Walk in green spaces

Taking regular walks in green spaces as this will help increase your resilience to stress.

A recent study by Stanford researchers showed that walking in green campus parkland reduced anxiety and worry more than walking on a busy street and had cognitive benefits as well.

If you’re unable to get outside to enjoy a green space, do not fret. You can achieve the same benefits by looking at a PICTURE of greenery. That’s right, simply looking at a picture can have the same effect as the real thing.

In a study, students were stressed by having to take a math test and getting feedback that they were performing below average. They were given this stressful feedback even if they did perfectly well. How rude! What’s interesting is what happened after the stressor. The researchers assigned participants to one of two groups that either saw pictures of empty pathways and trees or pictures of urban scenes with cars and people. Those who saw the pictures of trees had faster cardiovascular recovery from stress (e.g., heart rate slowed down faster).

Other research has shown looking at water has a similar effect.