Show Notes
It doesn’t matter if it’s January or June, snowing or sunny and 85 degrees; it’s always a good idea to get outdoors in Wisconsin.
Sure, we have plenty of beautiful opportunities all across our state. But it’s not just a matter of looking at some pretty scenery. Studies have found a significant link between getting outdoors and improved mental health.
On episode 57, we spoke with Dr. Shilagh Mirgain, a psychologist with UW Health about the benefits of stepping away from the screen, logging off and getting outdoors. Listen in to learn more about Nature Deficit Disorder, how even just a few minutes a day can be beneficial, and what you can do to reap the benefits of nature, even if you simply cannot get outside.
Learn more about Dr. Shilagh Mirgain at
https://www.drshilaghmirgain.com/Find your next adventure at
https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/adventure--------------------------------------
TRANSCRIPT
ANNOUNCER: [
00:00:00] Welcome to Wisconsin DNR's Wild Wisconsin "Off the Record" podcast. Information straight from the source.
KATIE GRANT: [
00:00:12] Welcome back to another episode of Wild Wisconsin Off the Record. I'm your host. DNR's Digital Communication Section Chief Katie Grant. With all the changes from the COVID-19 public health emergency, I'm sure a lot of adults feel the same way that I do lately. I stare at a screen all day while working from home with no meetings to use as an excuse to get away from those screens anymore.
Then after work, I stare at a little screen while staring at a big screen until I go to bed and I start it all over again. And studies confirm what many adults are feeling. The average adult spends more time behind a screen than they do even sleeping. And it's not just the adults. Even before the pandemic, kids spent as little as 30 minutes a day playing outside. But they spent more than seven hours in front of a screen.
All of this screen time really takes a toll on people's physical and mental health. But in a world where we're telecommuting and increasingly reliant on technology, how can we minimize the effect of all of that screen time on our mental health? In this episode, we sat down with Dr. Shilagh Mirgain. A psychologist with UW Health to talk about the benefits of getting outside, nature deficit disorder and how you can get a little bit of those benefits of being outdoors, even when you can't get out there. So sit back and listening to learn more.
All right. We are welcoming Dr. Shilagh Mirgain to the show today. Thank you so much for joining us. Uh, can you go ahead and get us started by telling us a little bit about yourself, your background, um, and what it is that you do?
DR. SHILAGH MIRGAIN: [
00:02:02] Thanks, Katie. I'm really honored to be a guest on today's episode. I am a clinical psychologist at UW Health who specializes in health and sports psychology.
I've been at the University of Wisconsin for 15 years and have really um... One of the highlights for me of moving to Wisconsin has been discovering all the amazing outdoor, um, places to go in Wisconsin. And I've just had lots of adventures over the years of discovering, um, what, what is called Wild Wisconsin. All those natural, uh, wilderness areas that really make our state amazing.
KATIE GRANT: [
00:02:41] Yeah, it is one of the things that we are truly blessed with here in Wisconsin. And I've, I've talked about this with a lot of, of guests on the show. Um, it's something that I think a lot of Wisconsinites take for granted because, you know, especially if you've grown up here, it's, it's been around you all along and it's easy to take that for granted. What would you say is your favorite part of your job?
DR. SHILAGH MIRGAIN: [
00:03:05] That's a great question. I love helping people. And with my job, I'm really working on the mind-body connection and really harnessing the power of the mind to really improve various health outcomes. I work with chronic medical patients like heart disease or chronic pain, um, injury rehab.
And then as a sports psychologist, I'm also working on that mind-body connection to really fuel optimal performance. And many people you know, we can look to medical management taking the pill, but the favorite part of my job is to have people learn how to use a skill. And a variety of skills from mindfulness to cognitive behavioral therapy to acceptance work can really have profound impacts on people's quality of life and really allow them instead of just surviving to go to thriving and really flourishing.
