Spending time outside and immersing yourself in nature can act as a solution if you feel stressed, tired or overwhelmed with everyday life.
There are numerous health benefits of spending time in nature and in this article, you will read about the physical benefits of spending time in nature, the mental benefits of spending time in nature and the social benefits of spending time outdoors.
Research in this field has shown that spending just 30 minutes or more spent in nature can significantly improve your physical and mental health. From boosting your mood and reducing stress levels to enhancing creativity and improving focus, nature has a lot to offer.
So, without further ado, let’s check out the top 9 benefits of spending time in nature and why you should make it a part of your daily routine.
The benefits of spending time in nature
Here’s an overview of the benefits you can get by spending some time in a natural environment.
The major physical and mental health benefits of nature include reducing stress levels, improving mood, boosting creativity, improving sleep, improving memory function and improving your overall well-being.
From time to time taking a walk in the park, going for a hike or hanging out with your family and friends near a lake or river can give you a much-needed break from your usual daily routine. Doing this will help you to feel refers and you also get the health benefits of spending time outdoors.
Mental Benefits of Spending Time in Nature
1. You Feel Refreshed and improves Mood and happiness
Beauty in nature exists in abundance. We will run out of our time if we decide to check every beautiful creation of nature.
Just by visiting a wooded park or a community park, you can breathe some fresh air, feel the cold air rippling over your skin, hear the soft sound made by green leaves and tree branches, see the squirrels running and jumping from one tree to another, birds searching for food and flying here and there…
There is something about those things and a rhythm of nature which makes it so refreshing.
Whenever you feel you need a break and want to feel refreshed, take a walk, out in nature. You will feel much more refreshed than before.
WHAT IS SHINRIN-YOKU?
“Shinrin-yoku” or “Forest bathing” – A simple idea to connect with nature.
In it, a person simply visits and spends some time in a natural area and walks in a relaxed way to calm and rejuvenate their body and mind.
The idea of ‘shinrin-yoku’ was first developed and practised in Japan during the 1980s and it has shown excellent results. ( you can see some of the research papers here).
2. Reduces stress and anxiety levels.
If you live or spend time near green space then you are less likely to be depressed.
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In recent years researchers unveiled the reasons behind many ancient practices. It found that ecotherapy (connecting with nature) is as effective as traditional psychotherapy or medication in lowering stress and anxiety.
Researchers at the University of Essex conducted a survey where they found that 94% of the individual believed that spending time in nature and connecting with it help them to have a positive mood.
So, if you are living near a park or spending time in the green then you will experience less anxiety and depression than others who don’t pass time in nature.
3. Improvement in Mental Health
When you stay for 30 minutes or more out in nature it can significantly improve your mental health.
Recent studies have found that exposing yourself to nature may reduce anxiety, depression, and stress.
Being around trees, greenery, and water can improve our overall mood and boost our positive emotions. It’s because nature has a calming effect on the human brain and can reduce the production of cortisol, which is a hormone associated with stress.
Spending some time in natural environments can help us connect with the environment and can give us a sense of inner peace and relaxation. So, if you want to improve your mental health then make it a habit to plan a few weekly sessions where you have interaction with nature.
4. Boosts creativity.
Immersing yourself in nature gives you inspiration and makes you more productive. Constant distractions and stimulation of modern life make you less focused. From time to time your mind needs to get relaxed.
When you are out in a natural place your mind gets relaxed easily and it replenishes your attention
This study found that – now adults and children are spending more time virtually. Less exposure to outdoors and open spaces has a direct impact on their lifestyle.
Attention Restoration Theory (ART) suggests that spending time in nature can replenish your attentional system.
Therefore going outdoors can help you to be focused and being in nature inspires creativity.
Also, read – The Benefits of Living a healthy lifestyle.
Immersing yourself in nature gives you inspiration and makes you more productive. Constant distractions and stimulation of modern life make you less focused. From time to time your mind needs to get relaxed.
When you are out in a natural place your mind gets relaxed easily and it replenishes your attention
This study found that – now adults and children are spending more time virtually. Less exposure in outdoors and open spaces has a direct impact on their lifestyle.
Attention Restoration Theory (ART) suggests that spending time in nature can replenish your attentional system.
Therefore going outdoors can help you to be focused and being in nature inspires creativity.
Also, read – The benefits of living a healthy lifestyle.
Physical Benefits of Spending Time in Nature
5. Helps to boost immune functions.
One of the main health benefits of spending time in nature is – it will help you improve your immune power.
