Study from the University of Tsukuba finds that taking regular walks in forests and greenspaces may be connected with workers’ stress-coping abilities
Work causes so much stress that it’s become a global public health issue. Stress’s impact on mental and physical health can also hurt productivity and result in economic loss. A new study now finds that working people who regularly take walks in forests or greenspaces may have higher stress-coping abilities.
In a study published in Public Health in Practice, researchers led by Professor Shinichiro Sasahara at the University of Tsukuba analyzed workers’ “sense of coherence” (SOC) scores, demographic attributes, and their forest/greenspace walking habits. SOC comprises the triad of meaningfulness (finding a sense of meaning in life), comprehensibility (recognizing and understanding stress), and manageability (feeling equipped to deal with stress). Studies have found factors such as higher education and being married can strengthen SOC, while smoking and not exercising can weaken it. People with strong SOC also have greater resilience to stress.
The study used survey data on more than 6,000 Japanese workers between 20 and 60 years old. It found stronger SOC among people who regularly took walks in forests or greenspaces.
“SOC indicates mental capacities for realizing and dealing with stress,” Professor Sasahara says. “With workplace stress as a focal issue, there’s a clear benefit in identifying everyday activities that raise SOC. It seems we may have found one.”
People find comfort in nature, and in countries like Japan urban greenspaces are increasing in popularity where nature isn’t readily accessible. This means many workers in cities can easily take a walk among the trees.
The researchers divided the survey respondents into four groups based on their frequency of forest/greenspace walking. Then, they compared their walking activity against attributes such as age, income, and marital status, and with the respondents’ SOC scores, which were grouped as weak, middle, and strong.
Those with strong SOC showed a significant correlation with both forest and greenspace walking at least once a week. This key finding implies the greater benefits of urban greening–not just environmental, but also socioeconomic.
“Our study suggests that taking a walk at least once a week in a forest or greenspace can help people have stronger SOC,” explains Professor Sasahara. “Forest/greenspace walking is a simple activity that needs no special equipment or training. It could be a very good habit for improving mental health and managing stress.”
One of the first studies of its kind finds significant increases in outdoor activity during COVID-19, especially among women. Women were 1.7 (gardening) to 2.9 (walking) times more likely to report increasing their outdoor activity than men. Outdoor activities seeing the largest increases were: watching wildlife (up 64%), gardening (57%), taking photos or doing other art in nature (54%), relaxing alone outside (58%), and walking (70%). Joshua Brown/University of Vermont
Spotting horned owls in neighborhood trees? Raising a bumper crop of winter squash? You may have much in common with individuals in a new study.
People in the study–who ranged from stuck at home to stressed in essential worker jobs–reported significant increases in outdoor activity during COVID-19, especially among women.
Outdoor activities seeing the largest increases were: watching wildlife (up 64%), gardening (57%), taking photos or doing other art in nature (54%), relaxing alone outside (58%), and, yes, making their masked and distanced way on walks (70%).
People also experienced a shift in why they value nature. During the pandemic, respondents said in nature they cherished a greater sense of mental health and wellbeing (59%), exercise (29%), appreciating nature’s beauty (29%), sense of identity (23%) and spirituality (22%), along with other less common values.
The Vermont research is one of the first published studies to explore how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected Americans’ relationship with nature.
“These data are like a treasure chest of the pandemic moment: a record of how people have been thinking about their relationship with the rest of the world in a time of great upheaval,” says Rachelle Gould of the University of Vermont, the study’s senior author.
The research is the first of two UVM studies being published this week by PLOS ONE on nature and COVID-19.
Key differences across groups
Not everyone experienced more nature equally. Differences were tied to factors including gender, income and employment, and whether people lived in urban or rural areas.
Women increased their nature use in more ways than men. Across the six most common nature activities in the study, women were 1.7 (gardening) to 2.9 (walking) times more likely to report increasing their engagement than men. Men were not more likely than women to report increased engagement in any activities.
While the study advances our understanding of gender differences during COVID-19, the researchers plan to inspect this finding further. They wonder if women had a greater need for stress relief during the pandemic, and are potentially more likely than men to turn to nature for that.
“More research is needed, but our preliminary analysis suggests that, during the pandemic, women are more likely than men to report increased importance of values that includes mental well-being, beauty, exercise, familiarity with landscape, and fun,” says Gould. “Our next step is to explore the qualitative data to explore this result deeper.”
Those who lost their jobs during the pandemic also had higher odds of reporting increased gardening, relaxing socially, walking, and wildlife watching. “This suggests that COVID-19 is overturning the idea that nature and its benefits–from stress reduction to social connection– are becoming ‘luxury goods,'” says Diana Hackenburg, a PhD candidate at the Rubenstein School, and a Gund Graduate Fellow.
Some groups valued tradition or food more and expressed those thoughts. With different results from urban and rural respondents, the researchers say there is more to learn behind the numbers, and plan future studies.
