As a society, facing coronavirus brought us together in a way most of us have never seen in our lifetime. Mental health got extremely real at this time because all we had was the time and space to reflect. More people have spoken up about their lockdown experiences and how it has changed their overall lives moving forward. Through this, the “hot girl walk” was born. The “hot girl walk” is an internet trend coined by Mia Lind (Wong, 2022). While it may have made its debut during the thick of the pandemic, this trend is still very much alive. Because of its relevance, this is the first thing that came to mind when reading through Dr. Marc Berman’s research. Dr Berman and colleagues have used their research to really put roots down for the emerging field of Environmental Neuroscience.
Environmental Neuroscience studies the relationship between organisms and their relationships with both the physical and social environments around them (Berman et al., 2019). Among their findings they were able to find that individuals surrounded by urban environments are just as capable of reaping the benefits of those in more suburban or rural settings. This is promising information because of the stigma around urban areas and their lack of greenery or “nature”. Through their research, it was proven that treed rural areas and treed urban areas have extremely similar air quality (Berman et al., 2019). Not only are urban and rural environments fully equipped to improve mental health but they share equally as fresh air as the other.
As a result of this universal benefit within both urban and suburban areas, as well as the simplicity of just going for a walk makes this trend legitimately helpful. When you are walking, your body releases endorphins which inhibit stress and boost your overall mood (Wong, 2022). The hot girl walk took the internet by storm at a time when most people sat on the internet all day for some sort of content to fill the void that the pandemic created. This exposure created a calling everyone to take their daily hot girl walk. Because of the simplicity of the activity, there is an option for everyone to do something they love while taking a walk.
Self-Care does not need to consist of expensive products or classes for it to be effective. We can take care of our brains and our bodies just by using the environment around us while incorporating things we already love to make it an even more enjoyable experience. No matter where we are, who we are, or what we have, all of us can get outside. Whether it’s a breath of fresh air or a hot girl walk, our brains will thank us for it.
Berman, M. G., Stier, A. J., & Akcelik, G. N. (2019). Environmental neuroscience. American Psychologist, 74(9), 1039–1052. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000583. .
Wong, Brittany. “This Is Your Brain And Body On 'Hot Girl Walks'.” Huff Post, 23 May 2022.
No comments:
Post a Comment