There are many benefits of spending time outside, including improvements to your mental wellbeing. There’s just something about feeling the sun on your face and watching trees, grasses, and flowers gently sway in the breeze while listening to the sounds of birds or squirrels chatter around you that can bring a sense of calm or peace to your day. Sitting still and allowing yourself to be present even for a moment can have a restorative impact on you.
We have experienced this for ourselves and is why we try and spend as much time in nature as possible. Most weekends you will find us camping, splashing in the water, or hiking in the woods with our pups. Waking up early for a walk around the park near our house is also very beneficial.
How much time does it take?
It’s easy to think you have to spend hours or days outside to reap any benefits. This isn’t the case. Even spending a couple minutes outdoors has its benefits. Your mood and sense of wellbeing improve as does your focus. And this happens regardless of the amount of time you spend outside. In fact, there have been experiments showing that looking “out at a flowering green roof for 40 seconds…” was shown to revive your tired brain (Nurtured by nature (apa.org)).
There have been many times I’ve stepped outside for a couple of minutes onto my patio when I’ve felt frustrated or stressed out. I’ve sat in the sun and looked at my one flowering plant I have managed to keep alive for just a minute to breathe. And you know what? It helped my attitude and perspective. That’s a win in my book!
We’re fortunate enough to live in an area that allows us to get away for longer stretches of time too. Many areas have no reception so we can truly disconnect. We both feel so much better after a weekend spent in nature….tired but happy.
Want some ideas to get away without traveling far? Check out our post about sticking close to home here: (https://idahovantasticvoyages.com/adventuring-close-to-home-weekend-warriors/)
Simple steps you can take to benefit from nature
1 – Feeling tired? Get sunlight on your face. There has been research showing this helps with energy and even sleep. Try and do this earlier in the day if you can.
2 – Bring nature into your indoor space. Having a plant or two around can help brighten your mood and help clean the air!
3 – Go for a walk around the block. Pay attention to the different trees or flowers you see. Stop and watch birds flying overhead. Take a minute to look at the clouds that might be in the sky. Doing these things help reduce stress and give you a mental boost.
4 – Listen to nature sounds. Look for a playlist that has the sounds of water, birds, etc. It can be as simple as typing in “nature sounds” into one of your music apps. There have been studies that show listening to the relaxing sounds in nature can help reduce stress and the “fight or flight” response.
5 – Look at pictures of nature. While actually being in nature allows you to gain more benefit, simply looking at pictures of forests, oceans, rivers, or other nature scenes can have a beneficial impact to your mood and energy levels.
We hope you take a few moments today to experience some form of nature – whatever that looks like. We might just see you out there along the way!
“Lose yourself in Nature and find peace.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~