A first wave of COVID-19 research
Very few peer-reviewed studies have been published on the issue of Americans visiting nature during the pandemic, despite media reports and personal experience that suggest it is happening. This study, plus a UVM study that finds a large increase in new nature users, join recent study from Rice et al. and another from Norway among the among the first, globally. The study is further unique because it explores not only changes in activities, but also people’s values towards nature.
The team hopes decision makers can learn more about which populations are using nature more or less during the pandemic, “and focus on removing barriers to nature access, to increase equity,” says Joshua Morse, lead author, a PhD candidate at the Rubenstein School, and a Gund Graduate Fellow.
While many studies have explored how natural disasters (volcanoes, tornadoes, fires) impact human values, UVM researchers wanted to investigate a different type of crisis–a pandemic, which differs in key ways from other “natural disasters.”
Of the 15 outdoor activities studied, some went down in frequency – including camping – while other activities stayed relatively constant, including biking, boating, and fishing.
“Our work catalogues a part of this pandemic that might otherwise be under-discussed or hard to provide evidence for,” says Gould, an assistant professor in UVM’s Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources and faculty fellow in the Gund Institute for Environment.
In addition to Prof. Gould and Morse, study authors include PhD candidates Diana Hackenburg and Tatiana Gladkikh, both Gund Graduate Fellows in the Rubenstein School. This research is one of six COVID projects launched by the Gund Institute for the Environment.
“This study is a timely snapshot of the central role nature plays in our well-being, and how important access to nature is during challenging, uncertain times like this pandemic,” says Gladkikh. “I hope the results help inform future land management decisions.”
The data resulted from online surveys of over 3,200 people in Vermont during the state’s “Stay safe, stay home” executive order, announced in May 2020.
2020 has been a
challenging year for everyone and in different ways. In addition to the obvious
health concerns of the virus, the pandemic and changes to life have created
mental health issues for many people around the world. People may have concerns
over their own health, the health of their loved ones, their job, relationships
and have to spend more time stuck in the house, so it is no surprise that
issues like anxiety, stress and depression are on the rise. Here are a few ways
that someone can look after their mental health during this challenging time.
Reach
Out to Loved Ones
One of the toughest things about the pandemic is that it is stopping people from spending time with loved ones. While you may not be able to meet up with people in person, you can still reach out and connect with people. If you are struggling, you should not bottle this up so that you can get support for your loved ones.
Lead
A Healthy Lifestyle
The saying
“healthy body, healthy mind” is one which people should keep in mind during the
pandemic and may make a difference to your physical and mental health. A few
basic tips for leading a healthy lifestyle include:
Avoiding harmful behaviors like too much
alcohol, junk food and smoking
Avoid Consuming Too Much News
It is hard to
avoid the news at the moment, and although it is important to stay current with
developments (and not only for the pandemic), it is also easy to spend too much
time fixating over the news which can take its toll on your mental
health.
Instead, try to limit your intake each day and instead focus your thoughts on
things that are within your control.
CBD
Products
Many people have
turned to CBD products in recent years as a way to reduce
anxiety and relax, and it can certainly be helpful in difficult times like
this. You can get wholesale CBD extracts from industrial hemp farms like Cope CBD, and health stores are finding that this
is a product high in demand at the moment and could be useful for anyone
feeling stressed or anxious.
Seek
Out Professional Support
If you are straining with your mental health during times like this and it is interfering with your life, then it is important to reach out for professional support. Some people are putting this off as they worry about the health service being so busy, but mental health is incredibly important, and support is available even during times like this so you should not shy away from seeking out professional help.
Hopefully, this
post will prove to be useful and help people to look after their mental health
during this difficult time. Many people are suffering from their mental health,
and this is perfectly natural, but it needs to be made a priority with the
above being a few key areas to focus on, which should help.
High Functioning Depression is also known as Dysthymia and it differs from Depression. While Depression is a severe mental illness that impacts a person’s quality of life to the point where they can barely function, Dysthymia is more subtle than that. Someone who suffers from depression isolates from friends and family and stops engaging in things that they used to enjoy. At its worst, depression can lead a person to end one’s life.
Dysthymia or High Functioning relationships manifests differently than Major Depressive Disorder for example. People with this condition often blend in and don’t appear to be in distress. A person with dysthymia is often high achieving and can maintain healthy relationships. An individual suffering from this condition may not appear unwell, which makes it difficult to get them the help that they desperately need. People with High Functioning Depression often feel a sense of malaise or subtle sadness that doesn’t seem to have an origin.
They may feel chronically tired or find themselves working overtime to avoid their feelings. Individuals with dysthymia can sometimes be perfectionistic and have trouble letting go when things don’t go their way. They might now know why they’re having these feelings, but it could be High Functioning Depression, and it’s crucial to find help for this condition.
Coronavirus has made returning to the office a period of great anxiety. But returning to work after a pandemic is only part of the disparities between a healthy work-life and good mental health. Data is increasingly providing evidence that our psychological resilience is on the decline: according to one survey, only 13 per cent of people in the UK reported that they had good mental health.