KATIE GRANT: [
00:03:56] Yeah, absolutely. You mentioned that mind-body connection and, um, you know, one of the things that a lot of your articles that we've looked into, uh, talk about is the benefit of spending that time outdoors. Generally speaking, why is getting out in nature, even when it's cold and snowy and you maybe don't want to go out there. Why is that so important to our overall wellbeing?
DR. SHILAGH MIRGAIN: [
00:04:22] It's such a great question and there's that, uh, phrase that nature is the best medicine and there's really some truth to that. And I am often prescribing nature to my patients and there's really robust research on this. Um, for example, one study looked at two groups of walkers.
The two groups went for a walk for just a few minutes, five, ten minutes. The first group went for a walk in the park while the other just walked around the city looking at the city landscape of skyscrapers and sidewalks. And the results were really interesting that they showed that just a short walk in a park and that natural landscape, as little as 10 minutes actually affected participants' brains. The walk helped decrease stress hormones, like cortisol and actually improved thinking and memory. You know, and all of this really goes to suggest that time in nature can help relieve mental fatigue, improve focus and help boost our mood. And I think a real takeaway is that nature is restorative in many ways. And I always say that nature offers us something beyond what human connection can. There's a way when we go into a natural environment that we feel a sense of relief or calm or peace or perspective and it can really enhance our wellbeing.
KATIE GRANT: [
00:05:44] Yeah, for sure. And I think this is something that obviously with the COVID-19 pandemic has been kind of top of mind. Um, but this isn't new science. Um, you published an article about this all the way back in 2015. And in that you cited some alarming facts. Uh, the average adult spends more time behind a screen than they do sleeping.
And kids spend as little as 30 minutes in unstructured outdoor play each day but more than seven hours on average in front of a screen. What are some of the consequences of all of this screen time?
DR. SHILAGH MIRGAIN: [
00:06:19] There is a concept that was coined in the book Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv, who said, um, nature deficit disorder, that term Nature Deficit Disorder. And we had it pre-pandemic, but you know, I think everyone can appreciate during the pandemic, our screen time has gone through the roof. Kids are spending all day behind screens if they're doing virtual learning. So many of us adults are working remotely and on Zoom calls all day. And so we're kind of tethered to our screen and it's in part of what has really taken a toll during the pandemic that we are connecting to one another virtually and we recognize we're becoming more sedentary.
And we recognize that it's almost creating a sense of sluggishness or stress. And I go back to how nature, time and nature, even a little bit of time in nature really can help us stay more stress-resilient. It can help really enhance our ability to cope. Um, it improves even quality of our sleep.
Something that many people might be struggling with. And again, it helps restore sense of vitality and helps us have a more positive outlook on life. I remember when the, for me personally, when the pandemic hit, it was an incredibly stressful time in behavioral health at UW Madison. We were just in a, over a course of a day or two having to transition all our providers to working remotely and I am in a leadership role, so I was part of some of those conversations and help... helping navigate those people transitioning to working remotely and getting all the equipment and technology and figuring all the details out. Like, how are we going to do this? And I remember feeling overwhelmed, not being able to sleep.
And I thought I need to cope with this. And what I started doing was nightly walks. And I have a puppy. A three-year-old puppy and I did nightly walks in nature and there was a stillness there, the moonlight casting light over the trees and, um, the silence and the, the air. And there was something very calming about it.
And I think it's just a great example that if we can make that time to get outside, um, on a regular basis, um, you know, that will help really, um, keep stability to our well-being. It can really boost our mood, energy, you know, so many different areas. And also, I just also want to really encourage people to seek out nature as part of, um, kind of that sense of adventure. There are so many amazing natural spots in Wisconsin to explore that can really build a lot of joy. It can be a great thing for parents to also introduce to their kids.
KATIE GRANT: [
00:08:59] Yeah, for sure. I know for me personally, over the summer, um, we really got into riding our bikes on the trails. So we would head out to Military Ridge and explore new parts of that or Cap City Trail, um, all of the amazing trails around the city of Madison.
