Nurtured by Nature: How to Boost Your Mental Health with the Great Outdoors
Growing up, I did not consider myself an outdoorsy girl. Between chronic allergies to nearly everything that exists outside and a borderline phobia of insects and other creepy crawlies, it was not uncommon for me to repeat a quote made in passing from a side character in the first episode of Gilmore Girls who said “I hate nature", which was later repeated by Lorelai Gilmore herself in the revival finale. (Perhaps this reference gives some insight into another way I like to spend time - watching TV!)
Lorelai Gilmore
My appreciation for nature didn’t develop until later in life. In many ways, my growing love affair with the outdoors has aligned with the development of my career as a mental health therapist. While the two may seem unrelated, I have found that they are deeply intertwined. As a therapist, it is vital that I take care of myself so that I can show up appropriately for my clients. More and more, I found that I was seeking peace and solace away from technology, closed spaces, recycled air, and noise pollution. While the transformative relationship between mental health and nature has been well-documented, and while I was well-versed in the literature, sometimes we have to learn things for ourselves through experience.
According to the Mayo Clinic, the benefits of nature to mental health are numerous:
Effective tool to manage stress
Regulate the sympathetic nervous system
Lowers risk of chronic disease, illness, and mortality
Effective coping strategy to manage many mental health conditions including depression, anxiety, PTSD, and ADHD
Help manage emotions such as loneliness, irritability, and road rage
Improved cognitive function, including memory, attention, and creativity
Better sleep quality
With such powerful and compelling benefits, nature-related activities should ideally be a part of each individual’s self-care routine. While not all people have equal access to outdoor spaces, due to factors such as disability, socioeconomic status, location, and marginalization, nature is truly for everyone. To help provide inspiration to improve or adjust your outdoor recreating to benefit your mental health, I have cultivated a list of intentional ways that you can participate in nature, with the hope that there’s an option for everyone.
Meditate outside. You’ll likely find meditation on just about every list of coping skills or self-care activities these days, but that’s because science backs up its effectiveness to benefit mental health. Many of the benefits of spending time outside overlap with the benefits of meditation, making meditating outside a supercharged mental health booster. Choose a scenic location if possible, such as a garden, local or national park, body of water, sunset view, or overlook; or keep it simple, such as your porch, right outside your office, or even just holding a bottle of water - I mean, where did that water come from after all? For more tips on outdoor meditation, check out this article from Calm.
Connect spiritually. For some people, experiencing the wonder and beauty of the earth evokes their connection to a higher power, whatever that may be for them - God, Mother Earth, universal energy, love, community, natural forces. Acknowledging a power higher than ourselves can help us make sense of our lives, cope with challenges, and create feelings of peace, hope, and optimism. While you’re outside, take time to foster that connection in ways that make sense to you and your beliefs - including prayer, singing, meditation (see above), art, and reading religious texts.
Do more activities outdoors. There’s plenty of typical ways to spend time outside, such as going for a walk (solo or with a friend, partner, group, or pet), observing the stars, playing sports, visiting a botanical garden, camping, kayaking, swimming, gardening, wildlife watching, and hiking (see below). Additionally, you can consider relocating “indoor” activities to the outdoors, including eating meals, reading, Telehealth therapy sessions (I love when my clients are getting some fresh air during a session!), work tasks, phone calls, crafts or art, or even just driving/riding with the windows down.
Take a hike. Okay, sure, this is certainly part of the previous category. But as my personal favorite nature activity and apparently one of the most popular and growing physical activities in the US, I decided to give it its own category. According to the National Park Service, hiking can provide physical, mental, and relational benefits. It’s a great way to see new scenery and take a break from the hustle and bustle of the developed world. Most people live within driving distance of multiple trails and there’s often a variety of types of trails to suit every fitness level. In Georgia, the state where I’m located, there are ten state parks that have all-terrain wheelchairs to increase accessibility to trails.
Practice forest bathing. When I first heard this term, the image it conjured in my mind was a bit different than what it actually is. However, forest bathing is more simple (and more clothed) than perhaps it initially sounds. The concept of forest bathing is associated with Japan, and the goal is to engage all of your senses in a forest or other natural atmosphere. According to the Global Wellness Institute, forest bathing can lower cortisol, pulse rate, and blood pressure, and improve the immune system and increase anti-cancer proteins. Check out Forestry England’s tips for forest bathing, including turning off devices, slowing down, taking long and deep breaths, and taking in your surroundings using all five of your senses.
Bring nature to you. Getting up close and personal with nature doesn’t always have to entail going somewhere. Find ways to bring nature to the places where you spend the most time, such as home and work. This could look like tending to indoor plants, planting a garden, growing food such as vegetables, listening to nature sounds, letting natural light into your space, displaying art or photographs of nature scenes, and incorporating natural items into your decor such as rocks, wood, crystals, shells, or pinecones. Take some time to sit and watch local wildlife in your own yard like birds, rabbits, and squirrels; a bird feeder or trail camera may help. If you can’t get outside, possibly due to the weather, responsibilities, or other barriers, you might consider setting up a comfortable spot to observe nature through a window.
Protect and conserve nature. Unfortunately, the natural world faces major threats to its existence, including pollution, climate change, deforestation, and overuse of resources. Practicing conservation helps preserve our opportunities to continue to engage with nature while the activity of conservation itself can also improve mental health by giving a sense of meaning and purpose, creating resiliency and long-term perspective, providing community engagement, and placing value on concepts outside of ourselves. There are numerous ways that you can help protect our planet including: recycle and reuse, shop secondhand, buy less plastic, conserve water and electricity, compost, use energy-efficient lightbulbs, choose reusable items over single use items, use fewer chemicals, plant a tree, and walk, bike, or carpool. Also, be sure to always practice the Seven Principles of Leave No Trace when visiting the outdoors.
What are your favorite ways to engage with nature? What’s something new you can try?
Saguaro National Park at sunset
