Nydalasjön Cold Bath Studio 2
Getting Back to Nature Beatrice Sterner
Since the 1990's, stress related mental illness has increased. According to WHO (World Health Organisation) mental health is the biggest and fastest growing problem in the world and the biggest threat against people's health. In today's society It’s easy to experience stress, and feel mentally drained.1
Research shows that being in nature reduces these symptoms. Nature is rehabilitating for us. In studies done by “Karolinska Institutet” It has been shown that people performs better at tests related to attention and memory after being exposed to nature rather than urban environments.2 A study by “the university of Essex” is called the “green exercise”, shows that being exposed to nature for only five-minutes brings immediate wellbeing. It’s also shown that It works with all types of green environments: urban parks, nature reserve, wild or farmed, small or large. It does not matter what activity that’s performed. Water also affects us in positive ways, we experience calmness and become happier by being close to water. An ocean consists of an endlessness which creates a sense of calm within us. Those living close to water seem to have an increase in social engagement and physical activity in their life.
This science directs us to an obvious solution for the issues that is related to mental health: we need to get back to nature. We need to integrate it more into our life, and we need to do so now.
How do we make people leave the busy and stressful citylife, and get back to what they really need? By adding more activities and enhancing the activities that’s already existing and are connected to nature. We need to make nature more available for everyone and easy to access.
Tomtebo is a place where the connection and closeness to nature needs to be highlighted. It’s located in direct connection with Nydalasjön, which is a beautiful area for outdoor activities both for summer and winter, such as skiing, ice-skating, swimming, or walking. This is an opportunity to bring people closer to nature, and attract the people living in Tomtebo and the rest of Umeå to It.
To take advantage of the availability of nature and water, by creating a space that makes It even more accessible. By creating something that doesn’t interfere with nature but only enhances the experience.
What’s needed in a public space in connection to Nydalasjön is a place that connects the already existing activities and makes them more accessible. A place that makes people want to pass by spontaneously or be a destination and a landmark. It should be a place where you are able to be without the pressure to consume or spend money in order to stay there. We need a space that focus on enhancing the calming effects of nature and attract people to It, since It’s important for us to get back to nature, and integrate it more into our life. It should be shared and celebrated.
Nature belongs to everyone, nature belongs to no one.
1 Hjärnfonden. 2017. Stressrelaterad ohälsa ett växande problem
https://www.hjarnfonden.se/2017/12/stressrelaterad-ohalsa-ett-vaxande-problem/ (Hämtad 2020-02-20).
2 Karolinska Insitutet. 2019. De ser nyttan med naturen
https://ki.se/forskning/de-ser-nyttan-med-naturen (Hämtad 2020-02-21)
