The Benefits of Nature on Your Mental Health

Nature provides incredible healing properties for physical and mental health. However, society recognizes technology and social media as the primary source of connection for self-esteem, thus neglecting the power of healing that nature holds. When you take the opportunity to disconnect with technology and connect with nature, you will inevitably experience significant benefits for your mental health.

Lessons You Can Learn From Nature

To better understand how nature can impact mental health, it is essential to recognize specific factors of nature that make it so profound. To do this, you must reflect on what nature is.

Nature is never in a hurry. As the grass, trees, and other plants grow, they never do so in a rush. They trust their environment. They trust that the rain will fall to water them and that the sun will come out to nourish and provide for them.

Nature is flexible and resilient. Plants and animals alike are known to adapt to the environment that they are in. The science behind evolution refers to the process of how living organisms change over time as they fight for the survival of the fittest.

Nature is ever-changing. Ecosystems are always changing as their organisms react, evolve, migrate, and create new communities. There is never one community or one species that remains predictable as the years go by.

How Is Nature Healing?

Extensive research recognizes the benefits that exposure to nature has on healing mental health. Several of these benefits include:

Improved Brain Activity

Nature has the ability to improve brain activity. This is because being in nature can help you clear your head and bring you into the present moment. Nature emphasizes similar benefits that mindfulness can have on mental health, especially related to increased activity in the brain.

Reduced Stress Levels

When brain activity is improved, emotions like stress and anxiety become regulated. On a physical level, being in nature can lower blood pressure, lower stress hormone levels, and reduce nervous system arousal, which can result in reduced feelings of stress.

Promoted Happiness

Improved brain activity can also promote neurotransmitter signals involved in producing feelings of happiness. Endorphin levels and dopamine production both increase when exposed to nature.

Improved Sleep

When deprived of sleep, you are at an increased risk of developing severe physical and mental health conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes. Sleep is necessary to keep the immune systems strong and healthy, which can combat illness. When you allow yourself to spend time in nature, you are connecting with your internal clock.

Soaking in the sun increases the brain's serotonin neurotransmitter, which boosts mood and is also responsible for keeping you awake during the day. Similarly, exposure to dark light triggers the brain to increase melatonin production, which helps you fall asleep faster and stay asleep more soundly.

Nature Is a Valuable Coping Mechanism

Nature is soothing. Humans are programmed to find peace among the beauty of nature. Whether it be watching the flow of water down a stream or tuning into the delicacy of leaves on a tree, you can be absorbed by nature. Nature provides an incredibly valuable distraction from pain and discomfort, especially as you connect with the greater environment around you.

Ways to Engage With Nature

While nature provides incredible benefits, those benefits cannot be received without directly engaging with nature. Although you can connect with nature simply by going for a walk or breathing the air outside, there are more intimate ways that you can go about interacting with it.

Make observations. Once you give yourself time to make direct observations of nature, you may be shocked at what you find. Even the same plant sitting outside for years may look different when you visualize it up close or feel it with your hands. Take time each day to notice something new in your environment.

Ask questions. Nature has all of the answers that you may seek. The next time you find yourself walking on a trail or around your neighborhood, have a sense of wonder. Never lose this sense for creation itself.

Ground yourself. When was the last time you found yourself barefoot with your feet on the grass or dirt? Nature is who you are. A great way to interact with nature is by walking barefoot on natural ground. You can even turn it into a meditative practice by taking deep breaths and envisioning the energy from the ground cycle into your body and back into the ground.

Engage in outdoor activities. Let your imagination run wild with this one. Any activity done outside can be an opportunity to connect with nature. Some examples include white water rafting, biking, fishing, or even owning a butterfly habitat.

Nature-Based Therapies and Treatment

Nature can produce endless benefits for mental health. Exposure to nature increases activity in the brain, leading to reduced stress levels and increased feelings of happiness. Nature can improve your sleep cycles and is proven to be a valuable coping mechanism for navigating physical and mental pain.

Holistic treatment approaches recognize the therapeutic value of connecting with the natural world. Many evidence-based treatment programs now incorporate outdoor activities and nature-based interventions as complementary approaches to traditional therapy.

Experiential therapy often includes outdoor activities, adventure therapy, and nature-based interventions that can be particularly beneficial for individuals dealing with depression, anxiety, trauma, or substance use disorders.

Integration with Various Treatment Approaches

Nature-based activities can be incorporated into various levels of care and treatment modalities. Individual therapy sessions can sometimes be conducted outdoors, providing a different therapeutic environment that many find more comfortable and conducive to opening up.

Group therapy activities in natural settings can help build connections between participants while reducing the clinical feel of traditional therapy rooms. The practice of mindfulness therapy is naturally enhanced when conducted in outdoor settings, where participants can engage all their senses and connect with the present moment through nature's sounds, smells, and textures.

Nature in Different Levels of Care

Nature-based interventions can be integrated into various treatment settings. Outpatient treatment programs may incorporate outdoor sessions or assign nature-based homework between appointments. Intensive outpatient programs can include regular outdoor group activities as part of their comprehensive programming.

Partial hospitalization programs may utilize outdoor spaces for therapeutic activities throughout the day, while inpatient residential treatment facilities often incorporate nature access and outdoor programming as essential components of the healing environment.

Special Populations and Nature Therapy

Different populations may benefit uniquely from nature-based interventions. Veterans dealing with PTSD often find significant benefit from outdoor activities and nature-based trauma processing. Teens and adolescents may be more engaged in treatment when it includes outdoor adventures and nature-based learning experiences.

For individuals in recovery from substance use disorders, nature-based activities provide healthy, substance-free ways to experience joy, peace, and natural highs through physical activity and connection with the environment. Activities like hiking, gardening, or outdoor mindfulness practices can become important components of aftercare and relapse prevention.

Supporting Conditions Through Nature

Nature-based interventions can be particularly helpful for various mental health conditions. For those dealing with mood disorders, the natural mood-boosting effects of sunlight and outdoor activity can complement traditional treatments. Individuals with co-occurring disorders may find that nature provides a holistic environment where both mental health and substance use recovery can be supported simultaneously.

The calming effects of nature can be especially beneficial for those dealing with anxiety disorders, while the physical activity often involved in outdoor pursuits can help combat symptoms of depression.

Family and Community Connection

Family therapy can be enhanced when conducted in natural settings, providing a more relaxed environment for difficult conversations and family healing. Nature-based activities can help families reconnect and develop healthy ways to spend time together that support ongoing recovery.

Explore different ways to engage with nature, such as making direct observations and grounding yourself physically. Whether incorporated into formal treatment programs or used as a self-care practice, connecting with nature offers powerful support for mental health and overall well-being.

Use our comprehensive treatment directory to find mental health professionals and treatment facilities that understand the therapeutic value of nature and incorporate holistic, evidence-based approaches into their care. Our directory helps you locate providers who recognize that true wellness encompasses not just mental and emotional health, but also our connection to the natural world around us.