Photo by Mike Benna on Unsplash
When we think of nature, we may think of hiking and camping in the lonesome forest like Thoreau and the romantic poets did (or at least wrote about). From these famous thinkers and your resident hiking/camping/adventure enthusiasts (yes, Rob Lowe from Parks and Recreation, I am looking at you), we are inundated with depictions of nature as a cleansing gift from our landscape that is meant to produce fantastic effects on our mental health.
I Don’t Actually Like Spending Time in Nature
But here’s the thing: I hate bugs, rocks, and dirt. And while I know these things do not encompass all that nature is, I find them irritating enough to where I don’t view that 5-mile hike as a way to clear my mind and renew my body. I view it as an irritating drag on my joints when I would rather be on the couch. Call me a scrooge: I don’t love nature.
However, I am convinced that it can do some good for my mental health and the science doesn’t lie either. More and more research is studying the effects of ecotherapy. These studies look at the impact of spending time in nature on people’s mental health and many of them have concluded that spending time in natural settings, as opposed to urban ones, can help reduce stress and anxiety and even improve our memory.
The recorded benefits of spending time in nature are enough to convince many of us that more time in nature is likely to help our mental health. However, as a dedicated homebody, I’m most comfortable at home, on my couch, with a good book, and plenty of air conditioning.
But with spring coming upon us and the weather getting warm and breezy I’m determined to take advantage of the new season and try out new ways to get back to nature.
Easy Ways to Connect with Nature for Your Mental Health
If you’re like me and you know some more time in nature will do you and your mental health some good, but you’re not big on hiking, camping, or more hardcore outdoor activities, here are some small ways to connect with nature that are worth trying out.
- Bring more plants into your space. Even a small outdoor garden on a patio is a good way to bring more living green things into your life.
- Stand barefoot in your backyard and bathe in the sunshine.
- Read about natural settings, preferably with photos.
- Take a stroll through your neighborhood park and lie in the grass for a bit. Pro tip: Some bug repellant and a lawn chair or thick picnic blanket can help ward off those pesky bugs.
- Try reconnecting with bodies of water as well as forests. Small ponds and streams or creeks are great places to sit down and listen to the soothing sounds of water.
- Take a leisurely drive through the hills on your way home. Rather than sit in traffic and stare at another car’s bumper, take the scenic route, even if it’s longer, and appreciate the hills and trees around you.
For me, it’s not only green spaces that help me feel peaceful and refreshed but blue spaces as well. Natural water is just as great a place to connect with nature and appreciate the beauty of the earth around us.
Someday, my goal is to actually live near a lake (although I will take a creek or small pond if I must) because I know that being around water brings me so much joy. I love a good walk on the beach, but standing water is especially soothing and reviving to me.
There Are Small Ways to Bring More Nature Into Daily Life
As with any other wellness habit we try to develop, it’s important to try out different options until you find what works best for you. When we think of spending time in nature, many of us automatically associate this with long hikes or camping trips. And while these somewhat more intense activities are great ways to connect with the landscape around us, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t also many other smaller ways to spend time with nature.
Our mental health can benefit immensely from unplugging from our phones, slowing down, and experiencing the gorgeous and abundant natural spaces around us.
