Stressed and anxious? This simple mental trick can lower your heart rate, calm your body instantly

The study stated that imagining nature and natural landscapes can have significant calming effects on the body and mind.

Nature has a therapeutic effect on the body and mind. The need of not directing our attention but being able to effortlessly project our attention to harmless natural environments can make us feel calm and relax the mind of stress and anxiety. It has been observed that even virtual projections of calm natural landscapes can have relaxing effect on the mind and body.

Imagining natural landscapes and scenarios can also have a relaxing effect on the mind and body.(Shutterstock)

However, a recent study states that simply imagining natural landscapes and scenarios can also have a similar relaxing effect on the mind and body. To understand how this works, researchers Mika Koivisto (University of Turku, Finland) and Simone Grassini (University of Bergen, Norway) conducted a study on 50 students.

Findings of the study:

The participants were asked to complete a task that is designed to induce stress. Then they were asked to imagine scenarios with natural prompts such as mountains, flowers and seaside, and urban prompts such as bar, alley and motorbike. The changes in their body and mind were measured. Heart rate, heart rate variability, and electrodermal activity were also measured.

The results were compelling. It was observed that when the participants imagined nature-related content, they demonstrated better restoration and relaxation. They also showed slower heart rate and higher heart rate variability, both indicating more relaxation.

Imagining nature can also help in managing stress.(Shutterstock)

Mika Koivisto and Simone Grassini explained, “These findings have practical implications … for psychological therapies. The present results suggest that when access to nature is not possible, the incorporation of nature imagery instead of actual visits to nature may be a potentially valid alternative.”

Explaining the impact of nature on the human mind, the researchers added in their paper, “The general pattern of results from the subjective and physiological measures supports the hypothesis that mental imagery of nature has restorative effects. Additionally, we hypothesized that the meanings of nature for individuals moderate the effects of imagery, predicting that the stronger the individual's connection to nature, the more the imagery of nature would influence one's restoration.”

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.