Can something as simple as spending time in nature improve your mental health? The short answer is: Yes.

This isn’t exactly new information, but it’s something that we frequently forget. Life gets busy, and it’s tough to focus on the little things that contribute to good mental health. When our day-to-day routines turn into habits, we can forget the simple steps to good health. Let’s break some of those habits and get back to the basics.

What does spending time in nature mean?

The thought of “spending time in nature” can be a little daunting. TV shows always make nature look so scary and intimidating. People are either trekking over dangerous mountains or trying to survive in the wilderness. Animals are attacking and generally being fierce. That doesn’t sound like a relaxing situation for most people!

At LOOP NOLA, when we have kids come out to hike in City Park with us, their expectations are completely different from reality. For anyone unfamiliar with the area, New Orleans is really flat (frequently below sea level) and has animals you’d typically find in urban swampland. The City Park forest trails are well-maintained and designed for easy, family-friendly hiking. 

When we tell the youngsters that they’re going on a hike, they get so excited! It’s typically a mix of enthusiasm and fear of what might be in the woods. Since their understanding of hiking is based on TV shows, their top two questions are:

1. Are we going to climb a mountain?

2. Will there be lions?

To be clear, neither lions nor mountains roam free in New Orleans. The kids’ expectations have nothing to do with reality and have everything to do with what they’ve seen on TV. 

Spending time in nature does not have to be scary. It can be as simple as sitting in your backyard and listening to birds or going for a leisurely walk through a wooded area. It doesn’t have to be complicated, and it doesn’t have to be intimidating.

How does spending time in nature improve your mental health?

In the early 2000s, there had been a few dozen studies on the effects of spending time outdoors. Those studies generally pointed to positive outcomes, but it wasn’t really enough data to attract attention. Then Dr. Richard Louv wrote “The Last Child In The Woods” in 2005 and highlighted the massive amount of time that today’s children spend indoors. Since then, researchers have conducted nearly 1,000 individual studies about the effects of spending time in nature. The results show a positive correlation between spending at least two hours per week in nature and experiencing improved physical and mental health. 

From a recent article by the Yale School of the Environment, some of the benefits of spending time in nature include:

• Lowered blood pressure

• Lowered stress hormones

• Reduced anxiety

• Reduced feelings of isolation

• Improved mood

• Enhanced immune system function

How to start spending more time in nature

If you have easy access to natural green spaces near your home, try going to them more often. Most people don’t live within walking distance of a large park or public green space, so you may need to look into which options are available to you. This can also include getting creative with the space that you have. Remember, your time in nature doesn’t have to be movie-worthy to be beneficial. 

For folks living in the New Orleans area who want to explore a little more, here’s a list of the top 9 hiking trails near New Orleans. Whether you’re hiking somewhere new or going to one of your favorite spots, enjoy the outdoors. Spending time in nature is beneficial to your mental health no matter where you go!

If you and your family want to try some new activities and learn new ways to have fun in the outdoors, contact LOOP NOLA to learn more about our family-friendly opportunities. Once your family learns to be more comfortable in the outdoors, it becomes easier to go on more outings together. Contact us today to learn more.