Imagine walking into your backyard space from inside your home. You shut your eyes slightly to adjust to the bright sun rays that warm up your face and bring you a unique sensation of tranquility and comfort. Then, one of two scenarios occurs...
Scenario #1:
You then adjust your eyes again and fully open them; your smile, and that special tingling sensation, turns awry. Why? You see the open space of your backyard, and it’s just as you remember it; however, it’s missing something. In fact, it may be missing a whole lot. Or, it contains plenty of…extra growth let’s call it, that you’d rather get rid of. Your mood changes immediately and you become frustrated.
Scenario #2:
You adjust your eyes from the bright warm sun, and your smile lingers, as you take a calm deep breath and realize you have before you your very own oasis: from the harmonious arrangement of plants; to the structures that work so well with your family’s life; to the array of colors that make you say, “how fortunate am I.” Take it all in. It’s all so very appealing and you can’t help but feel comforted and naturally excited!
Here is why you feel this way:
“Encounters with nearby nature help alleviate mental fatigue by relaxing and restoring the mind. Within built environments, parks and green spaces are settings for cognitive respite, as they encourage social interaction and de-stressing through exercise or conversation, and provide calming settings. Having quality landscaping and vegetation in and around the places where people work and study is a good investment. Both visual access and being within green spaces helps to restore the mind’s ability to focus.”1
Amazing! It’s built into our DNA! But what does this have to do with landscape design?
Consider: (added by author)
”Planters, gardens, green roofs, and other features (pergolas, trellises, accent structures etc.) can be incorporated into building design to address mental health (your mind) and cognitive function (your thinking). Design that mimics nature with its natural shifting of daylight as the sun rotates, and the locomotion of natural objects (i.e. plants, branches, grass) caused by a windy breeze, are movement patterns that are associated with safety and tranquility, aiding the development of a calm, stable mental state.”2
In other words, aside from receiving health benefits in your brain and brain function from what you eat, your environment also contributes to this, greatly!
Have you ever considered how vital to your well-being landscape design in your home truly is? Consider what could be missing from your backyard and surroundings. Or what needs to be removed and reconstructed.
More benefits for you to know:
“Design can also encourage learning and exploration by creating spaces that are not immediately interpreted but allow discovery through sensory exploration...If the built environment simulates the layered complexity of ecosystems, a person’s sensory systems will be engaged to explore and learn about the built object or space, which encourages cognitive function through a high level of visual fascination and mystery.”3
Plainly, it benefits your health to be in nature and appreciate it.
No matter your age, your well-being, peace of mind and on-going mental stimulus are vital to your health.
Well-built and designed outdoor carpentry features add value to your life! As do plants, gardens, and general landscape design.
At My Landscaping Project, your health matters, and design should complement your overall improvement. Let’s work together on your unique design!
All the best!
REFERENCES:
- Wolf, K.L., and K. Flora 2010. Mental Health and Function - A Literature Review. In: Green Cities: Good Health (www.greenhealth.washington.edu). College of the Environment, University of Washington.
- Heerwagen, J. 2009. Biophilia, health, and well-being. In: Campbell, L., and A. Wiesen (eds.) Restorative Commons: Creating Health and Well-Being Through Urban Landscapes. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station.
- Kaplan, R., and S. Kaplan. 1989. The Experience of Nature: A Psychological Perspective. Cambridge University Press, New York.