Elizabeth Berrett
Life in the modern age can impose many different sources of stress. The time we spend at work, scrolling through depressing news stories, and being surrounded by built-up urban environments and general dreariness can all take a toll.
If you want to thrive, then you’ll need to take stock of these and devise ways of dealing with them. In most cases, at least part of the solution should stem from time spent outdoors.
Why Nature Helps Your Body Recover
As human beings, we’ve adapted to crave green spaces and running water. These things correlate with abundance, food, and shelter – and so our ancestors evolved to seek them out.
In many cases, you can directly observe the effects that the right environment has on your body and mind. Take a stroll through a section of parkland, and you might be amazed at how the fresh air and sunlight cause your breathing and heart rate to slow down.
Outdoor Time That Fits Easily Into Daily Life
Spending time outdoors needn’t involve a major commitment or an investment of finite time. It might be that you can fit it into your day without disrupting your ability to meet other commitments.
You might start going for a walk in the morning or take a lunch break in a park rather than a cafe. Wellness benefits tend to be much more prominent when the behavioural change is consistent. It’s better to build a habit and stick to it than it is to make an occasional high-intensity departure from your normal routine.
Longer Breaks That Deepen the Benefits
The things that you do every day matter enormously. But if you really want to disconnect from the pressures of day-to-day life, then you’ll want to occasionally plan a short trip away. Just a few days might be all that it takes to help you truly unwind.
Of course, if you go about planning your longer breaks in the right way, then you can still enjoy many of the benefits of consistency. You might pick up a motorhome and invest in specialised motorhome insurance so that you can seek out an escape in a suitably scenic location whenever the fancy takes you.
How to Keep the Routine Going
Building habits isn’t easy. In many cases, you’ll need to maintain a sustained effort for months on end before the new behaviour really sticks.
If you’re going to do this successfully, then you’ll need to develop the right positive feedback loops. This means giving yourself permission to feel good about the time you spend outdoors – and, crucially, to recognise the fact that you feel good about it. In doing so, you’ll make yourself more likely to engage in the same behaviour at another time.
Of course, doing this often means picking activities and locations that you really appreciate and enjoy. If you find that you love the time you spend in a particular local park, then make a point of visiting it more often.
