6 Nature Activities For Your Mental Health

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Nature is fantastic for your mental health. It can reduce stress, improve your mood and help you practice mindfulness. By spending time in nature, you can restore mental focus and even improve your self-esteem. Although a simple walk through your local park is enough to calm your mind, there are lots of fun, unique nature activities to try out.

I’ve put together a list of 6 nature activities for your mental health, including ideas for kids and adults.

1. Go for a nature walk

A nature walk is a brilliant way to get out and explore local green spaces. You could try out a fun scavenger hunt with your little ones or choose a tricky trail to up your step count.

There are lots of benefits of a nature walk, including:

• Lowers blood pressure
• Reduces stress
• Improves sleep

Enjoy a bit of exercise, get your endorphins flowing and spend time in a restful, relaxing space.

2. Meditate outside

Meditation is an important mindful practice – and it can help you feel present. Add an extra layer to your meditation practice by doing it outside.

Follow your normal meditation routine, but try to become aware of your surroundings. Tap into nature by thinking about what you can hear, smell or feel. You could even incorporate some breathing exercises to make the most of the clean, fresh oxygen around you.

Meditate in your local park or your garden. This might not always be possible when it’s wet or cold – but just spending even 5 minutes on the grass can help you make the most of the incredible benefits of nature.

3. Grow your own food

Growing your own food is a fantastic way to get back to nature – and it’s a mindful practice to enjoy in any season. If you’ve got enough space in your garden, try growing some easy vegetables like potatoes or peas.

If you’ve not got your own garden, you could plant a few herbs on your windowsill or even grow cress seeds on cotton wool. It’s all about finding a mindful way to nurture and grow something, helping to calm your mind.

There’s nothing like eating something you’ve grown with your own two hands!

4. Walk a dog

Walking a dog is a great activity for your mental health. Get out for a healthy walk while spending time with a calming animal. Many rescue centres allow families to walk their dogs – or you could go for a walk with your friend’s dog.

Spending time with dogs can reduce anxiety, ease loneliness and give you a sense of purpose or fulfilment. Walking a dog will get you out into nature – and it just might improve your mental health, too.

5. Go fruit picking

Fruit picking is a fun activity for you and your family – and lots of farms offer fruit picking for a small fee. You could collect pumpkins, strawberries or gooseberries depending on the season.

If you don’t want to visit a local farm, you could even pick some fruit for yourself. Blackberries grow wild in many parks and local nature spots. Pick blackberries with your family as a wholesome activity or do it by yourself as a mindful way to get back to nature. You could even bake your blackberries into a crumble or pie.

6. Visit a farm

A farm is a great chance to be around nature – and the presence of animals can be so calming. Get yourself out of your head by doing something physical with animals, such as feeding or petting. If you’re an animal lover, you could even take horseriding lessons or spend time helping out at a local farm.

This activity will entertain little ones of all ages, showing them simple, practical ways to improve their mental health.

Do you enjoy spending time in nature? Tell me all your thoughts in the comments!

Take care everyone x