RESEARCH

Nature-Based Meditation, Rumination and Mental Wellbeing

After the session, the group that did the nature-based meditation showed a significant decrease in negative overthinking compared to the other groups. After two weeks, both meditation groups reported fewer depressive symptoms, but only the nature-based meditation group showed a significant improvement in overall well-being, with their average well-being score showing one minimal clinically important difference.
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Summary

This research paper explores whether a brief, self-guided meditation done in nature could help young adults with their mood and tendency to overthink negative things. To figure this out, the researchers recruited 68 university students and randomly divided them into three groups. One group listened to a nature-based meditation while walking outdoors, another listened to a similar meditation indoors, and the third group listened to an audio tour while walking around a busy university building (this was the control group). Right after this single session, the students answered questions about their current mood and overthinking. Then, the meditation groups were encouraged to practice their meditations on their own for two weeks, after which all participants answered more questions about their mood and overall well-being. This design allowed the researchers to compare the immediate and short-term effects of meditating in nature versus meditating indoors or just doing a different activity.

The study’s main goal was to see if this new nature-based meditation could reduce negative overthinking (rumination) in the short term and improve mood and well-being over a couple of weeks, especially when compared to a regular indoor meditation and a control activity. The researchers wanted to see if being in nature while meditating offered any extra benefits. They also looked at whether practicing the meditations more often at home led to greater improvements in mood and well-being.

Link

Owens, M., & Bunce, H.L.I. (2022). Nature-based meditation, rumination and mental wellbeing. Int J Environ Res Public Health., 19(15), 9118

 

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