When working with people with depression at my Cornwall hypnotherapy clinic along with helping them with hypnotherapy and other approaches I sometimes tell them ‘chin up!’ I know that sounds rather trite, but there is more truth in that old saying than people think.
A recent study has demonstrated how a walk in the park gives a mental boost to those people with depression. Now this may sound obvious in one sense but the study demonstrates it is more effective than people think. Also it is more effective at lifting the mood than a walk in an urban environment.
The researches believe this is because the rural or park environment is more peaceful and a peaceful environment can give a more peaceful mental state and can lift you from the depression. Whilst I agree your environment can affect how you feel, including with depression, I think that is an outside-in approach to living which makes you very susceptible to the environment and external factors for your how you feel and internal wellbeing. You can learn to be aware of your thinking which creates your experience moment to moment and recognise it for what it is, just thought, and this can be incredibly empowering.
Going back to the park study. I also believe the park/rural environment was more effective as it when you are surrounded by trees and open space you look up more. You have more of a horizon to see, things of beauty to look at (e.g. trees). In the city such as London how any people look up – you have to look up quite a long way to see anything other than walls. People tend to look down more – not good for a low mindset or depression.
When you are depressed or have depression you tend to spend a lot of time looking down, feeling depressed and thinking how bad things are. When you look up you access a different mindset, a more visual space and it can stop the emotions and internal chatter, lifting your mood and enabling you to engage with life in that moment.
Also in a wide space like a park or rural area you are using more periphery vision. When you are stressed or depressed you tend to localise your vision, stop using your periphery vision and have more tunnel or foveal vision. So by expanding your vision to see more to the sides, accessing your periphery vision can help lift you mood or calm you down – helps you get perspective mentally as well as physically!
So if you notice you suffer from periods of depression, take a walk in the park, look up and widen your vision and you may be surprised how you feel better inside.
