Nature Images Relieve Anxiety and Promote Healing

Even though I’m a photographer by trade, I still spend a significant amount of time behind a desk. 

Most of us do.

We spend hours looking at computer screens instead of open landscapes. We work beneath fluorescent overhead lighting instead of soothing natural sunlight. And when we’re sick or injured, we often find ourselves spending even more time indoors, inside hospitals and healthcare facilities.

And although I try to get outside as often as I can, sometimes it’s not an option. 

But even when we can’t physically get outside, nature images still help us feel connected to the natural world. 

A bright green landscape teaming with growth allows us to feel the air of an open field and sense the possibility within ourselves. Outstretched branches with golden leaves dappling in mid-afternoon light remind us to find beauty in the details.

Nature imagery has a remarkable ability to transport us. And that’s especially important in healthcare environments.

Can nature images actually reduce anxiety?

A growing body of research supports the connection between nature and emotional wellbeing. 

In a Psychology Today article, Nature-Based Imagery Helps People Feel Less Anxious, Linda Wasmer Andrews explored research on nature imagery and anxiety finding: “Spending time in nature can help allay symptoms of anxiety.” 

She goes on to write that “getting outside isn’t always practical, especially as the days grow shorter and the weather turns colder.” 

Or when you’re sick.

Or when you’re in a hospital.

“Fortunately,” she says there may be a simple workaround. According to Wasmer Andrews, “A study published in Frontiers in Psychology shows that mentally picturing a nature scene in a vivid, multi sensory way can help ease anxious feelings.”

The research she referenced, by Jessica Nguyen and Eric Brymer, ties in directly to why we need more nature imagery in hospitals and health care facilities, places where we often feel the most anxiety when dealing with injury, illness and trauma. 

The idea is surprisingly simple: What happens when we use our minds to experience nature?

The research shows that focusing on nature imagery has been proven to ease anxiety and release calm endorphins in the brain, making dealing with difficult and scary situations more manageable.

To Brymer, the implication is clear: “People seem to know that being in nature, seeing images of nature, imagining nature, etc., has anxiolytic [anxiety-reducing] potential.”

Why healthcare environments need nature imagery

Patients and families go to hospitals and healthcare facilities during some of the most stressful moments of their lives. Pain, uncertainty or just the experience of being in an unfamilar environment cause stress.

And patients aren’t the only ones affected. The care team spends hours there, too. This is one reason evidence-based design and healthcare art are so important. 

The artwork selected for a hospital or other healthcare environment isn’t just decorative. The right imagery creates a more calming, welcoming space that’s connected to the natural world and can decrease blood pressure, lessen the need for pain medications, and lead to faster recovery time. It also increases trust in the provider and benefits the staff too by improving focus, job satsfaction, and increasing staff retention.   

Want to explore the possibilities?

Take a look at our healthcare photography collection to see how nature imagery can be used in hospitals, medical offices, cancer treatment centers, behavioral health facilities, and other healthcare envrionments. 

And if you’re working on a healthcare design project and aren’t sure what kind of imagery would be right for your space, explore our most recent projects or reach out to start a conversation.