Nature offers one of the most reliable boosts to your mental and physical well-being. A coral reef crowded with ocean life, a honeybee busy over a flower, a forest standing silent guard over a river; these everyday sights of nature bring us joy, wonder, and comfort. Although measuring just how much nature’s benefits are worth to a community or the world isn’t easy, and often the tremendous importance and economic value of these benefits are appreciated only once they are lost. Nature has been offering its utmost gifts to mankind since a long time now, and we should make the most of them. A new study found that even the surrounding can play an important role in keeping you mentally fit along with physical health. A neighborhood surrounded by trees and shrubs, with birds chirping all the time, may lower your chances of suffering from anxiety or stress, a new study revealed.
Researchers at the University of Exeter, the British Trust for Ornithology and the University of Queensland suggests that lower levels of depression, anxiety and stress were associated with the number of birds people could see in the afternoon. It discovered the benefits for mental health of being who were able to see birds, shrubs and trees around the home, whether people lived in urban or more leafy suburban neighbourhoods.
According to the study, visual observation of nature is helpful in lowering the stress and anxiety for human beings. Daniel Cox, University of Exeter said, “This study starts to unpick the role that some key components of nature play for our mental well-being. Birds around the home and nature in general, show great promise in preventative health care, making cities healthier, happier places to live.”
Research conducted by Cox found that watching birds makes people feel relaxed and connected to nature which played a vital role in lowering down stress and anxiety levels in a person.
Therefore, not merely physical health benefits but nature in every form benefits our over-all health. Fresh oxygen, challenging treks, beautiful sceneries, melodious nature sounds, etc., all contribute to your health if observed keenly. With winters on their way back, we recommend you to spend most of the day outside, in the laps of Mother Nature.
Inputs from IANS
Source: http://food.ndtv.com/health/bird-watching-may-help-you-reduce-stress-levels-1663992
