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Focusing Attention on Reciprocity between Nature and Humans

Can be the Key to Reinvigorating Planetary Health

Usha Varanasi
Usha Varanasi

Usha Varanasi, Ph.D., College of the Environment, University of Washington

In Press, Ecopsychology Journal, http://home.liebertpub.com/publications/ecopsychology/300/overview
Mary Ann Liebert Inc., Publishers

This timely essay raises the importance of shifting individual and societal attention to preventive and precautionary measures to maintain human and ecological health. These measures require strategic rather than reactive approaches to human health and ecological crises. This essay points to the growing body of research that nature (wilderness to green and blue space) is necessary for people’s physical, mental, and emotional health. Such evidence should persuade the public and policymakers to proactively conserve ecosystems, reducing the need to rescue depleted species or repair and restore their degraded habitats. It concludes with a plea for focused attention on reciprocal healing of both nature and humans, which can occur only if our interaction with nature–be it wilderness, an urban park, a garden–is frequent and respectful. The author suggests that the nature-and-health paradigm may be the game-changing strategy needed to sustain grassroots awareness for halting, and hopefully, reversing the trajectory of decline in planetary health. Our very survival depends on redefining our relationship with nature with deep reverence and empathy. In summary, purposeful attention and respect for nature across all parts of society can reinvigorate planetary health.

Nature and people in wilderness, green, and blue spaces
Photo by Su Kim

Dose of Nature at Home Could Help Mental Health, Well-Being During COVID-19

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Michelle Ma · UW News · April 16, 2020

Featuring Kathleen Wolf and Dr. Pooja Tandon, Nature and Health researchers

As residents in Washington and much of the nation are confined to their homes and apartments under COVID-19 restrictions, many people are missing their usual “nature escapes”: that hike to a serene lake, a mountain bike trail through the woods, or even a favorite campground by a river where you can relax and recharge.

As studies have shown — and personal experiences can attest — spending time in nature helps reduce anxiety, improve mental health and well-being, and bolster physical health. In light of stay-at-home orders, University of Washington researchers share that studies also show there is much to be gained from nature close to home, whether in a yard, on neighborhood walks or even indoors.

“Studies have proven that even the smallest bit of nature — a single tree, a small patch of flowers, a house plant — can generate health benefits,” said Kathleen Wolf, a UW research social scientist in the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences. “Look closely in your neighborhood, and the bit of nature you may have taken for granted up until now may become the focus of your attention and help you feel better.”

Here’s a Mental Health Tip to get you Through Coronavirus Quarantine: Find Tranquility in Nature

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Corinne Whiting · Seattle Times · April 13, 2020

Featuring Kathleen Wolf, Nature and Health researcher

Mike Siegel, The Seattle Times
Credit: Mike Siegel, The Seattle Times

At this bizarre moment in time, most are digging deep into internal “toolboxes” in an attempt to retain some semblance of zen. Maybe you’re experimenting with meditation and yoga, crafting and cleaning, or indulgent wining and dining, shared with a Brady Bunch-esque setup of telesocializing friends.

Yet there’s one thing two University of Washington scholars guarantee can bring relief: nature. And thankfully, Seattleites have abundant access to this healing resource. There’s more good news: Even if you can’t experience the budding trees and chirping birds in person, connecting through a window or computer screen brings welcomed benefits, too.

Kathleen Wolf, a research social scientist at UW’s College of the Environment, cites widely sourced evidence — spanning some 40 years — that emphasizes the importance of nearby nature experiences for both our physical and mental health, and “deep, compelling” research that proves these experiences to be restorative.

Reciprocal Healing: Nature, Health, and Wild Vitality

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Scenic photo of Peter Kahn and Usha Varanasi at Reciprocal healing conference near Sedona, AZ
Peter Kahn and Usha Varanasi at Reciprocal healing conference near Sedona, AZ

Peter Kahn writes: This small gathering of about 120 of us was focused on Reciprocal Healing: Nature, Health, and Wild Vitality. The organizer, Dr. Tom Fleischner, Executive Director of the Natural History Institute, says it this way: “The health of humans and nature are inextricably linked. As we heal ourselves, we heal the earth – and vice versa. The goal is to illuminate the healing ground that lies at the confluence of natural history, medicine, and psychology.” Usha and I came away not only recharged by the amazing people, conversation, and landscape, but with a clearer understanding that a Nature and Health movement needs to deeply embed within it this idea of reciprocity. Perhaps this focus could structure some of our group’s conversation this year?