Joey Wahler (Host): It can affect our psychological wellbeing. So we're discussing the impact of our environment on our mental health. Our guest is Dr. Jasmine Singh, a Board Certified Psychiatrist. This is Hello Healthy, a Dignity Health podcast. Thanks for joining us. I am Joey Wahler. Hi there, Dr. Singh. Welcome.

Jasmine Singh, DO: Hello. Thank you for having me.

Host: Great to have you aboard. We appreciate it. So we'll get into some specific areas in just a moment, but first off, generally speaking, give us an idea, please. What effect does in fact our surroundings overall have on our mental health in general?

Jasmine Singh, DO: So our environment really affects our brain in different ways. It can be positive and nurturing and help propagate calm, or it could be chaotic and increase stress. So our environment and that can be described in so many different ways, is very important to our mental health.

Host: And so when you mention it can be expressed in different ways, let's start with the space around us, our home, our workplace. How do those affect the way we feel day to day?

Jasmine Singh, DO: Yes. So a clean organized space can help reduce anxiety and support focus. So if your house is cluttered, that wouldn't be helping you, that likely is increasing your anxiety, just on the nature of how we react to the clutter around us.

Host: And how about at work?

Jasmine Singh, DO: It would be the same concept. So if there's clutter at home and at work, there can be increased anxiety in either spaces. And the way it works is clutter increases cortisol, our stress hormone. That would not be a healing environment for you.

Host: So I know Doctor, from personal experience when there's some clutter and I hate clutter, but if some happens to develop around me, I think part of it psychologically for me is the fact that I know that if there's something I need to find, I might not be able to as easily and or it could be that the clutter makes me think in the back of my head at some point I'm going to have to clean that up. So it seems like you're saying if you take care of that, those things won't be an issue. Right.

Jasmine Singh, DO: Right. So those are worries. You're worrying about it. I may need something, I may not find something. Somehow the disorganization, whatever our sensitivities are, even small, disorganization can affect us. So I think you are responding appropriately to the somewhat disorganized area you may sometimes find yourself around.

Host: Also, if you've got a lot of clutter and you clean it up, there's a feeling of accomplishment and that's a positive thing mentally, right?

Jasmine Singh, DO: Oh, absolutely, absolutely. You, it can feel, like you are rewarding yourself and it could feel like a reward in your system. So yes, that would be absolutely wonderful and a very healthy accomplishment.

Host: Yeah, I know if I clean out my garage, if I create some extra space in my basement or in the shed like I did the other day, you kind of stand back when you're all done working on it and think, Hmm, I did that.

Jasmine Singh, DO: You did that. Yes.

Host: Now I have spaces to put more stuff to avoid clutter. Okay. That's right. That's how it works. Sounds simple enough. That's indoors Doctor. So let's move things outside. What kind of mental health boost can we get just from being outdoors and around nature? The sun, the breeze, the open air, et cetera.

Jasmine Singh, DO: Yes. So nature is wonderful for our mental health. It can reduce our cortisol levels. Again, like I mentioned before, cortisol is important and it also can actually lower your blood pressure and increase your mood. Especially being in green spaces can reduce anxiety and even ease symptoms of depression.

So studies have found that even 10 to 20 minutes a day around trees or in natural sunlight can be very restorative for mental health.

Host: And also oftentimes, being outdoors means you're moving, you're getting exercise, and that can be great as well. Right?

Jasmine Singh, DO: Absolutely. So if you're outside in sunlight, in a green space, walking, that is one of the healthiest things you could be doing. You're hitting so many different components of mental wellness with that one action.

Host: Is part of it too, Doctor, that when you're outside, even if it's in a familiar area, it's not quite as familiar to you as your house, your office, and so there's like a neutrality to it or a something of a newness to some degree, isn't there, where it kind of helps to cleanse the mind in a way?

Jasmine Singh, DO: So it could take you out of your rumination, meaning you're worried about yourself or, your family or anything. And then if your attention comes to your surroundings, then you would be free of your rumination as well. You would be thinking about, well, where am I? What's this? And your attention would go to your surroundings, which can be very helpful with anxiety and even panic attacks. So yes, that is correct.

Host: So switching gears a little bit, let's talk about color. How do different colors in our environment impact how we feel?

Jasmine Singh, DO: So color can shape our emotional responses as well as our behavior, and that is through just the pure response to the color, but also what we culturally associate that color with. For example, blue, or green can be very calming and those are very prevalent in nature. So that could be our association with that. Red can be very alerting, and can be stimulating or agitating to us. And so using these colors in our homes and our workplace can help bring about those different emotional reactions.

Host: Interesting. And so when furnishing a home or choosing different things in the world of decor, whether it be furniture, paint, flooring, what should people keep in mind there?

Jasmine Singh, DO: They should keep in mind what they want to feel when they go into that room and then pick those colors accordingly. They may want to feel more energized in a certain room, so red would be appropriate for that room. And if they want to feel more calm, like you know where you're going to sleep in your bedroom, blue would be an excellent choice for that. So these properties can definitely be applied to decor.

Host: Well, blue's always been my favorite color since I'm a kid, so I'm on the right track. Yes.

Jasmine Singh, DO: Yes you are. Yes you are.

Host: Excellent. How about music or art helping to relieve stress or anxiety, and how should we be using those things for that?

