Dr Eddie Simplify your life
A walk in the woods is just what the doctor ordered
This green edition of the RTÉ Guide is a great opportunity to talk about the health benefits of nature. I know for certain that one of the saving graces for me during the months of pandemic worry and lockdown stress has been getting out to the local lakes in Derryounce, in Portarlington. Any time I visited over the past year, I have seen more people walking, as well as wild swimming, a pretty new trend for many parts of the country. Of course, this has all been aided by our new family member; Sam the dog.
Covid has caused a fundamental, universal stress response and the opposite to stress is relaxation and calm. Green ( elds, forests, woods, mountains) and blue (rivers, lakes and the sea) spaces act as antidotes to the stress we experience in our lives. Visiting nature as an escape is understandable. Numerous studies have shown that visits to green spaces can reduce stress and improve restoration in the brain and our bodies, via in ammation reduction and also improve our mental health and well-being. Green and blue spaces are essential for good physical and mental health. Multiple studies have found that green space reduces premature mortality. For example, increasing the tree canopy from 20% to 30% in a city such as Philadelphia in the US was linked to the prevention more than 400 premature deaths annually. What could that do in our cities and towns?
Check out the great work of the Gogreenroutes project with Professor Tadhg Macintyre at Maynooth University
(gogreenroutes.eu), who is evaluating the implementation of ‘nature-based solutions’ such as green corridors, parks, and shared walkways to enhance the physical and mental health in a large number of cities. Our town planning needs to be proactive, not reactive, to this emerging evidence base.
Now more than ever, there is a need for more and larger natural outdoor public spaces such as parks, forests, roadside trees, rivers, lakes and seaside open spaces. ese are great public investments, as they not only reduce the transmission risk of diseases like Covid, but also reduce stress and provide space for respite. ey are a great resource for people and society and an increased e ort should be made to maintain and improve them to improve our mental health.