Think about the last time you were outdoors. Did you feel happier, calmer, a sense of peace? Studies have shown being outside can benefit your health and wellbeing, offering opportunities for physical activity while also reducing stress and improving mental health.
For cancer patients, a compromised immune system often requires them to be more cautious of activities that may expose them to a lot of people or possible infections. For many, that results in staying at home and limiting time spent with others, which can lead to feelings of isolation and depression.
However, spending time outside can be a safe option. Feeling the sun on your skin, appreciating local plants or animals, or just taking a few deep breaths of fresh air may provide a brief and comforting escape from the daily stresses of cancer for both patients and caregivers.
Benefits of Spending Time Outside
Research has shown that spending time outdoors reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety and improves your mood, boosting feelings of happiness and well-being. One study found that being in or viewing nature reduces anger, fear, and stress while increasing pleasant feelings. Exposure to nature enhances emotional wellbeing and benefits physical health by lowering blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, and stress hormone production.
With feelings of stress being common among cancer patients, adding time outside can be beneficial in helping patients cope with a cancer diagnosis or while going through treatment. According to the National Recreation and Park Association, as little as 20 minutes a day spent outdoors can reduce stress.
Other notable benefits of spending time outside include:
- Better breathing
- Improved sleep
- Motivation to exercise
- Escape from over stimulating technology and sounds
- Boosted immunity
Outdoor Activities Suitable for Cancer Patients
Adding outdoor time doesn’t require hours of commitment or energy. Activities may vary based on treatments, side effects, and how patients feel on any given day. Sometimes just a few minutes outside each day is all that is needed to improve one’s mood. Simple activities may include visiting a park, sitting on your porch, or watching an outdoor game. But if you have capacity for more, exercise and gardening are two great ways to get outside.
Exercise releases hormones called endorphins which reduce feelings of stress and pain. Easy, low-impact outdoor activities like walking or hiking through one of more than 80 state parks across Texas, swimming, riding a bike, yoga, or gentle stretching can improve blood circulation, appetite, and muscle strength. It is recommended to consult with a physician before starting an exercise program during or after cancer treatment.
Gardening not only adds beauty to one’s surroundings, but it enables people to commune with nature, work out frustrations, and grow fresh food to nourish their bodies. Gardening improves mood and increases self-esteem, and when people spend time in a garden, anxiety levels can drop, and feelings of depression lessen.
For those worried about infection, it is also safer to spend time with other people outdoors, as viruses spread about 18 times more when indoors. Consider doing any of the activities above with friends and family.
Protecting Your Skin From the Sun
While time spent outdoors can have numerous benefits, there is always a risk when it comes to sun exposure. As spring turns to summer and people venture outside more, it is important to protect your skin from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays, which is the number one cause of skin cancer. Also, many treatments for cancer can increase the sensitivity of skin to sunburn. The American Cancer Society suggests the following tips to stay sun safe:
- Stay in the shade and limit your direct exposure to the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
- Wear protective clothing, sunglasses, and a wide-brimmed hat to cover as much skin as possible.
- Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30, reapplying at least every two hours.
Being outdoors can make cancer patients and caregivers feel freer, more grounded, and connected to nature. Taking the time to spend just a few moments outside each day with a thoughtful presence helps the body refuel and diminish stress, bringing a sense of calm to a whirlwind of emotions and feelings while navigating cancer.
This article originally appeared in the Palestine Herald-Press and Pittsburg Gazette.