Over the last 200 years or so, beginning with the Industrial Revolution, unprecedented technological progress has occurred, which some argue has led to a better quality of life for all people. While we may be living longer lives in “developed” countries, where medical care is good and basic needs are no longer a concern, there have been drawbacks to such rapid advancement. As our lifestyles have changed to accommodate demanding economies, specialized jobs, widespread transportation and leisure time in front of the television, we have begun to drift further from our “natural” lifestyle and pace very quickly. It has been speculated that our human biology hasn’t been able to keep up with the technological developments designed to make us more productive and our societies more efficient.
While we’re living more luxuriously than even kings were decades ago, people feel out of touch with themselves more than ever. They work nine-to-five office shifts day-in and day-out to meet strict deadlines and pay the cable bill in their moderate high rises, all the while feeling uninspired and lifeless. According to Linda Buzzell, a practicing psychotherapist and ecotherapist, the stresses of today’s society separate us “from the natural rhythms of our bodies and the rest of the planet, [so] we struggle … to adapt to the strange mechanical and disembodied world we have created.” It’s this detachment that has led people to fall into, for example, unnecessary states of mental illness like depression or anxiety for which they seek medical prescriptions when there is often a simpler, healthier medicine — nature.
This school year has been stressful for me, as I’m sure it has been for most students here at the U. While many people spent their Spring Break catching up on sleep, I decided to head down to Southern Utah to camp with my best friend for a few days. I can honestly say that no three-week Christmas break spent lounging around could compare to the rejuvenation I felt when I returned home after those few days outside in the sun with minimal technological distractions. Buzzell says her clients suffering from mental illness are “often shocked to realize how disassociated they have become from nature and our species’ natural ways of living, and the effect this disconnection is having on the psyche.” To illustrate, she cites a study from the University of Essex that shows that walking outside at least once a day is as effective as antidepressant medications in treatment, and you won’t suffer from the possible negative side effects of the medications.
Taking a step back from the pressures, expectations and deadlines of today’s world in order to reconnect with nature is arguably one of the most important things to do to keep yourself healthy mentally, physically and emotionally. People tend to get lost in the idea that life is this inescapable, monotonous routine, and the best way to be “healthy” is to simply hit the elliptical three times a week in the office gym and shop at Whole Foods once in a while. Meanwhile they’re fighting bad sleeping habits, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and mental illnesses that have frankly become the norm. Sometimes bagging the doctor’s appointment on your sick day and ditching the smartphone for a hike is the best thing you can do for your all-around well-being.