Walk in the forest, enjoy the scenery, dig your fingers into the soil, swim in natural waters – everyone can find their own way to enjoy nature and its health benefits, all year round.
Nature supports our health in many ways
Nature has been shown to enhance health and well-being. Easy access to nature protects against depression, encourages physical activity, and helps prevent many chronic diseases.
Nature supports our health in many ways. Research shows that time spent in nature strengthens mental health. It protects against depression, relieves stress and improves mood. Growing up in a green living environment reduces the risk of developing several psychiatric disorders and illnesses.
In addition, nearby green spaces help prevent overweight and type 2 diabetes. At the same time, they mitigate the negative health effects of extreme heat by evaporation and providing shade.
Nature encourages movement, which helps maintain physical fitness that further promotes both physical and mental health and functional capacity. Regular contact with beneficial environmental microbes also appears to strengthen the body’s immune system.
Nature supports health as well as disease prevention and treatment for people of all ages. Through nature, we can strengthen, among other things:
- the well-being of children and young people
- work performance and recovery from work
- the functional capacity of older people.
As a result of urbanisation and changing lifestyles, our contact with nature has decreased. Therefore, it is important to integrate nature’s health benefits into practices at day-care centres, schools, workplaces, care and nursing facilities, as well as in residential areas.
In Finland, nature is close by. Nature’s health benefits are easy to incorporate into everyday life – on your own or together!
Nature helps us in many ways. The same actions that produce health benefits can also help prevent biodiversity loss and mitigate and support adaptation to climate change. All this helps to curb the growth of the burden and costs of social and health care services.