Extra Topic Listening Activities
LISTENING
1. Outdoor Activities
Questions 1 - 10
Complete the notes below.
Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
Mental Health Benefits of Getting Outside
The benefits of the outdoors
The benefits to our physical health of walking or hiking are fairly 1__________ to people.
Walking has been proven to lower levels of 2__________ and depression.
For some reason, being in nature is 3__________ to humans.
People’s brains function differently when they are in nature compared to being in an 4__________ setting.
Activating different parts of the brain
When in nature the parts of the brain that are connected with being on 5__________ calm down.
There are physical effects too. Blood 6__________ lowers, and 7__________ rate slows.
Just spending 10 minutes outside and 8__________ your legs during a lunch break can be beneficial.
Good for everyone
Even people who are not depressed or anxious at 9__________ can benefit.
Anyone who is stressed out, perhaps about an upcoming 10_________, could get benefits from getting out in nature.
Video Transcript
Mental Health Benefits of Getting Outside
Physical benefits to walking and hiking are fairly obvious to people but most people don't recognize that there's mental health benefits. Walking just in itself has shown to reduce levels of anxiety and depression, and actually can be preventative in some cases of depression, but there's even more evidence now that doing it in nature and natural surroundings improves that those results even further. Something about being in nature is calming to humans. We seek environments that seem calming and protective to us and so people they've actually started to show that people's brains work differently when they're in nature compared to when they're in an urban setting, so it's thought that being in a natural setting can change the way that we think, and that affects our emotions and it reduces our anxiety levels and our stress levels.
When you're in nature there's a thought that different parts of your brain are activating. The parts that are related to being on edge are being calmed down, and so that leads to physical changes too, so reductions in your blood pressure, reductions in your heart rate and again it's calming those areas of your brain that are related to stress and anxiety. You certainly you do not have to go climb a mountain to get the mental health benefits of hiking. Going to a park, going to a green space, any amount of time that you can spend outside in nature in an environment that is comfortable to you is worth it. Even if it's just ten minutes on your lunch break getting outside stretching your legs, you know, seeing the sunshine, all of those things can be helpful for people.
You know, mental health benefits can impact anyone. It doesn't have to be someone who's depressed or anxious at baseline that's gonna get benefits from this. It's anyone, on any given day who's, you know, a little bit stressed out, maybe they've got a deadline coming up, you're gonna get that benefit from getting out in nature even just for a little bit of time.
Listening Answer Key:
1. obvious, 2. anxiety, 3.calming, 4. urban, 5. edge 6. pressure, 7. heart, 8. stretching, 9. baseline, 10. deadline