How local trails and parks are supporting mental health
By Belinda Inthiphan
Knightly News Reporter
The sound of gravel crunching beneath feet mixes with the sounds of songbirds on a sunny Saturday morning as people wind through Harrisburg’s Wildwood Park, on the northern tip of the city.
The 3.1-mile-long trail (7,000 steps, according to the park’s website) is shared by walkers, joggers, dog walkers, parents pushing strollers, and bicyclists, but many people walk at Wildwood for more reasons than exercise.
For these folks, the park has become a place for reflection, reconnection and reset.
People using Wildwood’s main trail, which surrounds the small lake here, aren’t alone I their outdoors pursuits.
Communities throughout Pennsylvania are rediscovering the therapeutic value of nature, with which the commonwealth is blessed with an abundance.
And parks, forests and trails are becoming more than just beautiful getaways: They are becoming secure areas where mental health is supported naturally.
Communities’ embrace of nature
An increasing number of people are using nature as a self-care activity.
People are discovering that the outdoors provides an escape from the demands of everyday life, whether it’s through a weekend hike, a family picnic in a park or a peaceful stroll along a trail.
Along the Capital Area Greenbelt, a 20-mile-long system of trails, sidewalks and byways that loop around the city and some adjacent areas, a group of local walkers recently said, “Just being surrounded by trees and open space helps clear your mind” and “After a challenging week, it’s the kind of tranquility we all need.”
Plenty of research shows that a brief period spent in nature can improve sleep, lower anxiety and boost spirits. What some now call “nature therapy” is gaining popularity at the grassroots level because of these common pleasant and beneficial experiences.
Prescription for the park
People claim that nature provides a special form of relief, even though standard mental-health therapy remains important. After feeling alone during the pandemic, some local families began and continue to go to the park as a weekly ritual.
“There’s something about being outside, hearing birds or watching the river flow, that just calms you down,” a mother from the Linglestown area said. “I’m more patient, and my kids are more focused.”
Some community organizations and clinics in metropolitan Harrisburg have been urging clientele to spend time outside. These suggestions aren’t merely personal; a wide and deep stream of research supports the idea that having access to green spaces helps lessen symptoms of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
A lot of it’s about access
Not everyone has equal access to the natural world, though. People with disabilities, people without transportation and people living in impoverished areas often encounter barriers when trying to access green areas.
Fortunately, grassroots organizations and volunteers are changing that challenge. The goal of projects like community cleanup days and the Capital Area Greenbelt Trail Association is to make parks more accessible, safe and easy for everyone to use.
“We want all our people to feel welcome in these spaces,” trail-walker Michael Ortez said recently while on a wellness walk at Wildwood. “Mental wellness shouldn’t depend on your ZIP code.”
Connecting
As life gets busier and more digitized, people from all over the aeras are rediscovering something timeless: the power of nature that brings peace, connections and tranquility.
Comments or story idea? Contact [email protected].
Edited by media-club co-adviser and blog editor Professor Michael Lear-Olimpi.