Um, it was a really great way to get out there, get our, get our minds off things. Get away from those screens after we've spent all week staring at them. Um, for you, um, I know you mentioned those nightly walks is... what's, is there still another favorite that you love doing or, or how do you enjoy getting out and enjoying those Wisconsin outdoors?
DR. SHILAGH MIRGAIN: [
00:09:39] I think that's such a great question, Katie. One of the things I've done since I moved here is really exploring our state parks. And now that I have my three-year-old puppy, it's my goal of getting her to almost all of them. As many of them as we can. And each year we drive different places or for going somewhere and find a park we will stop in there. I also have a dear friend who takes me fishing on our local lakes and I'll sometimes go on Free Fishing Day. Although I missed, uh, the for free ice fishing day, unfortunately, the other weekend. But I'll sometimes get a fishing permit and join him. And during the pandemic, one of my pandemic goals has been to hike trails on the Ice Age Trail.
Um, and just have been really amazed at what the Ice Age Trail Alliance has done of creating this trail throughout, um, our state. And it's been fun way of actually meeting people on the trail and connecting with them on social media. So again, just lots of really amazing places to explore. And I, you know, I think a really important point is that time in nature really can help provide a sense of meaning and purpose. Um, one of the emotions that can really boost a sense of wellbeing is the emotion "awe" when we feel awe for something. And that actually... there, there's been research out of the University of California, Berkeley that found that when people experience more awestruck moments that actually helped, um, those people had the lowest, um, markers of inflammation in their body. It suggested that it actually helped lower inflammation. And what is fascinating is the number one time that we experience awe is in nature. That sense that, you know, we encounter something that feels maybe vast and complexity.
It alters how we see the world and allows us to see things differently. It shifts our perspective. And when we go in, in, in nature, you know, we start to experience that. The, um, we notice the natural cycles. That summer always comes after the depths of winter. That, um, you know that... and I think it gives us perspective that no matter what we're facing, it will change and things can get better.
That notion of impermanence that, um, you know, I think we, we kind of connect back with, um, that vastness of life as well as I think more of ourselves come online when we can connect, um, with various natural areas.
KATIE GRANT: [
00:12:09] Yeah. And I think one of the, the really great things about Wisconsin is it doesn't matter if you're in the country or an urban setting. I mean, in Madison, there are so many options for getting outdoors. And Milwaukee the same. Um, I was amazed. We, we went and explored Milwaukee once the summer with our bikes and just the bike paths that I had no idea existed in the middle of the city. Um, so it doesn't matter where you are in the state, the options for those exist.
DR. SHILAGH MIRGAIN: [
00:12:37] Very much so. You know, we want to really support, um, our state parks and, and all these organizations that are really doing great conservation and preservation work. And I, again, I just think it's something really important to prioritize sharing with your children. You know, make my, my, um, parents and I... my parents live up in Door County half the year.
And, um, we make a point of, of hiking different, um, areas up there in Door County. That there are some land trust areas. I think there may be eight or ten, um, which have various trails through them. So we've been hiking through them. And that is something that we look forward to. And I just got my parents, um, Yaktrax so that we can do some hiking this next month. That they can stay safe on the icy trails.
But you know, to think about making it a priority, maybe as a family, you start going for evening walks together. Or maybe you plan with the warmer weather to go to one of our state parks and do some camping. Um, or maybe you just take a, uh, a trip, a summer vacation and go somewhere to the state you've never seen before and check out some of the natural beauty, the natural landscape. And you know, and with children, you can really teach them mindfulness with nature. Being mindful, have them notice, uh, using all their senses, um, various aspects of nature.
Um, in Japan, they have something called a Forest Bathing where you're not actually taking a shower in nature, but you're going out and, um, really, uh, kind of bathing using your senses. Bathing all your senses, your sight, sound, smell. Maybe taste or touch. Um, and again, research shows when you're in that kind of meditative, mindful, um, awareness, um, something shifts in you. You know, and for kids that's often, I think something that you remember. I certainly do from my childhood, you know, those times when we were on those field trips in nature, and I think... confidence for, for kids.
