The Nature Cure

“The Nature Cure: The Surprising Health benefits of the Great Outdoors”

By Florence Williams

Rating: 3 Stars

Everyday we are affected by the environment in which we surround ourselves, either in a positive or a negative way. What we don’t realize is to what extent and how, that is why for my first article I choose to analyze the Outside Magazine article “The Nature Cure: The Surprising Health Benefits of the Great Outdoors” by Florence Williams. It introduced new ideas and methods of therapy being explored to reduce modern day problems, studied particularly in Japan. In this article, specialists suggest that due to modern day advances people have become “more aggressive, more narcissistic, more distracted, more depressed and less cognitively nimble”. The remedy they suggest is quite simple in fact, nature. Throughout their many studies, they have proven that being in the outdoors decreases stress level, blood pressure, and heart rate and relieves mental illness such as anxiety and depression. Not only does nature better over-all health but also it improves cognition, moods and boosts empathy. These results have been extracted from numerous studies and based on these results many countries are now investing in Forest Therapy, connecting the forestry and medical fields. For example, in Japan today 2.5 million to 5 million people visit their forest therapy trails each year. These forest trails focus on letting “nature enter your body through all five senses”, allowing complete relaxation and rejuvenation. Florence Williams also compares the difference between Western and Japanese approach while researching the effect nature has on people. While the Japanese embrace the outdoors as part of their culture and understand humans inherent draw to nature, Westerns researchers understand our pull away from it, demonstrating the contrast in cultures and societies.

                  While reading this article, I was able to reflect on my own personal experiences in nature. I found that being outdoors does have an effect on me and I find that I am more relaxed and self-aware when I am in a nature filled environment. I learned that not only does being outside improve our mental health but it also affects our physical health as well. Knowing this, I feel I will make more time to be in nature and that if I do need to rejuvenate getting outdoors is always a great way to do so. This article was really interesting to read and learn about the information they have gathered and how they apply to everyone everywhere. I feel this article was well written; however, it is lengthy. It explored new possibilities and inspires readers to incorporate more nature into their lives.

"Take Two Hours of Pine Forest and Call Me in the Morning." Outside Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. <http://www.outsideonline.com/fitness/wellness/Take-Two-Hours-of-Pine-Forest-and-Call-Me-in-the-Morning.html>.