This is a worrying statistic when put into perspective. There are currently 67,924,245 people in the UK*. To say that only 13 per cent of the UK would consider themselves to maintain a good level of mental health, indicates that approximately 59,094,093 people acknowledge themselves with having a below satisfactory level of mental health.
How does this extend to the workplace? Well, looking at a
hypothetical company of 50 employees, if only 13 per cent are happy in their
current mental health, there are around 43 employees who are struggling with less-than-great
mental health. It’s easy to summarise if you consider a company that may have
100 employees — following the statistic, only 13 employees would enjoy their
current mental wellbeing, as opposed to 83 employees that may be battling with
inadequate mental health.
Therefore, it is clear that businesses need to take further steps to reinforce and promote good mental health procedures in the UK. But how can employers and employees go about doing this? The steps to improving these practices come with understanding the problem before moving too hastily to a solution.
What’s the difference between mental illness and mental health?
It is a mistake to define mental illness and mental health
within the same bracket — they are very distinct and different ideas. However,
they both need to be addressed with respect and understanding, especially at
work. Neither can be easily identified, as a person who suffers from mental
illness or poor mental health may be able to produce the same level of work as
a colleague that benefits from good mental health.
However, the differences are distinct and must be
appreciated to direct good management and procedures. During their
royal tour South Africa, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex discussed ending
the stigma surrounding mental health issues. Prince Harry said:
“I think most of the stigma is around mental illness, we
need to separate the two… mental health, which is every single one of us, and
mental illness, which could be every single one of us.”
The damaging effects
of mental health are similar to that of physical health. If a person who is
enjoying good mental health experiences a bad day at work, their mental
wellbeing will decrease. After all, it’s an understandable consequence of a
rough day at work. But a person who suffers with an already declining sense of
mental health before a negative influence may be more susceptible to this
event. If this person was to experience the same rough working day, the
repercussions of the event will damage their mental health in a similar way,
but with a larger influence. Of course, this is not a universal indicator of
how mental health works. Indeed, a person with mental health issues can
function well in the workplace. But, it is important to understand that just
because someone does not suffer from a mental illness, they are not prohibited
from suffering from poor mental health and being unable to cope.
How to support mental health and mental illness at work
The solution may sound simple, but a happy work environment
can create the most productive work environment. Employers can support both
employees suffering from mental illness and mental health by taking small but
important steps that will help the entire workforce. These procedures can help
businesses to improve the conditions of working life.
Encourage an open environment
A business can benefit from creating an open environment
where people can talk about their mental health and educate each other on how
individuals may suffer from their mental health or illness. The stigma around
mental health gives the preconception of weakness or an inability to complete
work to a high standard — this is wrong and damaging. This stigma and idea of
exclusion can create issues for those who may not be open about their mental
health issues and how they suffer with their mental health. You are responsible
for the wellbeing of your colleagues as well as yourself.
Holding conferences on how mental health affects the
workplace is a significant suggestion. The information is out there, with
various charities willing and eager to discuss the importance of good mental
health and disprove any misconceptions employees may have about the topic.
The morale of your staff team is a vital component. Awareness
weeks only come once a year, despite it being an everyday issue. Continually
having workshops to consider and creating a safe space to discuss mental health
can contribute to a positive working environment. Hosting a coffee morning —
offering an array of cakes, hot beverages, or a fizzy slush machine for those
summer working days — is a small but essential step! A supportive and enjoyable
network of people at your workplace is as important as the work you do. This
will in turn only help with the mental health of employees, as people become
more ready to approach people with their issues.
A flexible workplace
To ease the pressure on mental health, a flexible workplace
is essential. Businesses should strive to achieve a relaxed workplace. This does
not limit the value of the work itself — after all, we expect a little stress.
But the office environment should work to ameliorate these conditions. An
uncomfortable ask can be made easier if you’re working in comfort.
The layout of an office is important too. Businesses have
adapted to the recent trend of open-plan office spaces, recognising the
benefits. It avoids an isolated working style, promotes a community ethic, and
dismantles the hierarchal
and emotionally-removed cubicle-style work. Creativity flows in an
open-plan office space — suggestions and feedback flow between desks, and the
work produced is improved.
However, this is not a straightforward fix. Of course, a
person with anxiety or autism may not interact well with an open-plan office. Crowded
spaces can create an uncomfortable environment, the idea of being in a crowd
can be awkward for some, and autism and anxiety can contribute to this feeling.
Too much noise — music and chatter — may prove too much for someone with
auditory sensory issues. A person with anxiety may find it difficult to work in
an open-plan office on a bad day. The ability to work away from this
environment must be an option. A quiet room for work that requires 100% of your
concentration is essential. Even then, the ability to work from home has proved
to be an effective workplace for many people during lockdown. That option must
never be taken away.
We can never be certain when one of our colleagues or
employees is suffering with mental health issues or mental illness. Their
working standard is good, but they may struggle to cope! This stresses the
importance of working to improve the conditions of office life by creating a
welcoming and open environment where everyone is comfortable. This is not only
beneficial to employees but also to business and employers.
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