Vitamin G. What is it and what are the benefits to your mental health?

The biggest lesson from the Covid19 Pandemic for most people was that when they were in lockdown, they craved outdoor green spaces or Vitamin G.

Exposure to natural environments enhances mood and improves mental health, with benefits identified for both clinical and non-clinical (or community) populations. The biophilia hypothesis provided by sociobiologist Edward Wilson in 1984 suggests that humans have an innate desire to affiliate with natural environments and that humans derive positive experiences from this connection. Psychologists call it 'Vitamin G' (G for green), meaning exposure to nature. Getting your serve of Vitamin G benefits you mentally and the reason why humans love trail running, going to the beach, hanging at the park with their dog, or just getting out of the office and going for a walk. It seems that evolution has shaped us to benefit physically and psychologically from exposure to natural settings. 

Why do we love Vitamin G? There are Psychological mechanisms at play.

Nature offers an escape from daily routines and demands. Research in this area draws upon two major theories that describe how contact with nature might impact psychological wellbeing. Attention restoration theory suggests that natural environments help us restore our limited capacity to direct attention. Natural environments are particularly well suited for the restoration of attention. This is why going for a walk when working in an office every 2 hours helps you to be more efficient at your work.

How does Vitamin G Improve your mental function?

Restorativeness involves thoughts and perceptions that result in our sense of being away from the ordinary routines of life, connectedness to alternative surroundings, and fascination. Specific environments are better suited for the "restoration of directed attention". Particularly when they allow us to experience some escape from day-to-day life, immersion in something that can be explored, including stimuli that draw effortless attention, and where the setting is compatible with one's goals, like a bushwalk, trail run, or ocean swim.

How does Vitamin G Reduce Stress?

Research suggests that natural environments impact attention restoration; therefore, restorativeness might explain some of the association between nature and psychological wellbeing. Green settings evoke interest, pleasantness, and calm and where recovery from stress occurs. Staring into the ocean and watching the waves crash onto the rocks, in such settings, negative emotions tend to be replaced with positive ones, and physiological arousal decreases.

Natural exposure - Vitamin G

Research has shown that access to green spaces, nature-based wellbeing interventions, or a walk in a natural setting led to increments in positive affect and better mental health. LIKE ALL OUR VITAMINS, vitamin G is recommended and taken in regular doses has been shown to;

1. Improved health — we have all experienced that time in nature improves both physical and mental health. Depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues could be eased by some time outdoors, especially when combined with exercise from a walking meeting.

2. Improved short-term memory — studies have found that walks in nature boost working memory much more than walks in urban environments.

3. Restored mental energy — we all know the feeling when your brain is entirely overworked, and you are suffering from 'mental fatigue.' Research has found that exposure to the great outdoors can help your mental energy bounce back. Even looking at pictures of nature has proved beneficial.

4. Reduced stress levels — feeling stressed? Head for the trees. One study found a decrease in both heart rate and cortisol levels of people in the forest compared to those in the city. And among office workers, even the view of nature out a window is associated with lower stress and higher job satisfaction.

5. Improved concentration — we all know that nature is 'restorative' and that even a quick walk outside can restore your fading attention. Other studies have found that looking at a green roof can markedly increase concentration.

6. Sharper thinking and creativity — one of nature's many benefits is how it can improve attention and memory. One study found that when people were asked to repeat sequences of numbers, they were much more accurate after a walk in nature.

Key Tips

1. Split up your day with work, walks, and strength/posture improving outdoor exercise

2. Add walking meetings into your routine where possible. The best place is in nature, go to a park, head to the coast, or escape to the forests.

3. Hang pictures of beautiful outdoor spaces on the walls in your office.

4. Grow plants on your desk and rotate your desk to see outside into a green space.

5. On weekends escape the city and head into the forests or go to the beach and go for walks or runs to clear your head and promote creative thought. Creative thought happens when you give your mind space to create.

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