Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Engaging with nature has a positive impact on human mental health and well-being. This study emphasises the relational aspects of people’s engagement with nature and adopts an ecopsychological and existential-phenomenological framework to investigate the lived meanings of everyday interactions with nature. It aims to address the subjectivity of experiences in nature and deepen the understanding of the meanings attributed to everyday nearby nature. It seeks to explore the importance of nearby everyday natural environments, helping to understand how experiences in nature affect individuals’ daily lives. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews and analysed utilising a descriptive phenomenological psychological methodology. The findings indicate that the overall psychological significance of everyday nature experiences encompasses various opportunities for well-being, characterised by an openness to nature. The general structure consists of four constituents: 1) perceiving nature as an environment for processing and managing life; 2) cultivating social relationships through sharing experiences in natural settings; 3) establishing connections with animals, plants, or other natural entities (such as locations, landscapes, and bodies of water); and 4) providing a sense of belonging and inclusion within a greater whole. The discussion provides insight into the existential character of everyday nature experiences and their important role in people’s lives.