21 Apr 2021
Sustainability: Do we truly know the benefits?
By now, we’re all aware of how pollution, weather it be land, air , water or noise , deteriorates and negatively affects our bodies and long term health. But, While the substantial physical health impacts of air pollution have been demonstrated, the effects of air pollution on mental health outcome are much less clear. Pollution […]

By now, we’re all aware of how pollution, weather it be land, air , water or noise , deteriorates and negatively affects our bodies and long term health. But, While the substantial physical health impacts of air pollution have been demonstrated, the effects of air pollution on mental health outcome are much less clear.

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Pollution and mental health

There have been studies which show a direct link between air pollution and  depression. People residing in areas with a high amounts of air pollutants  have been found to be more exposed and prone to depression while people experiencing a clean breeze are on set to live a healthier and happier lifestyle.

Air pollution has been recorded to boost anxiety levels in people with pre-existing symptoms of anxiety and stress. In this rapidly pacing and industrializing world, we are all bound to experience stress in some way or the other and the rising air pollution does not have any intention to spare us.

Green spaces aren’t just for nature

Having access to nature in our daily routine and being dear and close to everything green helps us reduce anxiety, stress and overall helps us enhance our happiness level.  Breathing clean air and being more present with nature helps with mood disorders, promotes positive social interaction, decreases the range of negative emotions and thoughts and introduces a ew and deeper sense of meaning to life.

Devoting time to nature, gardening, planting trees, indulging in the rain, or just quietly observing the bees buzzing on flower petals boosts various aspects of human mentalities, such as attention management, memory, and creativity. everyday focused thinking is cognitively draining, with bad consequences for mood, and that the wide range of stimuli intrinsic to nature provides a restorative sensory environment that alleviates this attention fatigue.

Sustainability for me and you

Whenever we talk about developing environment-friendly practices and inculpating sustainability in our daily routine, it is often easily assumed that it’s just for environmentalists and gigantic steps to take, but what we fail to acknowledge and realize is that incorporating sustainable practices takes just a little shift in our mindset which will indeed help us be mindful in life and be more present in our life.  

Even bijou activities like scenic cycling instead of taking the car will help us increase our endorphins and release stress while helping nature. Incorporating minimalism will help us declutter our space leading to a more organized lifestyle and a peaceful mind, recycling plastic, saving water and decomposing makes us realize the joy of contributing to nature and the sense of being aligned with nature, which, when done for a substantial amount of time, helps us manage our emotions and gives us a whole new sense of self-worth and self-perspective.

We all take vacations to explore hill stations, oceans, wildlife, forests just because of the pleasure of it, but implementing eco-friendly practices such as veganism, etc, will lead us to a path of inner peace and to a much happier and healthier lifestyle.

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