Our historical relationship with the natural world
The role nature has played throughout human history has predominantly been about survival, from hunter gatherers surviving predation, ice ages, and famine to developing agricultural practices to enhance the development of humanity.
But we didn’t just use and survive the natural world we have also learned so much, it provided us with the inspiration for countless breakthroughs; with diagnostic ultrasound scans descending from our studies of bats and dolphins to the fact that over 50% of modern pharmaceutical drugs derive from plants or fungi. Nature has not simply sustained us, but it has shaped our understanding of the world.
From dependence to detachment
Since the 1800s we have inhabited an increasingly urbanised and industrialised planet. For many the natural world is little more than a backdrop and, in some cases, even an inconvenience.
Technology has enabled vast improvements to many areas of life; however, I can’t help but notice it is also distancing us from the natural world. Not just physical distance, but psychological distance too. It pulls our attention away from all the wonderful things that the natural world has to offer.
Modern life doesn’t just distract us it puts us on edge. Many people live with chronic stress, overstimulation, and a sense of unease and urgency. We face a daily bombardment of algorithmically fed negative, and often inflammatory news stories. Both old and new media thrive on division and profit from our attention and it feels as if we are being divided and coerced into a faux fight or flight mental state. In this environment it becomes difficult to think clearly, to regulate emotions, and to feel grounded.
As this distance has grown, our relationship to nature has changed. We have commodified nature and hold a seemingly transactional relationship to it, nature has shifted from being the environment that nourishes us to becoming a resource to extract from, and it has never been easier to forget that we are part of it.
The modern condition
Today across much of the western world survival is a very different story from our time escaping sabre tooth tigers and harsh winters prior to insulated houses with central heating. Today our struggle is less visible and not so much physical survival but more a tale of psychological strain.
But this isn’t just a 21st century problem the term neurasthenia was coined in 1869, it was a term used to describe the emotional and physical burnout and toll on the nervous system due to the frenetic pace of life thanks to the high stress demands of industrialisation. Symptoms included chronic fatigue, anxiety, depression, and physical pain, it was considered a disease of civilisation.
The consequence of disconnection
This growing detachment has very real consequences. It has been colloquially termed as “nature deficit disorder” and whilst the term is informal, the physical, cognitive, and psychological health effects have all been well documented.
Spending time in nature can reduce cortisol, blood Pressure, and heart rate, as well as enhancing immune function. So by removing ourselves from the natural world we aren’t just removing something pleasant, we are actively harming our long-term physical health. There is also evidence that time outdoors particularly in greener areas can assist with low mood, attention and focus, as well as reducing anxiety.
And this disconnection extends far beyond individual health and wellbeing; it can also impact the health of our planet. We conserve what we care about and a growing lack of connection with nature in the younger generation is an increasingly worrying predictor of future environmental crisis as we need more than ever long-term environmental stewardship.
Nature as a solution
And in this age of division, and seemingly manufactured instability it is crucial to be able to think freely and independently with a clear mind. A pioneer of the transcendentalist movement Ralph Waldo Emerson believed that we could find deeper truths and direction through intuition, and self-reflection and that we didn’t need to be guided by society or any doctrine. This movement put nature at the forefront as they saw it as uncorrupted.
“The lover of nature is he whose inward and outward senses are still truly adjusted to each other; who has retained the spirit of infancy even into the era of manhood.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Spending time in nature creates the conditions for this alignment. Without constant demands on our attention, the mind has space to settle. Thoughts become clearer, and it becomes easier to reflect, rather than react.
This is a philosophy from the 1800’s but it seems very apt in today’s relentless world of constant noise, deadlines, distractions, social media, 24/7 anxiety inducing worldwide news. It feels impossible to keep our inward and outward senses in sync and to be present as our truest self and not some product of the algorithm that dictates both our views and our actions.
This is an idea built on by Rachel, and Stephen Kaplin who posited that exposure in natural environments reduces mental fatigue and improves the ability to concentrate and maintain focus. An integral part of what makes this restorative is called soft fascination. This is where attention is held effortlessly, like when watching clouds, waves, and fire move. Being immersed in something larger than yourself, and breaking routine tasks of day-to-day life which asks a lot more from us and demands more attention than nature tends to.
Aside from regaining control of our attention, and thought processes, and allowing yourself time to think freely and let the mind wander, nature has an uncanny ability to positively change the way that we think. Time in the great outdoors doesn’t just decrease activity in the regions of the brain linked to cognitive fatigue and stress, but it also has been shown to increase activity in neural networks associated with empathy and generosity.
Neuroscience aside it is rational to think that it is harder to hold on to the physical feelings from emotions such as hate whilst being present with a picturesque sunset especially when we allow ourselves the headspace to feel a sense of awe and wonder.
What does reconnection look like?
Reconnection doesn’t have to be a dramatic hike into the mountains (although that would be fantastic) you can start with a walk without modern distraction (phones / music podcasts etc). Or try sitting in a scenic spot for 10 minutes and see where your mind begins to wander. Utilise all your senses when outdoors by listen intently to birdsong, smelling flowers or the earth after rainfall, and feel the texture of bark on a tree. The trick is to have intentional sensory experiences rather than passive ones as this elicits mindfulness. Consider trying your usual hobbies outdoors maybe that’s a form of exercise like running or swimming, or maybe it’s sketching, writing, or journalling.
Treat time in nature as essential, not extra, schedule it the way we schedule other self-care habits like going to the gym or other hobbies. Nature may be more crucial than ever it just needs to play a slightly different role in our lives. What matters is not where you go, but how you show up. Because this isn’t really about nature as a place, it’s about what it restores in us. Attention, Clarity, and Perspective. A sense of being part of something larger than ourselves.
We haven’t just distanced ourselves from the natural world we have distanced ourselves from the conditions that allow us to think clearly, feel deeply, and act intentionally.
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