And I always say that, um, you only protect what you appreciate. So as we, you know as a family and individual and, and instilling that value in our children, that, you know when they appreciate nature, then they're more likely to protect this precious resource.
KATIE GRANT: [
00:14:55] For sure. And you mentioned something in there that I think is really important to highlight. It can be as simple as just going out and taking, you know, a three-minute walk around your neighborhood. A short walk. It doesn't have to be, you know, traveling to a state park and going on this big hike with all of this equipment or anything, it can be really that simple.
DR. SHILAGH MIRGAIN: [
00:15:14] And I'm so glad you mentioned that Katie, because I think that could be one of the barriers. It can feel intimidating. You don't feel like you have the time or resources or the gear to go out in nature. And that's where the research is fascinating. You know, we talked about as little as a, you know, ten-minute walk, but, um, it can be five minutes. It could be a three-minute on your lunch break. And then some really interesting research shows that even just looking at images of nature or bringing nature into your environment can produce some similar results.
There was a study of people in, um, who were hospitalized and they found that those patients where their rooms just overlook natural areas. Um, you know, they might've had access to the outdoors, but their room, just their view looked over over nature. Those hospitalized patients had shorter stays and required less medication.
So, you know, you can think about looking out the window more. Or bringing in a plant or some flowers into your home or having an office plant at work or having some pictures of nature or watching some nature documentaries. Or again, as you mentioned, just getting out on your lunch break for three minutes, get some fresh air and then come back in.
So it doesn't have to be some huge elaborate thing, although those are great. Um, that, you know, we're really looking at how do we build more nature into our days? Because there was, um, some other really interesting research done by a friend of mine. Um, Dr. Pelin Kesebir who works at the Center for Healthy Minds.
And she looked at, um, uh, kind of currently compared to the 1950s, how many nature words showed up in English books, popular song lyrics, and movie plot summaries. And she found that the use of nature words had declined by about 50%. So I think that suggests that kind of as a society we've become increasingly disconnected from nature.
And we can see that, you know, we're, there are some negative consequences of this. And I think one of the silver linings of the pandemic is realizing we don't want to just be stuck indoors in front of screens. You know, that isn't, that isn't living, that isn't enlivening. And I think people are really seeing the value of getting out in nature, being with people you care about as part of some of the really incredible aspects of, of being human in the human experience that we want to preserve for generations to come.
KATIE GRANT: [
00:17:39] Yeah. Absolutely. Do you have any other advice for people who are trying to balance that, you know, virtual always on Zoom life with their mental health?
DR. SHILAGH MIRGAIN: [
00:17:49] I would just say that the key to improving our lives is just right outside our windows. And it's free and always available. And to, you know, to just, um... You know I think if we can, you know, get in nature, uh, look outside, find opportunities, maybe start some new habits of ways of connecting with people by doing things outdoors together.
Um, you know, certainly hiking in the summer. There are a lot of great winter sports, um, that can be done like snowshoeing or cross country skiing or ice skating. Um, There... we have wonderful lakes for swimming and, uh, stand-up paddleboarding that there's just so many ways of, um, of getting outdoors. Even just having a picnic and watching the sunset. You know, those, just having those moments of just, um, noticing, uh, our environment, the natural environment around us can really remind us that these can really turn these ordinary moments into extraordinary moments.
KATIE GRANT: [
00:18:48] Yeah. There's so many things that can be done outdoors. It's just a matter of finding what it is that you like doing
DR. SHILAGH MIRGAIN: [
00:18:54] Exactly. And to try and experiment and find what works for you.
KATIE GRANT: [
00:19:02] You've been listening to Wild Wisconsin. A podcast brought to you by the Wisconsin DNR. Have further questions about the impact of the outdoors on your mental health? Email us at dnrpodcasts@wisconsin.gov and we'll work with Dr. Mirgain to get you answers. Find your next adventure at dnr.wi.gov. And for more great content, be sure to subscribe to Wild Wisconsin wherever you get your podcasts. Leave us a review or tell us who you'd like to hear from on a future episode. Thanks for listening.