Nurturing a Nature Habit
By Megan Maurer MSN, RN, PMHNP-BC
What if one of the keys to supporting your overall wellbeing was in your backyard? Or kitchen? Or the patch of grass outside?
Engaging with the natural world, like rocks, dirt, water, or anything found outdoors like animals, ecosystems or areas generally not developed by humans, has been proven to help improve overall mental and physical wellbeing. A connection to nature, research shows, can help reduce stress and help you thrive. As summer begins to transition to fall, it’s a perfect time to start to nurture your own nature habit.
Activities that involve nature are effective at any scale to help promote emotional regulation, stress relief and improved physical health.
- Engage your senses: What do you see, hear, feel, smell? Make small, mindful observations to connect you to your environment, wherever it may be. This can be an effective way to help ground you if you’re feeling anxious or depressed.
- Start small: Accessing nature through everyday activities is an easy way to begin to reap the benefits of the environment around you. It can be something as simple as standing on a patch of grass on your bare feet, listening to water running, or buying and watering a plant for your home. Research has also shown that exposure doesn’t need to be lengthy to benefit from the rewards – even a short walk outside has mood-boosting benefits.
- Get outside when you can: Sun exposure has been widely discovered to help improve serotonin levels which can help boost your mood and overall wellbeing. The sun also helps with Vitamin D production, which is important for your health.
- Consider visiting natural spaces: Your local park or green space, state park or even national park can offer a chance to experience the grandeur of nature while offering access to trails, lakes and beaches. Visiting an outdoor space allows the chance to foster your curiosity and imagination, allowing the area to capture your attention and expose you to a restorative environment.
- Enjoy nature indoors: Documentaries, books, photographs and sound machines can also help with exposure to nature and bring about benefits to your wellbeing.
Remember, it’s not about perfection or going on the perfect outdoor excursion. A little bit of nature each day can reap huge benefits by boosting your mood, improving your attention span, and reducing your stress.
If you are facing challenges with your mood, Behavioral Health Partners may be able to help. Behavioral Health Partners is brought to you by Well-U, offering eligible individuals mental health services for stress, anxiety, depression, and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). To schedule an intake appointment, give us a call at (585) 276-6900.
Menhas R, Yang L, Saqib ZA, Younas M, Saeed MM. Does nature-based social prescription improve mental health outcomes? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Public Health. 2024 Mar 25;12:1228271. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1228271.
Nature: How connecting with nature benefits our mental health | Mental Health Foundation
Capaldi, Colin & Passmore, Holli-Anne & Nisbet, Elizabeth & Zelenski, John & Dopko, Raelyne. (2015). Flourishing in nature: A review of the benefits of connecting with nature and its application as a wellbeing intervention. International Journal of Wellbeing. in press. 10.5502/ijw.v5i4.1.
Global Administrator | 10/1/2025
