7 Ways to Find Happiness in Nature

We are intrinsically a part of the natural world, and our lives are a little dimmer when we don’t take the time to enjoy it.

While there’s no denying the value of the creations of humankind—our architecture and art—but the natural world has a splendor unmatched by any building, city, or painting. Anyone who has taken a walk through, say, an autumn forest, the leaves gently floating, the air crisp and dry and crackling with energy, can tell you the effects of nature on mind, body, and soul. In a word, it’s freedom.

These effects are well-documented—at least as far as the mind and body go. Studies have shown that even looking at nature through a window can restore mental energy, lower the level of stress-related hormones in the blood, reduce inflammation, and enhance creativity.

And no matter what our beliefs, nature reminds us that we are part of a universe that is replete with beauty, mystery, and wonders to be explored. To begin enjoying the natural world, yourself, take a look at these 7 ways to find happiness in nature.

Find Your Side of Nature

Everyone is unique. We all have our own tastes, our own individual aesthetics that inform the ways we seek out happiness. And we’re no different just because we go outside.

Many people think they don’t enjoy nature because they haven’t found their side of it. Perhaps you’ve been around rowdy beachgoers all your life, when what you prefer is the solitude and leafy quiet of the mountains? Perhaps you’ve abhorred camping in the heat of the summer, when what you would truly enjoy is a hike in the cool winds of fall. Or perhaps you prefer the clean, white, bug-free snow? Or maybe you’re a cave-dweller?

Whatever your preferences, nature can cater to you. The Earth contains a multitude of climates, geographies, and feels—most of which you can likely find without even leaving your home state!

And if the outdoors absolutely isn’t your thing, there are still museums. For a chance to view the beauty of nature and animal life, head to your local zoo or aquarium or natural history museum.

There is something for everyone in nature, so if you think it has nothing to offer you, do some exploring! You may just find your side of nature.

Be Mindful

Ah, mindfulness—a popular word attached to an unpopular notion.

To be mindful, according to Psychology Today, is to be in a state of active, open attention on the present. It’s that simple. Mindfulness is to be gently in the present and aware of the moment, to become aware of what is true now.

And it’s much harder to maintain than it sounds. Many people can’t maintain this state for more than a minute or two, and subsequently miss out on the benefits, such as an increased attention span, sharper memory, and heightened awareness.

Mindfulness is much like exercise—the more you practice it, the more proficient you’ll become. Try focusing on a single thing—the leaf on a tree outside of your window, the texture of your chair arm, or the feel of a steady breeze. Experience only that thing, staving off any other thoughts for as long as you can. Try this a few times a day, every day. Exhausting, isn’t it?

It gets easier. And once you pick up the practice, take it outside with you—you’ll find a whole new world to explore. Your mind will live in the trees and rocks and paths around you rather than flitting across your responsibilities, worries, and regrets. You’ll come away with a much greater sense of peace.

Take a Nature Walk

So you’ve found your little slice of nature, you’ve learned how to be mindful. Now you’re ready to get out there!

Walking, at the most basic level, is a great way to get a little exercise, improving your circulation, enhancing bone strength, and lightening your mood. But when you combine a walk with the beauty of nature, it becomes much more than simple exercise.

Author and theologian C.S. Lewis was a great advocate of long walks, writing that “By two at the latest I would be on the road. Not, except for rare intervals, with a friend. Walking and talking are two great pleasures, but it is a mistake to combine them. Our own noise blots out the sounds and silences of the outdoor world; and talking leads almost inevitably to smoking, and then farewell to nature as fare as one of our senses is concerned.”

Studies have shown that walking through nature, as opposed to walking down a city sidewalk, improves mood greatly, and suppresses the tendency to brood. That’s because the natural world lends itself to focus, rather than splitting mind between watching out for cars and pedestrians, listening for social cues from passersby, and trying to navigate complex roadways. And when we focus, we’re drawn out of our brooding inwardness, and out into the beauty around us.

So go enjoy nature through walking—it’s the simplest way to do it!

Go Bird-Watching

Few creatures are so fascinating as birds. Most fly under their own power, and all are beautiful, multi-colored, and come in all sizes and shapes. In short, your life will be better with birds in it.