Jasmine Singh, DO: So music can engage different areas of the brain that are involved in emotion. And so music, when it's enjoyable, can calm a person or release emotional tension, and that can be very helpful as well as art in a similar way, it can lead to enjoyment, it can lead to lowering cortisol again, and it can be very important for identity and expression as well.

Host: Let me ask you more about music because music it seems, has such a strong emotional tie for many people in different ways. For instance, you might be working out at the gym and a particularly favorite song, an uplifting song, a, a motivational song might come on and suddenly you feel like you can take on the world. Right?

Jasmine Singh, DO: Yes, yes. I understand what you're saying. Absolutely.

Host: And then how about the way that music can also, at the same time, bring us back in time positively or negatively. But since we're striving for the positive, for the purposes of this chat, a certain song may remind you of a time in your life when you were happy or a certain accomplishment of yours, or a birth or a particular event. And that can also completely, at least for the moment, change your mental state. Can it not?

Jasmine Singh, DO: Absolutely. So if we are focusing on a piece of music that transports us, that can bring about certain emotions, positive or negative, and our brains like to remember patterns. So if we listen to a song from say, a happy time, we may be reminded of certain events around that time in our life that we're happy just by listening to that piece of music that kind of triggered us into being in that place back in time.

So it is very powerful actually. And I think people use music to do this without really fully understanding or knowing what they're doing. But music is very powerful in bringing about positive emotions or, or even negative ones.

Host: And then likewise, I would imagine that if you know a particular song or a particular band or artist remind you of an ex and it's not a good memory.

Jasmine Singh, DO: Yes.

Host: Don't do that right Doctor?

Jasmine Singh, DO: Don't do that. Don't do that. Yeah. You know, you might be tempted, right? If you're freshly off of a breakup and you are missing someone. You may be tempted to listen to music that you both enjoyed together, or a concert of an artist that you went to together, but you're not helping yourself.That's only going to bring you deeper into the grief of the breakup.

Host: A few other things. Speaking of that, that leads us perfectly into this. What are some signs that a relationship, as we just touched on, or a particular social environment are supporting our mental wellbeing, or perhaps being unsupportive?

Jasmine Singh, DO: There's so much to say on this topic. It's a topic in itself, but just to keep things simple. If you are feeling more anxious or lower or more depressed, or if you feel that someone is not supporting you, I would argue that that person in your environment is not supportive. We want to feel safe. We want to feel uplifted. We want to feel respected and we want to feel seen. And if you aren't getting that from someone in your environment, I encourage you to look at that and explore why that may be and what can be done about it.

Host: And I would imagine the same holds true for a particular social environment, right?

Jasmine Singh, DO: Oh, yes, absolutely. To be respected and seen as a human and who we are, that is present in every aspect of life; in our homes, in our workplaces, with our friends, with family members. This extends to any part of our life because it is just so vital to mental health.

Host: I want to ask you about one more part of our environment, if you will, and that is what we wear, fashion, our clothing, and the choices there, in terms of perhaps color as we touched upon earlier. I know that personally, again, speaking from my own experience, sometimes if you break out a new shirt or a new pair of pants, it's kind of in a way, isn't it, like what we talked about earlier with cleaning up, getting rid of clutter. It creates even just in a small way, a little bit of newness and that can really make you feel good, right?

Jasmine Singh, DO: Absolutely. Absolutely. I think the idiom look good, feel good, may actually have some truth to it. There have been actually some studies that when clothing has some symbolic, meaningful attachment for someone, that can improve their mental health, their attention, and clothing can be very powerful.

It affects how we think, how we feel, and even express our identity and confidence. So we cannot ignore clothing and fashion as a part of our environment and how it affects our mental health.

Host: Indeed. I know that at times in my life, I have what I call at all times, house clothes, sweatpants, certain shirts that are kind of long sleeve t-shirts, if you will. Things that are comfortable and that are informal that I usually only wear in the house around my family, not when anybody comes over. I don't go outside in them, et cetera. And need to be changed up from time to time for me, because otherwise I think it helps you to get into a rut if you don't.

Jasmine Singh, DO: Yes, absolutely. And clothing, you know, practically it does wear out. And we want to think about the newness of everything. We want to think about is this expressing who I am, how I feel, and that may change over time. So it's important to always respect yourself and give yourself the attention you deserve, even if that's through new clothing.

Host: Absolutely. And then finally, Doctor, in summary here, to put some of what you've just discussed overall into practice, what's the best place for someone to start? Those joining us may be thinking, boy, that's a lot of different ways that I can improve my mental outlook, but what's job one? Where do I start?

Jasmine Singh, DO: I think the most effective place to start would be to go outside. Study upon study is showing that we cannot ignore the impact of nature and its effect on mental health. So I would just say even if you can take five minutes out of your day to go outside, especially if it's daytime, that would be immensely helpful to your mental health.

And then when you're feeling a little bit of more wellness in your life, then consider bigger things. Consider your environment, your decor, and even your relationships. But I recommend starting small and making your first step very manageable.

Host: Well folks, we trust you are now more familiar with our environment's impact on our mental health. Dr. Singh, valuable information indeed. I think I'm going to go outside and breathe some fresh air. You've motivated me already. Thanks so much again.

Jasmine Singh, DO: Wonderful. Thank you for having me.

Host: Sure, and for more information folks, please visit Dignityhealth.org/stockton. Now, if you found this podcast helpful, please do share it on your social media. I'm Joey Wahler and thanks again for being part of Hello Healthy, a Dignity Health Podcast.