Lesson 4

A2 Level

Nature and Mental Health

Being in nature for 10 minutes is good for our mental

health. It can help improve our relationships. Even
gardening can help. A study from Hong Kong found
that nature makes us see other people as "more
human". Researchers say this makes us help others.
This makes us feel better about ourselves. We feel
more positive, so our mental health improves. Helping
other people can also reduce our stress and anxiety.

Mental health is a growing problem. More people are

suffering from stress, depression, and other disorders.
In the USA, one in five people has mental health
problems. The research has good advice. It says being
near trees or in fields helps us sleep better and helps
us focus. A study from Japan found that flowers have
positive effects on mental health. It said workers who
had a vase of roses on their desk became calmer after
just four minutes.
Vocabulary

1. nature / ˈneɪ tʃər / - the physical world around us, including plants,
animals, and landscapes
2. mental / ˈmɛn tl / - related to the mind or thinking
3. health / hɛlθ / - the state of being free from sickness or injury
4. improve / ɪmˈpruv / - to make something better or to get better at
something
5. relationship / rɪˈleɪ ʃənˌʃɪp / - the way two or more people or groups
connect or interact with each other.
6. gardening / ˈgɑrd nɪŋ / - the activity of growing plants, flowers, and
vegetables in a garden
7. reduce / rɪˈdus, -ˈdyus / - to make something smaller or less in amount
8. stress / strɛs / - a feeling of emotional or physical tension; pressure or
worry
9. anxiety / æŋˈzaɪ ɪ ti / - a feeling of worry or fear about something that
may happen
10. suffer / ˈsʌf ər / - to experience pain or discomfort
11. depression / dɪˈprɛʃ ən / - a mental health condition characterized by
sadness and a lack of interest in life.
12. disorder / dɪsˈɔr dər / - a condition that affects how body and mind
works
13. advice / ædˈvaɪs / - helpful suggestion about what someone should do
14. research / rɪˈsɜrtʃ, ˈri sɜrtʃ / - the process of studying a topic to learn
more about it
15. positive / ˈpɒz ɪ tɪv / - good or helpful; thinking about good things
Comprehension Questions

1. How long do we spend in nature to improve our mental health?

2. What effect does nature have on our relationships with other people?
3. What can gardening do for our mental health?
4. What fraction of people in the USA have mental health problems?
5. How did workers with flowers on their desks feel after four minutes?

Discussion Questions

1. What activities do you enjoy in nature? How do they make you feel?
2. Why do you think helping others improve our own mental health
3. Have you ever tried gardening? How did it make you feel? If you haven’t,
would you like to try? Why?
4. What do you think is the biggest cause of stress for people today? How
about people your age?
5. What do you do when you feel tired, stressed, or anxious? Does it make
you feel better?
Homework

Written

Punctuate the text and add capitals.

we all know that being in nature is good for us new research suggests that
being in the natural world for just 10 minutes can help our mental health the
research also says spending time with others in natural environments can
help relationships even being in city parks and gardening can make a
difference a study from the city university of hong kong found that nature
increases how we see other people as fully human the researchers say this
makes us help and cooperate with others more we become more sociable
this makes us feel better about ourselves we feel more positive so our
mental health improves helping other people can also reduce our stress and
anxiety
mental health is an issue that is growing around the world more people are
suffering from anxiety depression and other psychological disorders the
national alliance on mental illness in the usa reported that one in five
americans has mental health problems the research contains good advice on
how nature can help with these issues it says time spent among trees or in
fields is linked with better sleep and improved concentration one study from
chiba university in japan found that even flowers have positive effects on
mental health researchers found that employees who had a vase of roses on
their desk became calmer and less stressed after just four minutes
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