NATURE TRAILS
Spending Time In
Nature Could Make You
Less Stressed Out As A
Manager
By Joe Nyutu
S
pending 30 minutes or 1 hour in
nature at Uhuru Park, Jevanjee
Gardens or City Park is not a
very interesting thing for a professional
manager or a business leader today. Those
areas have been labeled as “frustration”
zones where jobless Kenyans pass time as
they “tarmac” - looking for a job.
But I venture out that I have recently
listened to the successful CEO of Optiven
Group, George Wachiuri, sharing on two
leadership forums, one being a recent
Nairobi Marketers’ Night Out, how
Uhuru Park used to be his office as he
started to build Optiven with a bible, a
notebook and a pen. I believe the solitude,
quietness and peace in such an area could
have helped George to think more clearly
and connect with his inner self though it
was not by choice then.
I have also heard a high ranking CEO in
the banking sector share that he stopped
playing golf but spends regular time every
week jogging on the golf course in the
woods to imbibe the benefits of the serene
environment in nature.
There is a growing interest in the health
benefits associated with individuals
undertaking outdoor activities in a
natural environment. Forests and other
natural environments are recognized as
fundamental health resources and may
play a role in disease prevention, with
one population survey reporting that the
average person spends almost 90% of their
life indoors.
Since the development of the concept of
nature as a therapy in the 1990s (Gesler,
2002), a number of studies using a variety
of methodologies, have been conducted to
examine the effect of forest environments
on health promotion and well-being.
Several recent environmental studies
have claimed that a number of medical
symptoms related to lifestyle stress can
be treated by encouraging individuals to
interact with nature. Furthermore, one
We live in a time when we can set the ther-
mostat, order takeout and stream a movie
from a cell phone; never having to get off
the couch, let alone leave the house. But our
ancestors were tightly tied to time in nature
- they had to be in order to survive. Was that
rustle in the brush predator or prey? Did the
position of the sun mean it was time to head
home? Could that copse of trees provide safe
shelter for the night?
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study revealed an association between
positive health outcomes and the amount
of exposure an individual has to a green
environment.
Most people welcome spending time in
nature and green space. After all, taking
a few moments in the outdoors offers a
much-needed break from the chaos of
everyday management life. And it can
also lend positive physiological benefits,
including lower stress levels, fewer
symptoms of depression, and even a lower
mortality rate.
Still, despite everything scientists know
about the connection between nature
and well-being, they still cannot say with
certainty how much time outdoors leads
to improved mental and physical health.
A new study, recently published in
Frontiers in Psychology, attempted
to answer that question by asking
participants to spend time in a place that
"brings a sense of contact with nature" for
at least 10 minutes per outing, three times
per week, over the course of eight weeks.
The researchers found that participants
who immersed themselves in a "nature
experience" for at least 20 minutes per
outing experienced a significant decrease
in their levels of the stress hormone
cortisol.
Moreover, research conducted in a very
specific natural context, exposure to
“forests”, or forest therapy, have reported
potential benefits in the management
of psychological symptoms including
anxiety, depression, mood disorder,
burnout syndrome, lifestyle-related stress,
and overall quality of life.