More Canadians exploring the great outdoors to try to escape from pandemic anxiety

WINNIPEG (CityNews) – During a year of doom, gloom and heart-breaking news, there’s been one place many of us have gone to escape the noise.

It surrounds us and affects many parts of our lives, and, due to the pandemic, more and more people have been reconnecting with nature.

“The pandemic has, I think, provided an opportunity for Canadians to reconsider what their relationship with nature is,” said Kevin Teneycke, Manitoba regional vice-president at Nature Conservancy of Canada.

In a recent IPSOS poll done for the Nature Conservancy of Canada, 94 per cent of respondents credited nature for helping relieve the stress and anxiety of the pandemic’s second wave.

Activities that have been allowed even under tight restrictions have often been the ones that helped with reconnecting with nature. Activities like camping and golfing have seen a surge of popularity.

“Everyone everywhere is suddenly appreciating even something as simple and as regularly-available as taking a walk through some city trails.”

Who would have thought simply going for a walk would become this thing we look so forward to? But studies show nature gets through to our brains. Its sights can improve our mood and sounds can lower blood pressure and stress hormones.

“It may just be through the pandemic that has helped people kind of realize it and begun to appreciate those values, but these benefits have been well-documented,” explained Teneycke.

Nine out of 10 Canadians in the conversancy’s poll say they value nature more than before.

Teneycke hopes this growing appreciation for nature will help people take actions to protect it.

“I would hope that that would be a kind of natural progression of how people treat their relationship with nature and that they begin to take some of those activities right back into their homes by doing things, becoming more active, choosing different modes of transportation that are more friendly to the environment, and taking actions at home: composting, recycling, etc.”

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