A prescription for nature deficit disorder: head outside

July 22, 2024
Combat nature deficit disorder by spending more time outdoors. Spending time outside boosts health whether you're enjoying a walk in your neighborhood or doing a weekend camping trip. Photo: Getty Images.
Combat nature deficit disorder by spending more time outdoors. Spending time outside boosts health whether you’re enjoying a walk in your neighborhood or doing a weekend camping trip. Photo: Getty Images.

James Lutz loves spending his weekends in mountainous places where there are plenty of threats from sudden lightning storms to cliffy routes up steep peaks.

He finds it relaxing.

“Yes, there’s stuff out there that wants to kill you, but that’s the beauty of it,” said Lutz, a licensed professional counselor for UCHealth Greeley Medical Center.

“When you’re out there, you have to be aware of your surroundings. You’re forced to be present,” said Lutz, who especially loves sharing adventures in nature with his family, including two kids, ages 17 and 11.

Lutz is not only a lover of the outdoors, himself. Like many health experts, he regularly gives patients a novel prescription: spend more time in nature.

The idea that the outdoors can be good for people isn’t a new concept. In Canada, doctors will prescribe passes to national parks. In Japan, residents have practiced forest bathing, or meditative walks through tree canopies, since the 1980s.

Check out your local library for a free day pass to state parks and other local outdoor recreation areas and activities.

From gardening to hiking to bird watching, spending time in nature boosts mental and physical health

Studies show time in nature reduces blood pressure, anxiety, stress and restores a sense of calm. And we’re learning that too much time spent indoors and on screens is detrimental to health and mental health.  Richard Louv’s 2005 book, “Last Child in the Woods,” argued that children’s separation from the natural world was causing “nature deficit disorder,” the root of a host of problems including ADHD, obesity and mental health issues such as anxiety. He has since expanded his thinking to adults.

We even learned to self-medicate during the pandemic, as Rocky Mountain National Park had to create a reservation system and visitation to Colorado state parks increased by 25%. (Those numbers have since declined slightly from pandemic peaks.)

But the idea that just being outside, even just sitting on your back patio, is good for your health has gained serious traction among experts grasping for anything to help dent our struggles with mental health: The Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment has a whole program it calls OutdoorRx.

Looking for a backyard activity? Try birdwatching.

The department launched the program in 2019 to promote the mental health benefits of being in nature, but it also lists physical benefits such as improved cognitive function, cardiovascular fitness and even improved cancer survival rates for as little as 30 minutes a week.

“Just sit in your yard,” said Olivia Egen, the public health initiatives supervisor for the Weld County health department. “If you’re outside for even five minutes, you’ll feel immediate benefits.”

Time spent outdoors helps reduce the negative effects of screen time

Lutz, just like those doctors in Canada, recommends the outdoors to his patients.

Being active has its own benefits, Lutz said, and the outdoors is a part of that, but being outside goes beyond working up a sweat.

“That’s why you don’t see sad people on the beach,” Lutz said. “Everybody has different limitations. Even for people who have low mobility, go sit on the patio. Just take a chair out there and look around you.”

Spending time outdoors helps counteract all the time we watch TV, work on our computers or scroll on our phones. Screen time adds up to hours a day, and it’s such a health concern that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommends limits for children 2 and older to 30 minutes a week. U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy is so concerned about social media’s negative effects on teenagers that he recently called on Congress to require warning labels much like the ones that accompany packs of cigarettes.

Lutz agrees with Murthy.

“We’ve got too many electronics in our faces,” Lutz said.

James Lutz loves spending time outdoors, including finding antlers. He encourages patients to spend time outdoors too. Photo courtesy of James Lutz.
James Lutz loves spending time outdoors, including finding antlers. He encourages patients to spend time outdoors too. Photo courtesy of James Lutz.

Unwind outside

Egen understands what it’s like to return home after a long day at work.

“You’re super tired, and you just want to relax,” said Egen, the public health initiatives supervisor for the Weld County health department. “But sitting in front of the TV makes it worse.”

The OutdoorRX program has materials in both English and Spanish, something Egen hopes will reach Weld’s large population of Hispanics and Spanish speakers.

Convincing some Hispanics to take time for themselves outdoors can be challenging.

“I think they sometimes feel like it’s a luxury they can’t afford,” Egen said.

James Lutz loves spending time outdoors with his family, including his wife, left, and their two children. They also have two dogs: their 5-year-old Malamute, Cuno, and a 2-year-old husky (not pictured) named Nagini. Photo courtesy of James Lutz.
James Lutz loves spending time outdoors with his family, including his wife, left, and their two children. They also have two dogs: their 5-year-old Malamute, Cuno, and a 2-year-old husky (not pictured) named Nagini. Photo courtesy of James Lutz.

It is true that outdoor recreation can be expensive. That’s why health department experts encourage people to find affordable options close to home like gardening and exploring local parks, trails and open spaces including Greeley’s new Shurview property.

Everyone can spend time outdoors. Even people who live in apartments and are surrounded by concrete can find a nearby picnic bench to sit on, Egen said.

In order to help people find a special place, OutdoorRX lists all parks and recreational facilities in Weld by city.

At one point in her life, Egen, who is Hispanic, didn’t appreciate time spent outdoors, but as she learned about the benefits through avenues such as health conferences, she became a believer.

“I never appreciated nature as much as I do now,” Egen said.

To get the full benefit of time spent outdoors, Egen encourages people to be intentional, meaning you can’t drag the TV outside, pop in your headphones or look at your phone.

This is harder than it sounds. It’s hard to stay silent and present. It even takes practice, like mediation.

UCHealth Today’s “Live Colorado” section offers insight into an array of activities throughout Colorado.

Lutz is familiar with the research, but his own experiences are what convinced him to embrace the outdoors as a therapeutic tool.

His wife loves photography, and his kids really do enjoy being outdoors with him. They will hunt for antlers together and camp and enjoy as many activities as they can.

“I took my son out coyote hunting,” Lutz said. “It’s pitch black, and you get to watch the stars. The moon is beautiful, and you reflect on your problems and discover that in the grand scheme of things, they’re not a big deal anymore.”

About the author

Dan England has worked for Colorado media for 25 years, including 20 at the Greeley Tribune. He's won more than 100 state and national awards, including Best of Show from the Colorado Press Association in 2015. Dan loves to write about the outdoors, as they are not just a job but an adventure. He has completed more than 20 marathons and 20 ultramarathons in addition to climbing more than 200 peaks, including all the 14ers in Colorado and Mount Rainier in Washington. He is a running coach, specializing in ultramarathons, and is certified by the UESCA. Dan is married to Valerie Vampola, a professional singer, and has three children, Jayden and twin girls, Andie and Allie, and a heeler, Pepper, who ran her first trail marathon last year in western Kansas.