By Kate Barrington
There’s something about being outdoors that makes you feel alive. Maybe it’s the fresh air filling up your lungs or the bright sun warming your skin but spending time in nature can transform your attitude and give you a new positive outlook on life.
Spending time outside does more than just lift your spirits, it can actually improve your mental health. Time spent outdoors can have a healing effect on the mind and body, improving your mood, boosting your immune system, and reducing stress. When life starts to get you down, all you need to do is grab a jacket, throw on a pair of hiking boots, and hit the trail.
Here’s what you need to know about how spending time outside can support your mental health.
7 Physical and Mental Health Benefits of Time Outdoors
After a long, cold winter there’s nothing better than being able to spend some time outside. Simply being able to breathe the fresh air and enjoy the sunshine works wonders for your mood, but research suggests spending time outside may benefit your mental and physical health in measurable ways.
Here are 7 ways spending time outside can benefit your mental and physical health:[1]
- Spending time outside can reduce the production of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. By extension, it may also lower your blood pressure.
- Walking in nature has the potential to improve your short-term memory. Studies show that walking in nature is more beneficial for memory than walking in urban settings.[2]
- After spending time outdoors, you may have less difficulty concentrating – it may even reduce symptoms of ADHD.[3]
- Spending time outdoors may speed healing and shorten the recovery process while reducing the need for painkillers and lowering the risk of complications.[4]
- Natural light can be a strong mood elevator, so spending time outside could improve your mood and help with calming anxiety or reducing symptoms of depression.
- Being outside may help reduce levels of inflammation in the body, especially compared to spending time in the city.[5]
- Spending time outside can have a restorative effect on your mind, boosting mental energy and relieving the effects of mental fatigue.[6]
There is even some evidence to suggest that spending time outside can keep you young. In a study published in the Journal of Aging and Health, research revealed that adults over the age of 70 who spent time outdoors experienced fewer problems with sleep and pain. They enjoyed greater mobility and exhibited an increased ability to perform daily tasks.[7]
Plan a Camping Trip as a Mental Health Retreat
Spending just 15 minutes of your day outside could yield mental and physical health benefits, but if you want to capitalize on those benefits you should consider spending as much time outside as you can. If you don’t have a lot of free time during the week to go outside when it’s still light out, think about using your weekend to plan a mental health retreat. A hiking or camping trip could be just what you need.
Here are some of the benefits of camping for your mental health:
- Spending time in or around greenspace may lower stress levels and reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.
- Going camping could help you reset your biological clock, enabling you to fall asleep and wake up earlier than usual – it may also boost your energy levels.
- A camping trip is the perfect excuse to do a digital detox and the time away from technology could improve your state of mind.
- Camping is a great way to increase your activity level and boost your mood. One study showed that active people spend fewer days in a state of poor mental health than inactive people.[8]
- Any time of year, spending time outdoors can help with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) – even if it’s cold or overcast.
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If you don’t consider yourself an outdoorsy person, you can still enjoy a camping trip or a hiking weekend. You don’t necessarily need to “rough it” in order to enjoy the benefits of being outside. Rather than popping a tent, rent a pop-up camper so you have a bed to sleep in at the end of the day. Plan ahead to bring enough food for the weekend so you don’t have to do much cooking and choose a campsite that has amenities like showers.
Other Ways to Enjoy Time Outdoors
Getting outdoors can work wonders for your mental and physical health but you don’t necessarily need to spend a whole weekend communing with nature to enjoy the benefits. Just 15 minutes of time in the sun could help you relieve stress and improve productivity. Make an effort to include time outdoors in your daily routine, even if it’s something simple like going for a walk during your lunch break.
Here are some simple ways to enjoy time outside:
- If you live close enough to your workplace, consider walking or riding your bike to work a few days a week.
- Start a garden with your family. It doesn’t have to be a major endeavor – simply starting a few pots of herbs on the patio and tending to them a little each day can help.
- Rather than eating in your office, spend your lunch hour outside. Eat lunch at a local park or go for a walk after you’re done eating.
- If you like to work out, consider moving some of your workouts outdoors. Take your yoga mat into the backyard or go for a jog instead of hitting the gym.
- Spend some time improving your yard. Dedicate 15 minutes a day to simple tasks like weeding or watering the garden.
- Schedule an outdoor meetup with friends. Instead of meeting at a bar, host a barbecue in your backyard or choose a restaurant that has an outdoor patio.
It may take a little thought and intentionality on your part but spending more time outdoors can be beneficial for your mental and physical health. In addition to reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression, time outside can relieve stress, speed healing, and reduce mental fatigue. The next time you start to feel blue, head outside for a little time in the sun. You’ll feel better in no time.
