This is not my first Michigan winter. And yet, I feel more bothered this year than others. I recently got a memory on my phone from last year where it was an abnormally warm day in February and I ran in shorts outdoors and seeing this made me long for the freedom of summer months. But unfortunately, I cannot rush time (nor should I, since I graduate in May!), so finding ways to enjoy the present is imperative. Nature can help.
Last year I put on the Nature for Wellness Symposium. It was an event intended to sustain and advance Nature Rx: an interdisciplinary initiative across the Ann Arbor campus consisting of 12 sponsors all united by the idea that nature can heal. If you engage with nature for as little as 10 minutes, you can experience a number of health benefits including decreased stress and anxiety levels, increased cognitive function and memory, and a sense of awe. When I go out in nature, I find myself in awe of the world around me and something about this is difficult to articulate. I feel it gives my life meaning and my spirit feels alive.
I find I still revel in that symposium. Nature Rx is my ethos as I work in sustainability and I find it’s fueled by love and hope for a better world where humans are re-realizing our inextricably linked relationship with the natural world. At the symposium, we had over 160 attendees, 23 panelists and speakers, 12 tables, and 9 research posters. Nature Rx is incredibly proud of these numbers for an inaugural symposium and since the symposium, there has been so much enthusiasm and support for Nature Rx. President Ono even gave us a shout-out during his November monthly message!
Between monthly events, guest speaking for academic classes and events across campus, and getting accepted to present at the Mental Health on College Campuses Conference in April, it is clear that Michigan has and can continue to benefit from an institutionalized Nature Rx program. Nature Rx is putting together a business case to make a defined argument for the formal adoption of this program and we’ve been lucky to have a number of really kind and really generous people help us create our first draft! The symposium broke down barriers and connected people across campus who believe nature can heal… and the result has been finding a community of some amazingly generous and kind people.
As part of the symposium, we developed a ‘Winter Wellness Toolkit.’ This compilation of videos, journals, apps, and guides provide interdisciplinary resources so you may find a way to engage with nature in a safe, interesting, and accessible way. Some may ask you to go outside on a walk. Some may include a video tutorial on your computer. We wanted to provide different mediums to engage with nature since people may not feel comfortable going outdoors by themselves nor is winter always the best time to go outside without the proper clothing and equipment. We made the toolkit proactively in October for Winter although I feel I’ve been using it reactively of late… Oops.
Winter is tough. It is gray and cold and despite the days pressing onwards closer to Summer, there are days I seem more bothered by it. My piece of advice is to find community and find nature. Through difficult times, we can find solace in nature and people who have love and hope as their ethos. Nature Rx is about connecting people and nature so when you have a friend or a tree that you love, make sure you tell them that!
Sam is a graduate student in the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability.