day, maybe you will happen upon my friend Kelly talking to a bug.<\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Practical tips from Kelly Coble to get yourself outside: <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone can start somewhere with the accessibility of nature.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n