References and Resources:
[1] https://www.sharp.com/health-news/5-ways-being-outdoors-can-make-you-healthier-and-happier.cfm
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3393816/
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1448497/
[4] https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/a-prescription-for-better-health-go-alfresco
[5] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22840583/
[6] https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02225.x
[7] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18332184/
[8] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/08/180808193656.htm
Kate Barrington
Kate Barrington is a Pittsburgh-based freelance writer with over 10 years of experience crafting content related to health and fitness, pets, and lifestyle topics.
amazing health benefits discussed. Having an outdoor trip will be a blessing to your mental health
I truly believe in the restorative power of nature. You are doing a great job by creating awareness about the mental, physical and emotional well-being of spending time outdoors.
Yes! It really does help! Sometimes when my mind is so busy, I set something up with friends and it eases the whole of me LOL. How deep did that sound? haha
We’re so very lucky that we have a lot of hiking trails nearby, and open spaces. Been enjoying that lots over the last year!
I can’t wait to ground myself a little more with camping in two weeks! The advice found on this site is always welcome (by the way, I am rereading your posts to prepare better, I haven’t been camping much last year and feel rusty).
Absolutely agree with this post. There are many times I have observed for my own self where my stress has reduced once I have spent outdoors in nature. The last camping trip was a big example for me. I was very drowned in my work and I had so many things running in my mind but the 4 days camping trip helped me come out of it and relax and when I came back home I had a new perspective.
I could not agree more with you. Camping and hiking in the outdoors is the #1 way of reducing your mental stress levels and bringing you mental peace. It’s the fresh air and the visual treat provided by the greenery, the flowers, the mountains or the scenery of wherever once choose to be in the outdoors.
Human is part of nature, and I agree with you that just 15 minutes of a day outdoors can benefit our mental and physical health. Everyone should spend time in nature: hiking at least a day per week or living a few days in a tent once a month.
I completely agree that the outdoors simply rejuvenates you in minutes, if not seconds. I also watch the sunrise and sunset to calm myself. The changing colours and the way the clouds keep passing by, it’s just a simply mood changer. I hope to take a trip in nature once this second wave of the pandemic eases off.
Yes I so much agree. Now is perhaps that time in our life where to maintain sanity and mental health we need to go out and be amidst nature. Camping is certainly the best way to do that. Maintaining Covid protocols and keeping safe distancing would be much easier in an open environment.
I’m also a believer that the outdoors is not just good for the body but for the mind as well.
Camping and outdoors are definitely the best ways to boost mental health. It gives you time to clear your mind of stress and enjoy the nature while helping the body get good workout. It is also good for depression and boosts the mood. The sunlight has a big effect on moods too. 🙂
I’m glad there are all of these benefits given spending time outdoors is the most we have been able to do recently. I do find it picks my mood up and helps me think, especially if it’s a good day. I Need to get into the habit of doing it every day.
Wow, I had no idea spending time outdoors can improve short term memory and concentration. I also have horrible sleep patterns and knots in my shoulders from stress. I purchased an America the Beautiful pass this year and need to use it more. Great tips to eat lunch outside and host barbeques, great ways to increase time outside.
So many benefits to spending time in nature! I had no idea it could potentially improve short-term memory!
It’s so exciting to learn that walking outdoors speeds up the healing process and reduces the need for pain killers as I will be needing that really soon.
I agree to all your points. Being with the nature really helps with our well being.
Thank you! It has so many amazing benefits.
While going through insomnia, I decided to go for a hike and it did WONDERS for how I was feeling.
That’s amazing! Hiking is a great way to exercise and boost vitamin D levels 🙂
What a wonderful post, it is good to read about the physical and mental health benefits of being outdoors and getting natural light, very informative. Nice share!
Thanks, Nisha! 🙂
I so agree with spending time outdoors. The lockdown in our country has been so long now, and I have to realize the hard way that from time to time you need to go outside and breath some fresh air. It really helps in maintaining the mental health.
So glad you agree, Lani! We need it now more than ever.
We love to camp as a family of 6 – it is one of our favourite things to do. Being outdoors and away from tech does us all the world of good.
That’s great to hear, Sabina. We all need to unplug sometimes!
I love the outdoors and have camped many times. We have a big tent and a hammock. Nothing quite beats waking up in the fresh air.
That sounds so peaceful and relaxingl! I completely agree.
I badly need this. However as of this time I am not very comfortable of the thought of going out of the house yet. When the opportunity to leave the city that I am in, opens up, I’ll grab it right away.
Camping is a powerful way to heal among nature while adding to the lifestyle of any person. We like to hike all the time, changing our routes and destination points and feel so good in the outdoors.
Thanks for sharing this, I will surely try walking to work next week.
I can’t wait for us to start going camping again, can’t wait! Our first one is booked end of May!!!
I have been trying to put together a mental health retreat of my own by the beach, so I love this post! I’ve heard something about the negative ions in the air produced by nature that boosts mood but I’m not sure if it’s scientifically accurate or not. Love the fact about natural light though, it’s so true!