Air pollution and mental health: Consequences of curbs on outdoor activities, exercise amid smog

Delhi's current air quality is often described as a ‘gas chamber’. Is the smog impacting our mental health amid lack of outdoor activities or exercise?

India's national capital, New Delhi, experienced 'very poor' to 'severe' air quality for two weeks this year starting October 28, with crop residue burning in Punjab and some other states adjacent to Delhi raising the pollution issue but nothing was happening at the ground level. Air quality dips in Delhi ahead of winter every year, when cold air traps pollutants from a variety of sources including vehicles, industries, construction dust and agricultural waste burning.

Air pollution and mental health: Consequences of curbs on outdoor activities, exercise amid smog (ANI Photo/Ishant )

Medical experts stated that inhaling Delhi's polluted air was akin to the detrimental impact of smoking around 10 cigarettes daily. In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Mansi Poddar, Founder of Heal Grow Thrive Foundation, Psychologist, Psychotherapist and Healing Advocate, revealed, For many people pollution causes not only physical symptoms but also triggers what is now known as climate anxiety."

She explained, “Climate anxiety is a ‘heightened emotional, mental or somatic distress in response to dangerous changes in the climate system.’ People who are used to access outdoor spaces or enjoy time in nature are unable to and this disconnect from the natural world along with artificial indoor living takes a toll on the nervous system.”

She elaborated, “Pollution and lack of outdoor access keeps many people in a stressful sympathetically charged nervous system which in turn leads to difficulties in regulating stress. Children are deeply impacted by rising pollution levels as outdoor play is an essential component of development and mental health.”

Delhi breathed easy on Friday after intermittent rain cleared the suffocating haze that had been lingering for more than 10 days and improved the city's AQI by over 150 points. However, the overall air quality again slipped into the ‘severe’ category despite light rainfall as Delhi's AQI stood at 339 at 6 am on Saturday, as per the data by the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR).

Currently, Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) has been implemented in Delhi after the national capital's air quality plummeted to the 'severe plus' category.