FEATURE | WHENUA | TOUCHING GRASS
Written & illustrated by Tashi Donnelly (she/her) | @tashi_rd | Feature Editor
Years ago, I heard about the “Blue and Green Affect,” research that consistently shows living near green and blue spaces—such as parks, forests, rivers, lakes, and coastal areas—is linked to improved mental health and well-being. From my limited understanding of scientific research papers, we’re not entirely sure why this is the case. It’s one of those scientific questions that science itself finds difficult to answer definitively. May the Gods forgive my hubris, but I believe I know exactly why.
Against my own want or will, I am an introvert. Or hermit, cave dweller, homebody, couch-potato, take your pick of humorous descriptors. I mention this because I am someone who has spent a lot of my life indoors. With a mix of Autistic sensory difficulties, chronic anxiety and depression, and an ADHD inability to perceive linear time, getting outside for some vitamin D has been a struggle throughout my life. It’s annoying when you wake up one day and realise all the extroverted healthy people in your life were right about at least one thing: going outside will make you feel better.
Although I deeply love the indoors, spending too much time inside isn't healthy. The feeling of being cooped up is so universal that we have countless words for it—cabin fever, housebound, stir-crazy, cagey, etc. There are certainly many ways to make your interior space more livable. Feng Shui seems to be trending on TikTok, almost 30 years after "The Western Guide to Feng Shui" by Taoist Master Lam Kam Chuen was being passed around every middle class suburban mum. “No honey, we can't put the sofa under a sharp corner because the chi will be blocked, and the energy will be very upset.” And who could forget about the infamous indoor-outdoor flow. My point is that you can make your room as inviting and full of house plants as you like, but you still have to go touch grass under the clear blue sky, preferably (and according to science) next to a bubbling brook.
It’s not just about “getting outside”. The answer to improved mental health can’t be found in the gridlock graveyard and urban sprawl of big cities. Stepping out of an apartment into a smoggy concrete metropolis doesn’t make for a deep connection to mother earth. It’s probably not great for your respiratory system either (which is rich coming from me, a chronic vape addict). The real improvements come from access to water and vegetation. Not just because of the better air quality but also because of the way we interact with these spaces. They serve as more than a nice piece of pretty scenery—they improve our bodies and minds.
Natural environments help lower cortisol (the stress hormone) and promote relaxation. Access to green and blue spaces is associated with lower rates of depression and mood disorders. Spending time in nature enhances attention, memory, and problem-solving abilities. Public nature spaces encourage social interactions, reducing loneliness and isolation. Exposure to natural environments is linked to improved sleep quality and overall mental recovery. And dear I say it, proximity to parks, trails, and water bodies increases opportunities for walking, running, and other forms of exercise. I’ve had a life-long desire to be prescribed two weeks in an isolated mountain town sanatorium to recover in the fresh air. I guess I wasn’t crazy after all, it probably would fix me.
It’s funny to imagine scientists devising theories about why humans need fewer drywall cubicles with fluorescent lighting and more parks with ponds. It seems self-evident to me, though I was raised in the hippie side of the middle class. Despite how efficiently we’ve removed ourselves from the food-chain, we are still animals. Surrounding ourselves with synthetic materials and artificial lighting has improved some aspects of human life—I’d prefer surgeries be performed in a sterile room with adequate lighting. But we've severed many important connections with the natural world, and our health is paying the price. So how can you carve time out of a busy schedule to reconnect with MC Gaia?
I’m incredibly fortunate to live on a half-acre property that includes part of the Waikumete Stream. It flows north from its origins in Titirangi, eventually merging with the Oratia Stream, and together they form part of the Te Wai-o-Pareira system, which empties into the western part of Waitematā Harbour. There has been a reforestation scheme since the mid-2000s to restore the stream banks with native plants, and my property now sits snuggly in a small valley surrounded by mānuka, kōuka, and pohutukawa. You’d think I would spend as much time as I could in that garden paradise, yet I occasionally gaze up at the swaying foliage through my bedroom window like it's a screensaver.
I bought a picnic mat from a $2 shop, hoping it would encourage me to take my book outside to read amongst the trees and stream. It did, for a little while. The discomfort of the hard ground under my ass and inability to find a good position to read saw that dream fizzle out. I wanted to enjoy outside, but I wanted to be physically comfortable too. Then I bought a pair of lawn chairs and it cured my depression. I’m obviously being hyperbolic, but I have to admit, not by a lot. I’ve always known that spending time outside has greatly improved my mood, I just didn’t realise I could make the activity easier to do. Easier to WANT to do. When I sit down in that lawn chair with a cup of tea, the breeze running delightful fingers through my hair, the sound of leaves rustling and water dancing off river rocks, my entire nervous system relaxes. I can focus on the immense sky or an individual blade of grass. Everything slows down. There is nothing to do when you’re observing and being in nature. In our modern world of hyper-connectivity, we should remember there are things outside of our phone screens we need to connect to.
So if you’re lucky enough to have a garden, and you want to use it more, buy some cheap lawn chairs off TradeMe. You can probably find free ones on the side of the road on inorganics day, if you’re lucky. Maybe acquire a beanbag you can lug to the park and spend time communing with nature. If you have no problem roughing it on the hard-ass ground, just do it more. The point isn’t how you do it—it’s that you do it at all.
Because at the end of the day, we weren’t built for endless hours under fluorescent lights, scrolling through life from behind a screen. We’re animals, and animals need fresh air, open skies, and places to stretch their legs. It doesn’t have to be complicated, and it doesn’t have to be perfect. Sometimes, all it takes is a lawn chair and a little bit of sunlight to remind yourself you’re alive.
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