Outdoor recreation or spending time with nature has many benefits. Activities such as hiking, swimming, running, and ball sports and many others provide more options for enjoying a pleasant exercise that will keep you motivated.
Let’s see the benefits of spending time outdoors:
Reduce anxiety
Breathing fresh air in a serene, natural environment helps many people relax, reduce stress and anxiety, which is another advantage of outdoor activities.
The Harvard Health Publishing indicates that physical activity helps reduce stress and prevent some cases of depression.
Excellent mental health treatment
Spending time with nature relaxes the mind, relieves it of tension and disconnects for a moment from daily tasks.
An article published in 2015 in the journal Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, explains that exercise is a good treatment for mental health and has no side effects.
According to the authors of the article, exercise as part of a treatment can help people with anxiety, depressive disorder, panic disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Although it is inappropriate to treat mental illness on your own, it is possible to carry out simple techniques such as going outside when you are anxious or exhausted.
It will also be worth talking to your doctor about exercise as part of your treatment plan.
Improve sleep
Research shows that people who exercise regularly experience longer, deeper and more restful sleep.
Quality sleep results in more energy and alertness for the next day, allowing for more concentration and the ability to think better.
Therefore, combining a better night’s rest and getting outside for a while regularly will help reduce stress, anxiety, and symptoms of depression.
Improves memory and focus
Need to prepare for a big test or get inspired to advance your project? Head outdoors and look for some greenery when you feel the mental fatigue growing. A 2008 study at the University of Michigan found that walking in nature, even in cold temperatures, it helped improve memory and attention scores by 20%, compared to those who walked on city streets.
Now that you know how nature positively impacts you, it’s time to enjoy how great it is to be outdoors. That doesn’t mean you should go on a hike on a wooded trail (although it is definitely an option). Spending some time in contact with nature is as simple as sitting under a tree on your lunch break, gardening on your patio or making your balcony comfy by indoor gardening, or simply walking around your neighborhood square. Whichever way you choose to spend time in nature, be sure to turn off your phone and relax your mind to get in tune with anything other than nature.
