How to Practice Mindfulness and Manage Stress in Nature
Sometimes life’s best gifts are right outside our front door, simply waiting to be noticed. The morning dew sparkling in the sun on a blade of grass in your backyard…the cheerful bird songs as you sip on your coffee while admiring the marshmallow white clouds…or that feeling of aliveness as you dive into the ocean or the lake for the first time each spring.
Spending time outside is one of the best recipes for naturally coming into the present moment. Being in nature and feeling the wonder and awe of its beauty can help drown out even the most critical inner voice. It can help relieve feelings of tension and anxiety as mental rumination comes to a halt. And most of all, it can help you feel a sense of belonging as you notice being connected to something greater.
Yet sometimes when we’re outside, we don’t allow ourselves to receive all of nature’s benefits fully. Our bodies are there, but our minds are still at the office or mapping out tomorrow’s to-do list. That’s why intentionally bringing a mindfulness practice to your time spent outside is important if you want to feel the greatest benefits in your mind, body, and soul.
The proven benefits of nature
Did you know that spending time in nature has been shown to cause significant positive changes in your body? Research shows that just 20 minutes a day in nature can help:
Boost your immune system
Reduce inflammation
Decrease levels of the stress hormone cortisol
Regulate blood pressure
Improve memory and concentration
While there’s still more research to be done on the specific ways that nature shifts our physiology, studies reveal the reason why practices like forest bathing (which originated in Japan) can be so effective in promoting well-being. Trees contain compounds known as phytoncides which exhibit antibaceterial properties and may be part of the reason why nature boosts the immune system. Remind everyone around you about the health benefits of trees when you wear the Stay Grounded Eco-Friendly T-Shirt.
Enhance your brain with mindfulness in nature
The positive impacts of spending time in nature can be enhanced when you intentionally choose to be there fully with all five senses. When you bring awareness to physical sensations in your body, you quiet down the default mode network in your brain which is often associated with rumination. When this part of your brain is less active, it can reduce the mind-wandering that often causes so much angst.
Because of its innate negativity bias, your brain has a tendency to focus on the negative aspects of your life. Rather than noticing what’s going well, it’s normal for awareness to gravitate towards worst-case scenarios. Mindfulness is the practice of training your mind to come back to the present moment where you notice the brain’s tendencies without judgment and create the space from which you can respond differently.
Nature is a powerful antidote to the brain’s negativity bias because its beauty naturally shifts your attention to the abundance present in daily life. This is how just spending a little time in your favorite natural setting can help you cultivate greater levels of gratitude. The more you practice noticing the things that make you glad to be alive, the more you’re strengthening the neural network of gratitude and appreciation.
"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished." - Lao Tzu
How to prepare for a mindful walk in nature
Practicing mindfulness in nature is easiest when you go for an undistracted walk for at least a couple. First, allow yourself the gift of time to just be. If you need to schedule a trip to nature ahead of time, go ahead and mark a date on your calendar. Perhaps set aside a weekend day to drive to a park that you love or explore a new spot where you’ve never been.
It may be helpful to have a clear path in mind so that you don’t have to worry about where to turn or about getting lost. Bring plenty of water, a healthy and nourishing snack, and a journal in case your muse comes to visit as you’re basking in the afternoon sunshine. Find your next handcrafted journal HERE.
Before you enter the natural spot where you plan to walk, set an intention for what you’d like to experience or feel while you’re out there. Leave your phone behind if you can. If you have to carry it or feel safer with it for emergencies, then at least put it on airplane mode. Resist the urge to use it while you’re on your walk. The point of your mindful nature walk is to unplug and go within by opening your awareness to everything that your senses are perceiving.
Practice presence by opening all of your senses
Being mindful in nature allows you to really feel what it’s like to be in your body. It provides the opportunity to literally come back to your senses (rather than being in your head) so that you feel grounded and fully aware of your own aliveness.
Once you’re out in nature, be intentional about experiencing everything around you with each of your five senses. Spend a couple of minutes isolating each sense so you can truly feel it within your body. Here are some ideas for each:
Sight: Notice the different shades of green on each tree or blade of grass. Notice the bright colors of any flowers you walk by. Observe how the light changes throughout the day based on where the sun is. Marvel at how the movement of the sun can shift the colors and tones of everything you see.
Smell: As you inhale, bring attention to your nostrils. Feel the air coming in and notice any subtle smells in the air. Perhaps you can smell pinesap in the forest or the ocean water if you’re on the beach. Find a natural object – like a flower – that you can smell and enjoy its aroma fully.
Touch: Find a natural object to touch. It can be anything: a stick, a rock, a piece of grass, or even the soil. Hug a tree or run your fingers through the sand. Notice the texture of whatever you’re touching. How does it feel in your hands or on your skin? Is it warm, cold, soft, or hard?
Sound: Listen for the sounds of nature. Do you hear the birds chirping? The crickets playing in the field? Do you hear the rustle of the leaves as the wind blows? Notice the changing nature of these sounds as they come and go. Notice the silence in between the sounds.
Taste: You may want to get creative with this one depending on where you are and when. If you’re out during a time when nature is in bloom with forest fruits such as blueberries or blackberries, grab a few and enjoy the experience of eating them. If not, bring a snack that is as close to its natural state as possible – perhaps an orange, an apple, or a banana. Feel the saliva forming in your mouth as you’re about to bite into it. As you eat it, notice its texture, its sweetness or its bitterness.
If you notice your mind wandering during your mindful walk, gently bring it back to the present moment. No need to judge yourself. You may even decide to redirect your attention to a kind thought like feeling grateful for nature for providing fresh air to breathe and nutritious food to eat.
Bringing the benefits of nature home with you
As you return from your mindful walk in nature, give yourself time to relax. Notice how different your body and mind feel compared to before your walk.
How can you keep the benefits of nature going even as you get back into the day’s tasks? Studies indicate that if you don’t have access to natural settings nearby, you may get benefits from listening to nature sounds or watching nature videos. So to bring a little extra nature into your daily life when you can’t go out, consider putting on this video of Tropical Paradise: Calming Birdsong and Gentle Stream for Deep Relaxation on in the background as you’re cleaning, cooking, or doing the laundry.
Curious about learning more ways to experience the benefits of mindfulness in daily life? Sign up for my next Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) class here. You’ll learn tools and techniques that allow you to practice mindfulness wherever you find yourself – in nature, at home, or at work.
