When COVID-19 resulted in shutdowns, I owned a condo near a water front. I spent most of my COVID days working out of that condo. During the day and evenings, I would walk around the water, look at the boats in the harbor, watch the sea gulls and waves, and enjoy spectacular sunsets. It was calming and relaxing. In the middle of chaos, the water was a place of peace. Those walks kept me centered. In a world that felt like it was spinning out of control, being in God’s creation revived my sanity.

Nature has long been noted to aid our mental health. Being in nature can improve your mood, lower anxiety, and improve your cognition and memory. As you enjoy the beauty, have moments of contemplation and prayer and build resiliency. In times of chronic stress (like COVID), being in nature calmed by fight and flight responses and regulated my sympathetic nervous system. It took minutes for my body to relax. Simply stepping outside brought fairly quick results in terms of stress management.

And nature has even been shown to help manage PTSD. It calms impulsivity, anger and helps combat loneliness. When you take in the beauty of God’s creation and simply enjoy it, things are put in perspective. For the moment, there is no chaos, just peace.

In terms of cognitive functions, being in nature can help with memory, attention, creativity and even sleep quality. Think about how many people “get away” to be more creative or to leave stress behind. Most of us sleep so much better in a cabin in the woods or on a sandy beach with the sound of the waves.

I am often asked, but I live in a city, which is exciting with all there is to do, but hardly relaxing and can be stressful at times. How do I get the benefit of nature?

Try to find green spaces. NYC has Central Park. When I lived in Chicago, there was the zoo, Lincoln park, and Oak Street Beach, You could roller blade around the lake front. So, find a safe park and carve out times to get away on weekends if you can afford it. Maybe sit under a large tree with a view. My daughter found a bench in Brooklyn that overlooked the water. It was one of her favorite places to go and just sit and watch the sunset.

If you still struggle in a city to find the above, listen to bird sounds, sounds of the rain on your phone.  Bring plants ito your apartment or office and pictures of landscapes and natural beauty. Engage your senses with a diffuser that smells like pine or the beach. If you are really ambitious, you might look into starting a community garden or join bird watching group. Leave your phone behind so as not to be distracted. Unplug and feel the freedom of being in the moment. Notice what is around you.

For the best impact, 20-90 minutes spent in nature is recommended. Survey data showed that people who spent 2 hours a week in nature had better mental health than those who did not. That time can be broken up to smaller chunks like 15 minutes a day. The point is to make an effort to be in nature to improve your mental health.

Look, getting outside, taking a walk in the woods or a trail doesn’t cost anything. Yet, it allows you to meditate and think more clearly. Focus  all of your senses on the moment when you engage with nature. What do you see, smell, hear, feel? Take it all in and breathe deeply. At the end of that time, you will feel refreshed and more motivated to take on the day.

When you simply meditate on God’s design and creativity, the beauty He has created, all the stress for the moment fades and you are more connected to God in a way that brings the awe of His majesty.