Outdoor Therapy!

Guest Blogger: Miah Wills
(Graduate Student in Counseling)

We live in a time where there is more mental health awareness than ever before. There are more counselors, therapists, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, medications, available treatments, medical/psychological knowledge, and additional resources for those looking to improve their mental health than ever before in human history.

If this is the case, why have we not seen a noticeable improvement in mental health or suicide rates nationwide? According to the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, suicide rates have continued to trend in a unfavorable direction since the turn of the century. With the remarkable growth, innovation, and improvement in the mental health field, how is this possible? What has changed? What has been added to or taken away from the lives of Americans that even with the huge benefit of having mental health professionals and resources readily available, this issue continues to worsen?

A few things stand out right away:

We have transitioned into a technological age. We stare at screens now more than ever. Social media has become more than a fad, and become a large part of the average American’s life.

Screen time for the average American has increased to 7 hours and 3 minutes per day.

American’s spend less time outdoors than ever before. Only 58% of Americans spend more than 30 minutes a day outdoors, and only one third spend more than an hour outside per day.

There is less face to face interaction for the average American (30% less for adults, 45% less for teenagers) as opposed to 20 years ago.

This begs the question: what can we do? While therapy in the conventional sense typically only takes up an hour a week at the most, how do we work on our mental health outside of the counseling and therapy setting (without breaking the bank)? It is important to seek answers that can apply to everyone, regardless of social standing, physical ability, economic status, resource availability, etc.

Nature exposure is one thing our country has experienced less and less of as the years go by. But it is one of the most available and proven methods to improve your mental (and physical) health, although it is commonly overlooked. This is possibly due to the fact it is right under our nose (or outside our door). Exposure to natural environments, green spaces, and time spent interacting with animals has been proven to positively impact the following:

Childhood Development: 

When exposed to nature during early childhood, the risk of mental illness is reduced by 55%.

Benefits of consistent exposure to natural outdoor environments during childhood include but are not limited to: improved cognitive function, concentration, attention span, academic performance, motor coordination, social skills, and reduced levels of stress and anxiety.

Aging: 

Physical Aging: Researchers have found that aging can be slowed or accelerated on a cellular level based on natural exposure. In summary, the amount of exposure a person has to Vitamin D and resveratrol, which is found outdoors, can slow the aging process. And the amount of exposure a person has to metallic chemicals and ultraviolet light, which is found indoors, can accelerate the aging process.

Mental Aging: Exposure to nature increases cognitive function, while also reducing the risk of age-related diseases such as Dementia or Alzheimer’s.

Physical Health: 

Reduces: cortisol levels, muscle tension, production of stress hormones, and demands on cardiovascular system (lowers heart rate and blood pressure), as well as the risk of diabetes, and obesity,

Promotes and Assists: fetal growth and healthier birthrates, increased immune health, healthy sleep patterns, eye sight, energy levels, and recovery from illness, injury, or surgery,

Mental Health: 

Reduces: stress, anxiety, anger, and feelings of loneliness.

Improves: mood, memory, creativity, concentration, self-esteem, feelings of calmness & joy.

Here are some ways you can engage in nature and outdoor environments:

Take a walk in your local neighborhood, sit in your backyard or on your deck/patio, take your kids to the park, stare at the stars, engage in outdoor sports/activities, fishing, hunting, gardening, etc.

For the majority of us who do not own our own lake house, farmstead, or 40 acre plot, there is also an abundance of rural public land that is open to the public, much of which is a short driving distance from town. Local lakes also typically have a recreational area that will be marked by public land signs which often offer a variety of outdoor opportunities such as: lakeside swimming access, frisbee golf courses, hunting/fishing opportunities, as well as trails for walking, running, biking horseback riding, snowmobiling, etc. All public land belongs to you just as much as anyone else. And as long as it is used responsibly and within state regulations, it is purely designed for your recreation.

To find public land near you, visit your local state Game, Fish, and Parks or Department of Natural Resources website and look for the “Public Land Atlas” for the current year to get a look at public land near you. For those living locally in South Dakota, visit https://gfp.sd.gov/ and click on maps. This will provide a list of maps for various outdoor activities. For the actual map, click on “Public Hunting Atlas” (you do not need to be hunting to use these areas).

Remember, some options to better our mental health and well being can be right out our front doors!