Why being in nature is good for body image
How often do you make time to be in nature?
When you do, how does it make you feel?
Studies consistently show that being in nature has a beneficial impact on mental health. BUT, did you know it can benefit your body image too?
In this post, I’m explaining why spending more time strolling in parks and woodlands will help your body image.
Watch or read below:
What I value about being in nature
Whenever I spend time in nature, I notice its impact on the way I feel almost immediately.
Personally, I love to walk through green spaces surrounded by trees and with any luck, wildlife!
For me, I love the solitude, breathing the fresh air and taking in the beauty around me.
But I also notice that being in nature distracts me from my thoughts and gives me the sense that there is much more to life than what is going on in my head!
Being in nature and body image
Over the years, research has indicated that spending time in nature is good for your mental health.
However, a new study has suggested that time spent in nature can have a more particular influence on the way you feel about your body.
Researchers from the University of Cambridge found that strolling in nature helped participants to be more accepting of their bodies.
The research team concluded that this may happen for three main reasons:
- Firstly, time spent in nature may help to distance people both physically and mentally from appearance focused situations which can cause negative body image;
- Secondly, being in nature allows people to take some quiet time, which in turn may help them to experience greater self-compassion;
- Finally, it may be that nature puts our problems into perspective, taking the focus off our bodies and appearance.
Having experienced the benefits of being in nature first hand, I can’t recommend it enough.
If you want to experience better overall mental health and body image, it’s worth taking a stroll in nature.
I’d love to know how being in nature makes you feel. Please leave a comment below.
