4 Natural Cures for Anxiety and Depression
How to use nature to feel better.
Experts share the simple but powerful ways that nature slashes stress and creates an instant, blissful escape â as close as your window! These natural cures for anxiety, depression, and insomnia will change your life.
You love everything about nature, from the birds weaving their songs through the canopy of trees above to the single, confident blade of grass pushing its way past the cracks in the sidewalk. You know the natural world you always took comfort in is still there, but you feel as if it may as well be a universe away. With the summer trip you planned to a national park on hold and the botanical garden exhibition you were looking forward to canceled, nature-like almost everything else-seems closed for business.
While itâs true things have changed, you can still reap the mental and emotional benefits of the great outdoors no matter where you live, promises happiness researcher John Zelenski, Ph.D. âAnything from gazing at a photo of a landscape to watering a houseplant, is proven to reduce anxiety and even spark pro-social behaviors like empathy, charitability and generosity.â One reason nature lifts our spirits so dramatically is that it fosters a uniquely calming state of mind called âsoft fascination,â igniting creativity and slashing anxiety. In fact, one recent study shows that while money may not grow on trees, happiness just might: Having merely 10 more trees on a city block is so joyinducing, itâs proven to be the equivalent of feeling seven years younger.
And this beautiful fountain of youth and optimism takes as many forms as nature itself, from the sight of foliage to the sound of rain. Read on to learn how to tap Mother Natureâs stress Rx and rejuvenate your mind, body and spirit.
1. If youâre irritable
With so many recent changes, your nerves are frayed as the noise of everything from the news on the TV to your husband working in the next room seems louder, dialing up your anxiety. âWe evolved to keep our ears peeled to nature, be it birdsong or rainfall,â says Wallace J. Nichols, Ph.D., author of Blue Mind. Thatâs why the din of modern life is so stressful, especially now that weâve been spending time at home and canât easily escape it.
- The natural cure: Tune into the soothing sound of blue noise. Move over, white noise: The sound of water, or blue noise, is more relaxing. Thatâs especially true when it comes to drowning out chattering voices, says Wallace, revealing that because our vocal range overlaps with the sound of moving water, itâs the ideal camouflage for the human voice. Listening to blue noise, such as playing the sound of rain or waves on YouTube, for two minutes quiets anxiety and lowers blood pressure.
2. If youâre overwhelmed
Over the past few months, youâve had to wear more hats than ever, from amateur IT expert trying to learn new âwordsâ like Zoom to personal finance pro finding creative ways to stretch your budget. In a word, itâs overwhelming. âAs we take on more and more, itâs easy to feel like we arenât equipped to cope,â says mental health expert Victoria Maxwell. âWe can even start to doubt our own strengths and our ability to bounce back.â
- The natural cure: Enjoy âwabi-sabiâ mindfulness. The Japanese philosophy of âwabisabiâ means appreciating the beauty in the imperfect, particularly the sublime messiness of nature, from a cloudy day to the aging leaves of a houseplant, explains Maxwell. âTaking a moment to meditate on the beauty of natureâs flaws helps us recognize that our own imperfections are also beautiful, alleviating the pressure we put on ourselves and boosting our confidence.â
3. If you canât sleep
You crave deep, restorative sleep, but anxiety conspires to keep you up for yet another night. Compounding the problem: âAs we get older, the sleep hormone melatonin dips, while the stress hormone cortisol increases, making it even harder to drift off,â reveals Laura Koniver, M.D., author of The Earth Prescription. âAnd in a vicious cycle, when weâre sleep-deprived, weâre more vulnerable to anxiety and depression.â
- The natural cure: Invite sleep with one touch of the Earth. The Earthâs electrical field pulses at the same frequency as our brainâs relaxing alpha brain waves, reveals Dr. Koniver. âTouching the Earth, or âgrounding,â helps us sync up with that field and enter a healing state.â Despite its name, grounding doesnât necessarily mean taking a barefoot walk on the grass. In one study, touching the earth for just 1 second was shown to lower tension and lead to more restorative sleep.
4. If youâre mentally drained
Between trying to pick the best time to visit the grocery store to figuring out the next career move you should make, decisions both big and small you thought youâd never be grappling with have left you mentally depleted. Before the health crisis, we were already making a staggering 35,000 choices per day, but today weâre facing even more dilemmas, exacerbating a form of mental exhaustion called decision fatigue. Every choice weâre faced with takes a toll, affecting our ability to problem-solve and eventually leading us to make worse decisions as the day goes on.
- The natural cure: Savor a serene snap for 40 seconds. Simply gazing at a photo of, say, a lush landscape or colorful rainbow, melts anxiety and improves decision-making. Thatâs because such scenes have âattention restorationâ properties, moving us out of âfight or flightâ into âtend and befriend,â says environmental psychologist Ming Kuo, Ph.D. âIn one study, spending just 40 seconds looking at a simulated flowering meadow (versus concrete) warded off mental fatigue.â Interestingly, nature alone seems to have this effect, as images of faces, for example, actually make the brain work harder. Indeed, no matter how you choose to embrace it, nature is a powerful portal to peace.
This story originally appeared in our print magazine.