Nature Improves Mental Health
Exposure to nature impacts both physical and mental health in positive ways.
As a young person, I cherished hunting with my father and his friends – not because of the hunting but because of the nature. Most of this time we were in marsh environments and others in dryland bushes and forests. For several summers while in high school, I spent most of the time outdoors beekeeping, learning about agriculture and interacting with the surrounding nature.
For many years, I also found distance running to be a grounding experience. In addition to being in the best shape of my life, it was also a way to dramatically reduce stress and to work out solutions to problems.
As a lifelong lover of the water, and canoeing, whitewater canoeing gave me the opportunity to leave all of life’s stress behind to focus only on the task at hand (enjoying nature while also ensuring safety).
For a number of years, I had a particularly stressful job working centred on the subject matter of domestic violence. To ground myself, I spent time in a hammock focusing on the large spruce tree in our front yard. I would imagine lying in a forest in the mountains while drowning out the noise of urban living.
In addition to the benefits described above, there is plenty of academic evidence pointing to the benefits of nature. That is why I was excited to bring the PaRx program to Alberta social workers during my time as Executive Director of The Social Workers Association of Alberta.
PaRx is a Canada-wide program run by the BC Parks Foundation. It promotes spending time in nature and Albertans with prescriptions can receive free National Park Passes and discounts on e-scooter and e-bike rentals. Other provinces have wider ranges of discounted opportunities that can also be accessed while traveling.
But you don’t have to leave the city to experience nature, you can find it in the trees, flowers, shrubs and even in the weeds that grow between the cracks in concrete and pavement. Take some time to notice their resiliency and how you are connected to the nature you are experiencing.
If you are struggling with stress, anxiety and depression, or you just want to spend more time in nature, let’s connect. We can work together to get you into nature, and can even meet for therapy sessions in a Calgary park.
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References and resources:
BC Parks Foundation. (n.d.). PaRx: A prescription for nature – Why nature? Retrieved [October 26, 2025], from https://www.parkprescriptions.ca/en-ca/en/whynature
BC Parks Foundation. (n.d.). PaRx: A prescription for nature – Patients. Retrieved [October 26, 2025], from https://www.parkprescriptions.ca/en-ca/en/patients#5-simple-tips
Carreño Rosas, A. (2024, December 26). Doctors in this Ontario region can now prescribe nature ‘to help people have a better quality of life’. CBC News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/nature-prescription-how-to-get-one-1.7421810
Hunter, M. R., Gillespie, B. W., & Chen, S. Y.-P. (2019). Urban nature experiences reduce stress in the context of daily life based on salivary biomarkers. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, Article 722. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00722
Whitley, R. (2019, October 22). Nature and mental health: What is the link? Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/talking-about-men/201910/nature-and-mental-health-what-is-the-link?msockid=0a928f40048667562bb09ba405ab664a
Lackey, N. Q., Tysor, D. A., McNay, G. D., Joyner, L., Baker, K. H., & Hodge, C. (2019). Mental health benefits of nature-based recreation: A systematic review. Annals of Leisure Research, 24(3), 379-393. https://doi.org/10.1080/11745398.2019.1655459
Kotera, Y., Richardson, M., & Sheffield, D. (2022). Effects of shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) and nature therapy on mental health: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 20(2), 337-361. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-020-00363-4
Richmond, T. (2025, October 25). Your latest prescription is to get outside. The Star. Retrieved from https://www.thestar.com/life/health-wellness/your-latest-prescription-is-to-get-outside/article_1b5dac80-c919-5c90-9537-a52140513180.html
Social Workers Association of Alberta. (2024, July 2). Are you prescribing nature yet? MySWAA.ca. https://www.myswaa.ca/news/parx-prescribing-nature