2023-07-12 23:02:26
Silvina Vitale, The Nation – GDA
It is not possible to take it in a tablet, but without a doubt it is something that any doctor would prescribe. Vitamin N, better known as vitamin nature, not only returns us to our roots as human beings, but also fills us with energy, stabilizes, releases tension, relieves stress, maintains health and helps to return to the axis.
There is a phrase by Mahatma Gandhi that says: “Forgetting how to dig the earth and take care of the soil is forgetting ourselves.” He was not wrong because we are precisely part of nature and hence the importance of getting close to it to connect with our deepest identity.
However, in large cities, this possibility is limited and many times in the daily grind people forget and move too far away from what renews them and leads them to sources. For Professor María Marta Rodríguez, from the Universidad Católica Argentina (UCA), when thinking regarding the connection with nature, in the first place we must consider that we are nature.
“When we erroneously disassociate ourselves from it and see it as something different from us, we run the risk of thinking that we can do without it, something that is no longer true, nor healthy and can even lead us to lose our identity as human beings”, holds. And he explains that nature provides all the nutrients that form and allow human beings to function, both physically, mentally and spiritually.
short and effective
For Gabriela González Aleman, PhD in Behavior Genetics, the environment has a lot to do with well-being. However, he assures that contrary to what people think, it is not necessary to get away and spend long periods of time in contact with nature, for example traveling to the mountains, the sea or the forest for fifteen, twenty days or more, to feel the effects. positives of this link. “The scientific literature has conclusive data: seeing green from a window, visiting a park or a square or having plants at home are things that increase well-being by representing a link with nature, even if it is simple and seems small”, she clarifies.
To explain this point, González Aleman refers to a study carried out in London, called Happiness is greater in natural environments (2013), by George Mackerron and Susana Mourato, in which the different feelings of well-being of people throughout the day were recorded. and they were crossed with weather data, with the proximity that people had to green spaces or they also took data from surrounding noises, from the proximity to spaces of water, also called blue spaces. “With these scales, they realized that the data changed as people moved through places that had, for example, a water source or through green spaces and even better when they were near rivers, present in a large number of cities Europeans,” he explains. In London, the assessment of the well-being that nature provides to the human being is such that the city has a policy of increasing access or proximity to green or blue spaces for the population. “In other words, if you don’t have a park nearby, you will seek to improve access to that green space because the psychological impact of this contact has a direct impact on people’s well-being,” adds the specialist in behavioral genetics.
And he considers that, just as in urban spaces people gradually add damage and discomfort without noticing it through visual, sound and environmental pollution, they also do not notice the well-being that is accumulated by contact with green or blue spaces even if it is minimum. “The well-being that is generated counteracts the negative effects that big cities have on us,” he explains.
So, it is possible to ensure that there is a direct relationship between nature and the well-being of human beings. This is also what Rolando Salinas, head of the mental health service at Hospital Alemán, considers, who highlights the relevance of contact with greenery for health in general. As he explains, there are multiple studies that show the association between contact with nature, mental health, quality of life and general health. “These studies evaluate the effect of spending time in nature, such as stress hormone levels, quality of life assessment scales by the participants, presence of various diseases, especially those associated with cardiovascular disease such as arterial hypertension, metabolic issues such as diabetes, or especially mental health, and even reach unsuspected pathologies such as the incidence of cancer, or autoimmune diseases”, he explains and maintains that, in all cases, the link between people with nature has a positive effect on these variables.
reconnection program
In this sense, María Marta Rodríguez considers that losing one’s natural identity entails serious consequences that should raise alarms and lead to reflection. “Within these consequences, we can find ourselves with a life in permanent acceleration, with altered biorhythms as a result of having gone from habits marked by sunlight (day and night) to habits marked by the hands of the clock or screens, causing sleep and hormonal disturbances that lead to fluctuating moods, often linked to depression or anxiety”, he explains.
