Find Your Calm: Harnessing Nature and Exercise to Combat Anxiety

In a country (Canada) where 5.2% of the population (doubled from a decade earlier) will experience an anxiety disorder in the past 12 months, accessible evidence-based treatment for anxiety disorders is crucial. However, Canadians recently gave the government a failing grade on access to, effectiveness of, and satisfaction with mental health services. Given existing barriers to care (e.g., waitlists, cost, stigma), the development of accessible interventions, like physical activity, may contribute to mental health care delivery in Canada. Recent years have brought growing attention to the use of physical activity as a form of treatment, but much uncertainty exists about how to optimize its effectiveness. Considering that nature exposure lies at the base of many psychological theories of mental health and well-being, my research promises to clarify the effectiveness of green exercise for anxiety. This image, taken at Odell Park, shows what a green exercise intervention looks like in my research – just a person running in nature. It is my hope that the results from my research will inform the implementation of exercise-based interventions for individuals with anxiety, increasing access to a cost-effective, non-stigmatizing intervention for this population.