By conducting several scientific studies, scientists have found that by spending time in natural surroundings with plenty of trees and natural flora and fauna – people experienced positive improvements in immune functions.
One big reason behind it is the presence of phytoncides which are airborne chemicals that plants emit themselves to protect themselves from rooting and forest insects. Scientists have found that this phytoncide also benefits humans.
Also, spending time in nature lowers stress hormones which give you a better mood and influences other factors to strengthen the immune system.
6. It will reset your internal clock and improve sleep quality
Can’t sleep at night? Spending time in nature can help you to reset your internal clock. And thus improve your sleep quality and make it a habit of sleeping and waking up at the same time every day.
Many people struggle to fall asleep. When you sleep late for days; your normal sleep cycle gets disturbed and there are many bad consequences.
If you have a hard time falling asleep, then spending some days close to nature can help you.
According to this study just spending one weekend in the woods can automatically reset your circadian rhythm (inner clock). The study observed this among the participants: People who camped for a weekend fell asleep and woke up early in the morning than some participants who stayed home.
After they returned from camping they noticed – they were able to fall asleep sooner and for a longer period of time.
Related: The benefits of living a physically active lifestyle.
7. Improves memory and cognitive function.
As you already know taking a break in nature can relax your brain, reduces stress, anxiety and boosts immunity. These factors are also beneficial for other functions of our brain.
Seeing nature, listening to its sound and breathing in its fresh atmosphere shows better performance of memory and attention.
In a study led by Doctor Marc Berman to examine ‘the effect of nature walks on cognition and mood in people with major depression’ In that two-part experiment – participants received a 20 per cent mental boost after spending one-hour-long work walk in a woodland park.
8. Better eyesight.
Nowadays we all spent so much time behind the screen. Spending a long time behind a screen can affect your eyesight.
By spending time in nature you can reverse these effects. Spending time outdoors gives your eyes a reason to focus on a large landscape, trees, moving tree leaves etc. It can give you better eyesight and reduces nearsightedness.
9. Exposing to sunlight helps our body to get vitamin D
Our bodies are designed to get vitamin D from nature. When you spend some time under the Sun, automatically your body gets vitamin D.
To absorb calcium and promote bone growth your body needs vitamin D. Also, vitamin D has many protective effects against a lot of diseases like cancer, heart disease, obesity, muscle weakness etc.
10-15 minutes of sunlight per day can provide ample vitamin D for your body.
10. Helps you to stay physically active.
Although spending time in nature doesn’t have to mean exercise. But it usually does involve some physical activities. Making a habit of walking in nature for some time, is a great way to start living an active lifestyle. It can help your body burn more unused calories, improve blood circulation in your body and improves your overall body fitness.
Doing exercise every day or a couple of times in a week has many important benefits for your body and mind.15-30 minutes of exercise can decrease your risk of all sorts of diseases like diabetes, obesity, heart disease etc.
Also read: Quick fitness & exercise tips for busy professionals
Social Benefits of Spending Time Outdoors
11. Opportunity for Quality Time with Friends and Family
In today’s world people spend most of their free time on their phones and it distances them from spending quality time with their friends and family. Spending time in nature provides many opportunities to hang out with your family members and interact with each other in real life.
When you take a walk in nature or participate in outdoor activities with friends or family then you will have the perfect opportunity to interact with your family and friends in real life.
12. Development of Respect & appreciation for the beauty of Nature
When you spend time outdoors in natural surroundings you develop a greater respect and appreciation for the natural world. Being surrounded by beautiful natural surroundings can inspire individuals to take steps to protect our environment and develop habits which are sustainable and eco-friendly.
13. Increased Capacity for Mindfulness and Gratitude
Time in nature is good to increase one’s capacity for mindfulness and gratitude. When you connect with nature it allows you to slow down and enjoy your present moment. This can help to reduce stress and anxiety.
Conclusion
The mental and physical health benefits of spending time in nature can motivate anyone to plan and spend more time outdoors. Spending just 30 minutes or more in a natural place can improve your health and well-being. There are so many good benefits of staying in nature that time spent outdoors is well spent.
So, in these modern times when people become increasingly disconnected from nature and dealing with stress and anger issues, you can remind yourself not to follow others blindly and choose a lifestyle that is healthy for you.
But you should remember that you need to spend at least 30 minutes out in nature so that your body gets adequate exposure to nature and you get most of its health benefits.
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Good post.
Thank You.