Great Minds: Forest bathing at Whangārei's outskirts offers benefits to mental health

Forest bathing at the Dragonfly Springs Wetland Sanctuary helps Jeremy Busck improve his mental health. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Forest bathing is Jeremy Busck's practice for wellbeing.

Spending time in the kahikatea forests deep in the swamp beyond his own backyard and surrounded by fantails is where Busck feels calm, rooted and regenerated.

"Forest bathing is about spending time in nature, you can't just rush through it. The forest is magic, a place for healing."

Busck's nature reserve, the Dragonfly Springs Wetland Sanctuary at the fringes of Onerahi's urban sprawl, has been more important to his mental health than ever in these past few months.

At the beginning of the year, Busck was involved in a motorcycle crash which left him with seven broken ribs and a concussion, among other injuries.

Seven days later, he suffered a heart attack and Busck had to undergo a quadruple heart bypass surgery.

Jeremy Busck's accident at the start of the year was blow to his mental and physical health. Photo / Michael Cunningham

He is recovering, slowly and steadily, but for a long while he felt utterly lost. Thanks to the people and nature surrounding him, he is back on his feet.

The term forest bathing emerged in the 1980s after a Japanese practice called shinrin-yoku ("forest bathing" or "taking in the forest atmosphere") became increasingly popular.

The eco-therapy encourages people to spend time in a forest or natural environment and to consciously connect with their surroundings – taking in the smell, the sounds and the details.

Jeremy Busck and Pamela Winter established the Dragonfly Springs wetland in the early 90s. Photo / Michael Cunningham

It is widely understood that forest environments have favourable effects on human physiological functions, an article published in the American Journal of Cardiology in 2012 says.

Factors such as the aroma of plants, temperature, humidity, light intensity, wind, and oxygen concentrations can positively affect the body.

In contrast, urban air pollution is a serious environmental problem, especially in many developing countries, the article says.

Studies from across the world have shown that constant exposure to air pollution is associated with chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disorders.

Cities make us physically and mentally sick, science says. And nature is the cure.

Spending quality time in nature can have physical and psychological benefits for people. Photo / Michael Cunningham

"Noise, pollution, and many people in a confined space: Life in a city can cause chronic stress. City dwellers are at a higher risk of psychiatric illnesses such as depression, anxiety disorders and schizophrenia than country dwellers," a 2017 study by the Max Planck Institute for Human Development reports.

Merely living near forests and urban greens can have psychological benefits on the other hand.

For Busck there is no doubt that saving the wetland sanctuary he, his partner Pamela Winter and their friends and volunteers have nursed and guarded over 30 years against being turned into a 73-lot subdivision was the right call.

When Busck and Winter bought the 10.5ha property between Ngaio St and Raumati Cres in 1991, Dragonfly Springs was a scrub-covered wasteland – known for its open drains and a popular spot for fly-tipping.

The nature reserve today is a drainage and pond system that purifies run-off and provides habitat for birds.

Ayden Snowdon-Kaka-Holtz from Whangārei Primary School visiting Dragonfly Springs in 2017. Photo / John Stone

Busck regularly invites school groups to explore the swamp and learn about nature.

Dragonfly Springs also has open days where the public can visit and engage in forest bathing.

Busck hopes that one day when he and his group of volunteers can no longer do the work alone, a community trust will take over so Dragonfly Springs remains a wellbeing retreat for generations to come.

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