HOW CAN MICHUKI PARK HELP IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH IN NAIROBI CITY?
HOW CAN MICHUKI PARK HELP IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH IN NAIROBI CITY?
It is estimated that six million1 Kenyans suffer from common mental conditions such as depression, substance abuse, stress, and anxiety.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) Annual Report (2019), Kenya is ranked sixth among African countries with highest rates of depression with at 1.9 million people suffering from mental health.
The rising number of mental health related cases in the country, such as depression, and other mental illnesses, some of which ended up in suicide cases, have been a concern to the Government. It is for the reason that a Taskforce on Mental Health was established.
From the findings of the Taskforce on Mental Health, mental illness should be declared a National Emergency of epidemic proportions, to prioritize mental health as a priority public health and socioeconomic agenda.
Experts in psychology tell us that encounters with nature can help alleviate mental fatigue by relaxing and restoring the mind.
According to WHO, green spaces are settings for cognitive respite. Green spaces encourage social interaction and de-stressing through exercise or conversation, and provide calming settings.
With this in mind, the government can invest in creating more green spaces with quality landscaping and vegetation in and around the places where people work and study especially in urban towns as a way of improving our people’s mental health.
Research in human psychology has shown that both visual access and being within green space helps to restore the mind’s ability to focus. This can improve job and school performance, and help alleviate mental stress and illness.
In what is a befitting honor to former Environment Minister John Michuki, the President will be presiding over a project that was unthinkable a few months ago. For a long time, the park was considered part of the condemned sections of the city, a dumpsite and haven for criminals who terrorized city residents.
The rehabilitation of the park is meant to improve its ecological veracity for public use and enjoyment in accordance with the Constitution. More than two-thirds of the land was largely unattended and was used illegally as a dumpsite.
With the launching of the rehabilitated park by President Uhuru Kenyatta on August 14th 2020 opened doors for city residents to access the park for recreation. This park will help Nairobians to experience nature in order to restore their mind from the mental fatigue of work or studies, contributing to improved work performance and satisfaction.
The park is also providing city residents with an inspiring environment that can encourage learning, inquisitiveness, and alertness. The park is also providing the necessary space and opportunities for physical activity. From psychology, exercise improves cognitive function, learning, and memory.
The park can also be used for outdoor activities which can help alleviate symptoms of Alzheimers, dementia, stress, and depression and improve cognitive function in those recently diagnosed with breast cancer.
The park will go a long way in helping city residents to have contact with nature. Such contacts help children to develop cognitive, emotional, and behavioral connections to their nearby social and biophysical environments.
According to experts in psychology, nature experiences are important for encouraging imagination and creativity, cognitive and intellectual development, and social relationships.
For the children with symptoms of ADD, regular visits to the pack can help reduce such symptoms through activities in the green settings. In this case, the “green time” acts as an effective supplement to traditional medicinal and behavioral treatments.