To engage this part of nature, you’ll need to begin by nabbing a field guide to birds in your local area. When you can, study it, and familiarize yourself with your local avian friends. Where do they live? What seasons are they most active in? What do they eat? Get to know what birds live near you.

Next, you’ll need some equipment. Find something that will allow you to see the birds you’re watching over a distance—binoculars, a pocket telescope—anything that allows you to see a greater distance will do. You may also wish to bring a camera if you want to have a record of the birds you’ve found.

Now, pick a bird. Find one that’s active in the current season—preferably one that you’ve never or have only rarely seen. This is the exciting part—use your knowledge of its diet and preferred locale to find it!

You’ll feel an intense sense of accomplishment when you finally do locate the species of bird you’ve been seeking. From there, you can keep learning and keep seeking—you’ll draw closer to nature each time you engage in your new hobby.

Grow Something

Growing fruits, vegetables, and houseplants can be a great way to enjoy nature in and around your home.

You’ll begin by finding seeds at your local department or hardware store. For those of us born without the advantage of a green thumb, there are plants that are all but foolproof. Some great choices for beginners are basil, coleus, and marigolds.

To house these seeds, you’ll need containers that are at least 3 inches deep, and have some drainage holes. You can use anything from plastic cups and bowls to fancy ceramic pots, but pre-filled seed trays made especially for seed-starting are easiest to begin with. If you need to buy potting soil, choose soil that’s labeled as some variant of “seed starting mix”. This will help ensure healthy seedlings. Before placing the potting soil into the container, add water to it until it is moist and crumbly, but not gloppy. Pack the soil in firmly to eliminate gaps.

Seedlings will require lots of sunlight, so make sure that you plant them at a window that gets sun for much of the day. As your seeds grow, water their soil enough so that it stays moist, but not soggy, and let the soil dry a little between waterings. During their growth, regularly feed your seedlings with liquid fertilizer mixed per the directions on the fertilizer package.

Keep this up, and you’ll have plants in no time! Studies have shown that indoor plants have a calming effect similar to that of taking a walk outside, so if you don’t have time to get out of the home office, grow some greenery to improve your mood!

Go Camping

If staying at home with the plant life and occasional cat isn’t your thing, try camping!

As we’ve learned, you need to find what parts of nature suit you before you go camping. If you hate the heat, don’t camp in the sweltering summer months, and if the mere suggestion of cold makes you shiver, perhaps a warmer climate will do.

Once you’ve figured that out for yourself, prepare! Contrary to what you may have heard, camping can be simple, cheap and fun!

You’ll need some basic equipment to get started, and that equipment depends on the environment you’ll be in. Define your basic parameters. Will it be hot? Cold? Rainy? Make sure that you pack accordingly.

At the most basic level, you’ll need a tent to protect you from the elements, and a sleeping bag to—you guessed it—sleep in. You’ll also need, just as importantly, a lantern and flashlight for light, a first aid kit, sunscreen, canvas to place beneath your tent, and depending on the season, bug spray.

Figure out where you want to camp and book the site ahead of time, if possible. Organized campsites are a great place to start—they usually have toilets and shower facilities for those on the site to use.

To make sure you have things to do, research the hiking trails and other natural landmarks of the area you’re travelling to, and prepare some activities beforehand. These activities could be anything from fishing to picnics, to animal sanctuary tours.

Camping brings us closer to nature than anything else. The important thing is to be prepared for the experience, so head here for more details on how to get ready for your first camping trip.

Stargaze

Nature isn’t limited to Earth, you know.

The stars above are a look not only into space, but into time, as well. Even light takes a long time to travel the vast distances between planets and galaxies. Imagine that someone in Canada snaps a polaroid and tosses the picture into a river that meanders all the way to the bottom of South America, where someone is waiting to pick it up. By the time the person in South America Picks it up, a long time will have passed. Light works the same way.

The stars we see today are actually the stars as they were millions of years ago—the light simply took that long to reach our eyes here on Earth.

One of the best times to stargaze is during a camping trip, or in a very small town—anywhere where light pollution is kept to a minimum. Bring along a beach towel or blanket to lie on, and simply enjoy the sky on a clear night, allowing your mind to wonder at the vast expanse of the universe in which we dwell.

Stargazing connects us to nature in a more profound way—it allows us to reach not just outward, but upward, into the mystery, into the past. There’s nothing quite like it.