How to Connect to Nature in Urban Environments

Just because I live off the grid in a remote desert community, does not mean that you need to in order to connect with the natural world. City life just isn’t my thing. Unless I’m visiting a foreign city for a short spurt, cities tend to agitate my sensitive constitution. But rural life isn’t for everyone, obviously. 56% of the world population lives in urban centers and that number is expected to more than double by 2050, according to the World Bank. I’m guessing many of you reading this live in cities.

First, I want to reiterate what I have said many times. We are nature. Humans are part of the natural world and the ecosystem, so just because you’re mostly around other humans and not trees, does not mean you are not in nature. Additionally, I’d like to point out that everything is nature. Although some things are synthetic and others are organic, everything is made of stardust and the same components: carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur (CHNOPS). Plastic is made of petroleum which is made from aquatic phytoplankton and zooplankton from the ocean floor. Nothing on this earth is not of this earth.

However, there is a catch. Scientific research has shown that the constant stimulus of urbanity tends to be more stressful and increases our sympathetic nervous system. This in turn creates chronically high cortisol levels and high blood pressure, which leads to higher odds of heart disease, metabolic disease, dementia, and depression. Recent research also shows that city life increases chances of schizophrenia, anxiety, and mood disorder. The negative impacts of cities might be due to the fact that 99.9% of our evolution occurred outside amongst the dark forests, rolling prairies, vast deserts, etc.

Fear not, my friends. There is a perfect medicine for urban stress and that is… NATURE THERAPY.

As a Nature and Forest Therapy Guide, I take people forest bathing in the nearby Sangre de Cristo Mountains of Northern New Mexico. Forest Bathing was created in Japan in the 1980s. After a large populace moved into urban centers for work, the Japanese government noticed an uptick in disease and suicide. Scientific inquiry led them to discover the culprit, which was, you guessed it, a lack of exposure to the natural world. Shinrin Yoku, which translates to Forest Bathing, is popular in Japan, which is one of the world’s most heavily forested countries. Japanese scientists continue to research the effects of nature’s ability to heal.

Many studies have shown an increase in NK cells, which help to fight infections and cancer, after exposure to green spaces. Long walks in nature increase NK cells and can keep them elevated for many months after. A one-hour trip to the city park was shown to have similar effects, though the results did not last as long.

Other studies have shown that phytoncides, aromatic essential oils like turpenes, limonenes and pinenes emitted from trees, also increase NK cells. Similarly, studies have shown that people heal faster when they have hospital windows with scenic views and that people destress quicker when listening to nature sounds.

Nature is a miracle medicine that is so often overlooked. According to the Washington Post, nearly 60% of Americans are currently medicated, the highest number in history. 80% of Americans currently live in cities. Perhaps there is a connection? As we move away from the natural world, where we have existed for the majority of our evolution, we are becoming more and more disconnected, stressed and unhealthy. But you don’t have to leave your city lifestyle to reconnect to nature and restore your health.

WAYS TO CONNECT WITH NATURE IF YOU LIVE IN A CITY

1. Play nature sounds in the background in your home or work environment. Bonus, play YouTube videos with nature sounds and beautiful scenic vistas. If you meditate, try adding water or wind sounds to your practice.
2. Use a humidifier with tree scented essential oils for the phytoncides or burn tree scented incense or smudge bundles. Tree scents include cypress, pine, cedarwood, frankincense, sandalwood, tea tree, eucalyptus, and myrrh. Perhaps choose scents from trees local to your area.
3.  Get a plant or two. Keep them nearby, talk to them and care for them.
4. Pay attention to the wild and cultivated plants in your urban environment, such as the tree in the dirt between your sidewalk and road. Learn its species name, give it a personal name, say hello to it when you pass and begin to form a relationship. Offer it some water on a hot day. Show gratitude for the strength and endurance of the weeds that continue to prosper in urban environments, such as plantain and dandelion. Stop to smell your neighbor’s roses.
5. Notice the pigeons, crows, raccoons, squirrels, rabbits, and spiders all around you (maybe not the rats). Crows and ravens can recognize faces, so say hello to your neighborhood crow and form a friendship. Perhaps leave it shiny gifts or peanuts.
6. Visit a city park every day. Perhaps route your walk so that you can pass through the park every day on your way back from the subway or bus station. Once a week, go to the park for an hour or more and spend time in the shade of a tree or on a bench beside the pond.
7. Schedule weekend trips out of the city to nearby state parks for a hike or a picnic.
8. When planning a longer vacation, consider places that are in natural settings like a log cabin in the mountains, a beach hut or a glamping trip.
9. Most cities are built near waterways. Visit your local river and spend time watching the current flow and the waterfowl swim. Breathe deeply and relax.
10. Forest Bathing is offered in many cities. Check with your local botanical garden or arboretum.
11. Grow a small garden even if it is a container of herbs on your balcony or windowsill. Make tea or season your dinner with the herbs you grow.
12. When given the choice, choose the tree lined path.
13. Take the 5-week course Earth Sensory Perception to tap into your innate nature intuition and learn to connect with the land, rocks, plants and more all around you wherever you are.
14. The upcoming course, Intuitive EcoWriting, is another way to connect more deeply with the natural world around you, even in an urban environment.