Nature Therapy Against Stress

guest writer: Edit Kovács

In the previous texts and videos, we have dived into our understanding of nature, as well as why reconnection is important. In this article we discover in more depth how nature helps our mental health.

 How helps nature in our mental health?

Research now shows that connecting with ecologically healthy nature has beneficial effects on our mental health, and at the same time, being in nature stimulates our physical activity, since when we spend time outdoors, we tend to move more (Mihók et al., 2021).
Researchers found (Mihók et al., 2021), what all our respondents from the previous article also stated, that connection with nature affects the human psyche and mental functions in the following ways:

• It speeds up recovery from stress
• It improves mood
• It contributes to nervous system regeneration
• It enhances attention and cognitive functions

Overall, it can be said that people who feel more connected to nature are more likely to develop well and be psychologically healthier. Beyond this, strengthening the relationship with nature also supports the protection of natural values (Mihók et al., 2021). According to research, even just the sight of nature can reduce our stress levels, and spending as little as 20 minutes a day in nature is enough to achieve a stress-reducing effect (Hunter et al., 2019).

How Can We Connect Simply and Effectively with Nature?

• Listen to the wonderful sounds of nature, even from recordings! You can find many free audio recordings and videos related to this online.
• Breathe in nature! The immuno-boosting and calming compounds called phytoncides, which contribute to forest bathing benefits, can also be inhaled in the form of essential oils, bringing a drop of nature into your space!
• Meditate in nature! Connecting with nature itself helps us practice mindfulness, which positively impacts stress reduction. A simple forest bathing exercise is spending quiet time, regularly returning to a nearby, easily accessible place to observe nature silently. It is recommended to do this for 20 to 30 minutes, ideally daily, or at least twice a week, returning to your chosen spot.
• Forest bathing (shinrin-yoku): A slow (usually 2-3 hours), guided walk in the forest done silently and with mindful attention, combining nature walking and mindfulness practice. The guide invites participants to engage in exercises that help focus their full attention on the natural world and immerse themselves in the experience provided by the forest.
• And of course also: do some physical exercise and breathing exercises outdoors. You can find helpful videos for this in the module “Connection with Our Body.

But as the saying says: if the prophet will not go to the mountain, let the mountain come to the prophet. In the next parts of our module we dive into ways to get Nature come to you: first let’s see a video on the beneficial connection with our beloved pets.

Sources:

• Bach É.: Természetkapcsolat – otthonról, Mindennapi Pszichológia: https://mipszi.hu/cikk/201130-termeszetkapcsolat-otthonrol, utolsó letöltés ideje: 2025. 07. 06.
• Mihók B., Fekete M., Frankó L., Martos T., Pataki Gy., Sallay V., Báldi A.: Természet és lelki egészség, ELKH Ökológiai Kutatóközpont, Vácrátót-Budapest, 2021
• Hunter M. R., Gillespie B. W., Chen S. Y. ( 2019): Urban Nature Experiences Reduce Stress in the Context of Daily Life Based on Salivary Biomarkers, Frontiers in Psychology, 10:722
• Pikó B.: Egészségszociológia, Új Mandátum Könyvkiadó, Budapest, 2002
• Zimbardo P., Johnson R., McCann V.: Pszichológia mindenkinek 4. Zavarok, terápiák, stressz, stratégiák, Libri Könyvkiadó Kft., 2018