If you spend most of your days stuck indoors, whether because of your job, the current state of the world, or your own bidding, it’s going to be good for you to find ways to get yourself outside a little more often.
Not only can spending time outdoors be good for your mental and physical health, but it can also help you to feel more connected to the world around you. To help you see how you can start this in your own life, here are ways to help you get more in touch with nature.
1. Turn off the television and go for a walk
The average American spends over 34 hours per week watching TV and an additional 3-6 hours watching recorded programs. Couple that with the results of a sociological study that indicate unhappy people watch more television. If you’re sitting in front of a screen, it means you aren’t in touch with nature. Switch it off and go find some green space.
2. Tune in to all your senses
To truly feel connected to nature, you must learn to engage your five senses. Nature is a sensory experience that involves seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, and sometimes tasting. If you find it particularly difficult to relax or stay calm, tuning into your five senses is the first step to feeling more relaxed. So when you get outside, start by engaging your five senses. Take a deep breath, feel the wind and sun penetrate your skin, listen closely to the whistling sound of trees and the sound of birds and insects. Focus further on these sounds and engage your sense of smell and taste. Engaging your senses whenever you’re outside allows you to appreciate your natural surrounding rather than passing them by.
3. Get a good spot
Getting a good sit spot can help you maintain consistency in developing a nature connection. When you step outside, find a spot to sit that provides a view of the scenery nature offers. Having a regular place to sit and spend time in natural surroundings helps you appreciate and pay attention to weather patterns as well as the daily or monthly cycles of animals and plants.
4. Look up.
The bright lights of the city can make stargazing difficult, but on a clear night, you’ll always be able to at least make out some constellations like the Big Dipper (or the Southern Cross for those on the other side of the equator). Stars are a good reminder of our place within the universe and contemplating how small we are in the grand scheme of things can be humbling and put things into perspective. Suddenly the trivial “problems” we have don’t seem so problematic. If it’s cloudy, lie on your back and watch the clouds change form and drift in and out of your field of vision.
5. Look down
Getting in touch with nature means appreciating living beings for what they are and for their role in Life. Have you ever sat and watched a colony of ants going about its business? Did you know that if an ant dies another ant will come pick up the dead body and carry it away? A testament to the power of Nature is how plants, those seemingly fragile organisms, grow through little cracks in rock and concrete, breaking apart the stone as they grow. It’s a futile exercise to try to keep paving over the Earth; in the end, nature always wins out. Next time you’re out walking around, pay attention to what’s growing under your feet.
6. Combine your creativity with nature
Connecting with nature can happen in various ways. One way to deeply connect with nature is to do so while expressing your inner creativity. You could do this through the lens of a camera, a drawing, or a painting. You can explore your creativity by taking photos of animals, trees, the sky, water, and all of nature’s surroundings. You could also sit in your favorite spot and draw or paint beautiful natural scenery. This helps to calm your nerves, improve your mood and inspire creative ideas. Time away to think in nature might also help provide you with a new perspective on a problem or worry.
7. Relax near the water
There’s something extraordinary about being close to water or sitting and watching the waves roll over the sand. You might well find the experience and opportunity to reflect, benefitting your mental health while creating feelings of happiness and peace. Being active in the water, from canoeing to surfing or just taking a swim in a natural environment, also provides the added benefits of exercise. Furthermore, these activities offer a great excuse to get outdoors and enjoy all that nature has to offer.
