Your best bet for warding off stress and anxiety during the pandemic may be to simply take time to smell the roses. Survey results published in Ecological Applications suggest that enjoying nature — inside and out — could help mitigate some of the negative mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Researchers reported that 3,000 adults in Tokyo quantified the link between feelings of increased happiness, depression, life satisfaction, self-esteem and loneliness in relation to how often they enjoyed nature or viewed greenspace through their windows.
"Our results suggest that nearby nature can serve as a buffer in decreasing the adverse impacts of a very stressful event on humans," said lead author Masashi Soga, Ph.D., of The University of Tokyo. "Protecting natural environments in urban areas is important not only for the conservation of biodiversity, but also for the protection of human health."
Source: Newswise Nov. 18, 2020