Most of us living in urban environments appreciate a pleasant getaway into nature. We find it rejuvenating and relaxing, in nature we are able to let go of the tensions that grip us in our day to day lives in the city. In recent years it has in fact become increasingly clear that urban life and its unnatural surroundings have important implications for our mental and physical well-being and can change how we think.
Studies that have been recently published in the RIFA newsletter point to some significant benefits that accrue from spending time in nature. According to the newsletter, the majority of urban dwellers suffer from “nature deprivation” due to a lack of time spent in the natural world and it is claimed that this “nature deprivation” can lead to unpleasant psychosomatic symptoms, including increased irritability, restlessness, stress, insomnia, indigestion, among other.
But what are some of the benefits that accrue from spending time in nature? Firstly there is the advantage of the decreased cognitive requirements that are placed on us in a natural environment. Urban environments are full of distractions, bright signs demanding attention, noisy conversations, thousands of faces. All of these distractions 
requirement a small amount of our cognitive resources. With them gone our minds are free to become more self-aware. There is more space for us to become aware of what is going on with our own thoughts and feelings. This may not always be the most pleasant experience, we often repress negative thoughts and emotions behind distractions. It is essential to become aware of them however to strive to come to terms with them. One cannot have a healthy and stable psyche without reconciling these negative thoughts and emotions. The stillness of nature provides an excellent opportunity to do this because it removes all the distractions that allow us to repress these negative thoughts and emotions.
So nature provides the opportunity for self-reflection which is an essential part of developing an healthy and balanced psyche. Beyond this nature has healing benefits for the body. A study conducted by Ulrich of Texas A&M University found that nature can help the body heal. Ulrich found that the views patients have from their windows makes a difference to how quickly and efficiently they heal. It was found that patients who had a view of trees and other natural things tended to heal quicker and with less complications than patients who had a view of a brick wall.
Other benefits nature has for any human being is its ability to assist us in overcoming fatigue, and its ability to imbue us with greater positivity. All these things added together make it clear that we all should make an effort to get out of urban environments and spend significant time in nature. Doing so will improve our health and will most definitely improve our psychological and emotional stability and well being.