Have you ever heard of the "20 minutes in the park" theory?
This is a form of relaxation and stress reduction that is quietly popular among young people, that is, spending 20 minutes in the park every day will improve one's mental state even if you don't do exercise. So, can a 20-minute "charge" in the park really heal the whole day?
There are many young faces in the park
At 6 p.m. on April 24, at the end of a busy day's work, 28-year-old Wang Li (pseudonym) walked out of the company, and instead of going directly to the subway station, she walked into the Bishagang Park near the company. Staying in the park for 20 minutes is what Wang Li must do after work in recent days, and the fatigue and anxiety of the day slowly dissipate in the green trees and flowers.
The reporter found that with the explosion of "20 minutes in the park", there have been many young faces in various parks in Zhengzhou recently. Most of them are office workers, who are usually busy at work and have a stressful life. Staying in a park with abundant greenery and fresh air for 20 to 30 minutes, many people feel clearly happy physically and mentally, and the stress, anxiety, and worries suddenly dissipate like smoke. On various social platforms, most netizens made "pro-test and effective" comments on "20 minutes in the park", which led more people to join the ranks.
For many office workers, they usually only have time to go to the park during their lunch break and after work in the evening. Wang Li usually chooses to go to the park in the evening after work, but some of her colleagues choose to go downstairs to the park during their lunch break to sit for a while, because they feel that the park is less crowded and quieter at noon.
Different people have different preferences about when to go to the park, what kind of park to go to, and how to stay in the park. Some focus on a random time and place, some form a regular and check in every day, some like to go together, some like to sit quietly in the park when there are few people, some like to take a leisurely walk in the park, and some like to exercise in the park. For some, a park doesn't have to be, a beautiful green space is enough to relax.
The reporter also saw that in addition to going to the park for 20 minutes between work, more and more young people will choose to go to the park or the countryside on weekends to receive long-term spiritual healing from nature. There, everyone doesn't want to work, turn off their mobile phones, bask in the warm sunshine, get used to the breeze, listen to the murmuring of flowing water, the chirping of birds, see the flowers and green trees like screens, enjoy the happiness brought by nature, and completely relax the body and mind. And this way of "fast charging" on weekdays and "long charging" on weekends is becoming the norm for more young people.
Why did "20 minutes in the park" become popular?
There are many ways to relax, and the saying of relaxing in the park has been around for a long time, but why is it that a "20 minutes in the park" dressed up in theory can suddenly become popular among young people?
In fact, this is not whether this way of relaxation is new or old and how effective it is, but this concept can be said to directly hit the spiritual pain points of today's young people.
"20 minutes in the park" contains two key words: "park" and "20 minutes". These two key words, one is place and the other is time.
Why parks, because they are beautiful and can be found everywhere in the city, they are the most convenient place to relax.
Why 20 minutes? Because it's short. Busy young people can't spend the whole day in the park like retirees, they need an effective but not too time-consuming way to relax, 20 minutes is just right, and they can take time between work and on the way to work. However, to achieve "fast charging", you need a dedicated socket, and the park is this exclusive socket, so "park" and "20 minutes" are indispensable.
Short-term, anywhere, simple and easy, low cost, supported by scientific theory, obvious effect on most people, is the main reason for the explosion of "20 minutes in the park". We often say that this generation of young people is very tired, and if a short 20 minutes in the park can soothe everyone's tired heart, wouldn't this trend be a good thing?
Expert Advice Relaxation styles vary from person to person
In fact, the "20-minute park effect" comes from a study in the International Journal of Environmental Health Research, which compared the changes in mental health indicators and related physiological indicators before and after visiting the park by a group of tourists, and the results showed that people's physical and mental health levels improved significantly after visiting the park. The study found that as many as 76.7% of the participants improved their emotional state and life satisfaction after visiting the park, and 78.3% of the participants significantly reduced the level of cortisol (stress hormone) after visiting the park, and the stress was effectively relieved. In addition, studies have shown that people who regularly walk in green environments can increase short-term memory capacity by 20%.
Fu Qiaoyun, a national second-level psychological counselor, believes that people's mood will change with the change of the environment, in today's era, in the busy work and fast-paced life, it is difficult for young people to calm down, and the beautiful natural environment can bring people a sense of relaxation, when the brain leaves the stressor, people are easier to calm down, from this point of view, "20 minutes in the park" is indeed effective, is a good way to relax and decompress. But at the same time, Fu Qiaoyun also said that for the "20 minutes in the park" theory, in fact, many people are following the trend now. There's nothing wrong with following the trend, as long as it's really useful to you. But some people take it as a task to complete, or even pinch the clock, which goes against the essence of relaxation and cannot achieve a state of harmony with nature. If you really want to experience the "20 minutes in the park", Fu Qiaoyun suggests, first, listen to your heart, go with the flow, and don't do it deliberately; second, calm down, focus on the present, and don't have distracting thoughts; third, choose your favorite environment and suitable way, and don't blindly follow the trend.
However, there are also some people on the Internet who say that "20 minutes in the park" is not effective for them. In this regard, Fu Qiaoyun said that "20 minutes in the park" is just a concept, and everything is different from person to person. She said that the premise of relaxation is to adapt to the environment, and if you can't adapt, no matter how good the environment is, it will be bad for you. For some, a small balcony with a few pots of greenery is a great place to relax, but for others, the only way to relax is the open wilderness. "The park is just a representation of a beautiful environment, and there are many ways to relax, the key is to find a way to relax that works for you. Fu Qiaoyun said.
(Zhengguan News reporter Li Yuhang text/photo)
Copyright Notice
The copyright of this article (including but not limited to text, pictures, music, videos, etc.) belongs to Zhengguan Media Technology (Henan) Co., Ltd., and may not be used in any way, including reprinting, excerpting, reproducing or mirroring without the authorization of Zhengguan Media Technology (Henan) Co., Ltd. If you need to reprint this article, please contact the background to obtain authorization, and should use it within the scope of authorization, and indicate the source of Zhengguan News and the original author, and shall not provide this article to any third party.
Zhengguan Media Technology (Henan) Co., Ltd. reserves the right to pursue the legal responsibility of the infringer