Staying Safe In Nature

- Avoiding natural public spaces out of fear vs engaging with nature for more courageous living - Written By: Marilyn Laughlin, LCSW, RYT-500, Certified Nature Therapy Guide

Going out and spending time in nature is well-documented as a way to improve well-being, lower stress hormones and blood pressure.  It relieves stress through physical activity and mental and emotional awareness. Staying present with the senses and experiences found in nature can bolster the feeling of being comfortable being alone and feelings of being part of a whole and connected to the environment.  

Anxieties about being alone or feeling vulnerable outdoors trouble people of all genders.  Social constructs have taught many of us that being alone equals being less-than in multiple ways and may influence how women may view recreating solo.  Scary images of perpetrators intent on harming women are presented to us every day through all types of media.  Women report having to be “hypervigilant” when recreating alone and spend more time planning for safety than male solo hikers.  Other societal judgments of women recreating solo may be influenced by cultural or religious values about women’s place in society - men go out and women stay home.  Women are often reminded of their particular vulnerability to harm (sex crimes and murder).  These societal restrictions create a Geography of Fear about women doing things alone in public spaces.   However, statistically, women are more likely to be harmed in private, indoor spaces and not outdoor, public spaces.   

Fear implies a loss of control or autonomy.  Outdoor solo recreating can change a woman’s gendered experience from a fearful, taboo space to a space of making a friendship with nature and feeling part of a whole, connected to something bigger than herself.  Solo recreating offers the space for self-reflection and experiences that improve health and relationships.  Asking someone to come with you because of fear negates the personal benefits of spending time in nature alone.  People tend to talk and distract each other from being present with nature when hiking with others.  The natural environment becomes a backdrop instead of a companion.  Women also report more satisfaction recreating outdoors alone instead of feeling judged at indoor facilities like gyms or exercise classes.   

But, all of the benefits of spending time in nature cannot be experienced if someone is afraid of venturing into a public, natural space on their own.  Once women engage with nature and have opportunities to spend time on their own on a favorite trail or in their local park they tend to reconstruct or re-examine their gendered sense of self through engaging their bodies in physical activity.  

Because we are all a part of nature, access and experiences in nature belong to any gender.  It’s the mind/body/spirit benefits that should be clamored after, regardless of gender identity.  Connectedness to nature expands empathy beyond the immediate circle of friends, family, coworkers, or neighbors.  The positive benefits of women recreating solo outdoors can help in overcoming the fears related to encountering possible violent crime and anxieties about venturing out alone.  When we feel part of something, we feel supported and confident to manage challenges wherever they occur in our daily lives.  

Happy Tree Hugging!

References:

Grahn P, Ottosson J, & Uvnäs-Moberg K. (2021). “The oxytocinergic system as a mediator of anti-stress and instorative effects induced by nature: The calm and connection theory.” Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 617814. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.617814. 

Navarrete-Hernandez, P., Vetro, A., & Concha, P. (2021). "Building safer public spaces: Exploring gender difference in the perception of safety in public space through urban design interventions." Landscape and Urban Planning, vol. 214, October 2021. 

Suggested reading for more on women’s solo recreating in nature:

Windswept - Why Women Walk 

Ananbel Abbs