Coping with stress is a walk in the park

• Tuesday, 19 July 2005

While 30% of the population admit to being seriously stressed on a daily basis, 84% believe that being in contact with the natural elements makes them feel instantly more relaxed. A short walk in a park or the sight of the sea is guaranteed to lower stress instantly.

The survey commissioned by Hoegaarden, is based on a survey of 2000 adults nationwide, who blame a number of factors on their stress levels. These include the morning commute (13%), work itself (32%) and getting up (14%) as the main causes of their daily stress. Just 19% of those who live or work in rural locations say they feel stressed on a daily basis.

Natural antidotes to stress

When it comes to lowering stress levels our senses are key, with 42% of those surveyed, reporting that seeing the sea was the quickest and most effective stress reliever. A third of us benefit most from a walk in the park, 10% cite the smell of cut grass as the best stress buster, and 14% rate hearing a bird as having the biggest impact on reducing stress.

An urban population removed from nature

Although 86% have seen a bird in the last 24 hours, one out of every ten people in the UK haven't seen a sheep or cow for over 6 months. Londoners are almost as likely to have seen a mouse or rat in the last month (22%), as they are a sheep (28%) or cow (28%).

On average city dwellers can expect to spend 73 days without more than 5 minutes of silence at a time, whilst those who live in rural areas go only 14-24 days. Shockingly, almost a quarter (22%) of all Londoners haven't experienced silence for over 6 months.

Co-author of the Urban Oasis report, Christine Webber says “In February of this year (2005), the TUC reported that the average UK employee does almost an extra day's work each week in overtime. Although the consequences of this work pattern are long recognised - increased sickness absences, work-place stress, low morale and serious health and safety implications ¬ this new research reveals that our removal from natural elements also has a role in our stress levels as a nation.

For the majority of us, our lives have been spent in an urban environment. With little time off, we're missing out on both the physical benefits of experiencing the great outdoors ¬such as exercise and fresh air, ¬and on the psychological benefits of sensory response to nature.”

With the report highlighting that contact with the natural elements can help greatly reduce stress, Hoegaarden has partnered with the Office for Subversive Architecture to launch the Urban Oasis project. This project is an interactive outdoor installation taking the form of a natural pub that grows out of a turf carpet, and highlights the importance of having nature in our lives on a daily basis. Open to visitors over a week long period in London and Manchester, all the top surfaces including the Hoegaarden bar will be covered in grass with tables and chairs at different stages of growth. Other features include “Keep on the grass” signs and a jukebox playing sounds from nature as opposed to chart hits.

Phil Rumbol, Marketing Director of Interbrew IUK says: 'Hoegaarden is a naturally unfiltered wheat beer that includes natural ingredients such as orange zest and coriander. With the Urban Oasis project we wanted to communicate that nature keeps people connected to a more natural way of life. '

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For further information or the full Urban Oasis report, please contact the Hoegaarden Press Office at Cow PR on 020 7684 6969 or urbanoasis@cowpr.com


Notes to Editors

HOEGAARDEN URBAN OASIS
London - the Arena, Broadgate Circle (next to Liverpool Street Station), EC2M 2QS
20 July 05 - 26 July 05
Private Preview by Invitation: 19 July 05

Manchester - Piccadilly Basin, Dale Street, Northern Quarter, M1 2HG
3 August 05 - 10 August 05
Private Preview by Invitation: 2 August 05

Additional story angles

Lowering morning stress levels - Over a third of all city dwellers spend between 30 and 60 minutes every morning and evening commuting, with one in ten commuting for over 2 hours a day on the way to or from work.

Londoners commute for an average of 1 hour and 18 minutes every day, 19 minutes longer than the national average of 59 minutes
If commuting is a big source of stress consider moving to Wales where the average daily commute is just 44 minutes, 22 minutes each way.

Where to move to for peace and quiet - if you want to enjoy silence moving to the country is obvious - three quarters of those living in rural areas more than 10 miles from a large town experienced silence today compared to 17% of city dwellers.

The English have not enjoyed silence for an average of 57 days, but the Welsh have a quieter existence with this dropping to 45 days.
If you live in the South West you're more likely to have experienced silence today (33%) than the 2 out of 10 of those living in the East Midlands and North East.

About the Office for Subversive Architecture

OSA_London is a collective of architects, renowned for their public space projects and their signature mix of urban architecture, art and the unexpected.

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