In this “reconnection program” in addition to exercising in the open air, walking, walking, playing in the squares, you can also work with the community in the recovery of green spaces, but also incorporate behaviors that are involved with the care of nature. . “Thinking regarding the impact that our actions have on natural environments, it would be beneficial to implement waste separation, care in water consumption when sanitizing, washing, walking instead of going by car to nearby places. And, in general, any ecological habit that allows us to think of ourselves once more as part of nature and of nature as a constitutive part of our identity”, says the academic María Marta Rodríguez.
How much time do you have to dedicate to connecting with nature? Salinas warns that a study published in Scientific Reports evaluated the time spent in nature that is needed to produce beneficial effects, concluding that it should be at least 120 minutes a week, vindicating the Japanese concept of “immersing ourselves” in it. From psychology, for the head of the mental health service of the German Hospital, some advice would be:
◗ Take as much contact as possible with green spaces, and try to keep it in calm conditions that allow psychological immersion. “If the person does not live near green areas but can implement gardening on their terrace or balcony, this will help them live in better health,” he adds. “Don’t think that living in contact with nature is replaced with natural products,’ this has nothing to do with consumption, on the contrary”, he emphasizes.
◗ Without great pretensions, for those who live in the city these frequent doses of green become essential and, however small they may be, they can make a difference by connecting with their essence and restoring their balance. González Aleman agrees that even having a simple link with nature can make a difference in well-being, for example, having plants, following their growth, being in contact with their texture, with their smells. “Although we do not do it consciously, watering or moving the earth has effects at the body level that are related to the release of serotonin, a hormone that contributes to increasing lasting states of well-being in the long term.
◗ In different ways, at the brain level, the connection with nature activates the hormones that have to do with happiness and joy, such as endorphin, serotonin and dopamine. “If we conspire once morest green environments, biologically we might say that we are conspiring once morest our own happiness. Contact with nature expands our chances of feeling good and of releasing these three hormones”, he adds.
◗ Another relevant aspect of natural spaces in large cities is that they invite you to share with others, to spend time with your partner, children, family, friends, socialize, and all of this is closely related to general well-being.
That is why, as described by Verónica Irei, a nutrition graduate, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Alliance of Healthy Cities promote public policies in large cities in line with the commitment to the health and well-being of their inhabitants. . “The design of recreation areas and parks that promote outdoor activity, with light and shade spaces, rest and rehydration places that take into account the needs of all ages contributes to promoting the health and well-being of a community”, explains she.
For González Aleman, clearly, these policies might have a direct impact on populations in the future. “Gradually, the increase in green and blue spaces or the improvement in their access would allow us to generate a happier, more peaceful and more connected society”, he concludes.
It must be taken into account that in the natural spaces of the city, people can have direct contact with the sun, a great ally for physical and mental health. “Responsible sun exposure stimulates the production of vitamin D in the skin, which is an essential nutrient for bone health and the prevention of osteoporosis.
But also, this vitamin is important for the proper functioning of our immune system and cardiovascular health, which is why it is important to take time to be outdoors and if it is in a place like a park or a square, the better”, explains Verónica Irei. . A concrete example of the effects of lack of contact with the outdoors is seen in older adults, with little or no outdoor activity and, consequently, inadequate production of vitamin D, which has a direct impact on their health. “Promoting adequate exposure to the sun, outdoor activities and social contact is essential for physical and emotional well-being at any stage of life”, concludes the nutritionist.
healthy routines
—Rethinking eating habits. Reviewing some habits can help change the link with nature. In this sense, according to María Marta Rodríguez, we should rethink eating habits and analyze how many processed products are consumed on a daily basis and begin little by little to replace them with natural products with less human intervention.
—Limit the use of technological devices. Also mediating technological consumption and setting a time limit on the use of devices, for example, the fact of not using more screens when you are with the family “because they are also nature and vitamin for us” can help, says Rodríguez.
—Do outdoor activities. For her part, Verónica Irei, highlights the importance of making outdoor activities that contribute so much to people’s health part of the routine. In this sense, physical activities carried out in a green place will promote a healthy weight and reduce stress levels, which contributes to general well-being.
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