Planning My Post about Nature and Mental Illnesses

For my final blog post, I will be talking about the effects that nature has on mental illness (specifically depression and suicidal thoughts) and how that ties into the Romantic period. Personally, I have struggled with mental illnesses but have experienced a sense of peace when I am out in nature that cannot be paralleled by anything else, so I am excited to write about the beauties and benefits of spending time in nature. I am currently gathering thoughts and ideas and am in the process of making a general outline for the final post.

Historical Component:

As mentioned above, I will be connecting nature's effect on mental health to the Romantic period. Two of the major themes throughout the Romantic period was nature and the Gothic. There were multitudes of literature, poems, and songs devoted to nature, and people also began to be interested in the dark, mysterious, and often terrifying parts of life - hence, mental illnesses. As for the resources I'll be using for this blog post, I plan to be using books like Walden and Spare Me the Details as well as some academic journal articles on nature's effect on the brain.

Rhetorical Component:

"Trees" by djukami is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

My thesis statement for the final post will be something like, "Although traditional therapy and medication may work for some patients, this method can be inadequate for others who are in need of more alternative, Romantic methods of treatment, like nature-based therapy." I plan on incorporating rhetorical terms such as style, kairos, and ethos as well as using artistic depictions from the Romantic era to show the Gothic, depression-glorifying part of the Romantic period.

Personal Component:

Again, as I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I do have a personal connection to nature and its effects on mental illness because I have dealt with depression for much of my life. I may talk about a time when I was going through a particularly difficult time and used nature to escape and create a sense of peace for myself. I may also refer to other books I've read on the powerful effects on nature such as The Three-Day Effect and works by John Muir.

Overall, I am excited and hopeful about this final blog post. Nature and mental health are both topics that I am passionate about and I hope to be able to convey that passion through my writing. What are you most looking forward to in the upcoming post?