Connecting with nature is paramount in ensuring the well-being of our mental health. It’s a serene distraction that makes one feel more at ease with whatever’s happening with their everyday lives. For illustration, let me share my experience.

Traveling to my upcountry, I passed through a game park. As I was traveling, I saw some monkeys sitting by the road as the zebras were feeding on the grass while waving their tails. The animals seemed happy with no signs of worry from any predator that might have been targeting the weak animal.

The scene of these animals going on with their business despite the danger that could occur made me think about everything happening to my life in a positive way. I opened the windows of my car and felt the air on my skin. For a moment, I stopped worrying and enjoyed the moment.

While connecting to nature, you allow yourself a quiet time away from everyday hustles. From singing birds to buzzing and crawling insects, nature has everything ready to distract you from your mental issues. What about all the scents from flowers and the soil? You just can’t get enough of nature. But how do you connect with nature? 

Tips to Connecting Back with Nature

Here we provide tips on how you can connect and benefit from what nature offers.

Feel The Earth Beneath Your Feet

Stand on the ground barefooted and feel how it feels, especially in the morning when it is cold and calm. Close your eyes and take a deep breath while focusing on the feeling on your feet. Forget about your worries and concentrate on the cold feeling and let nature treat you with its magic.

Make a Compass Your Companion

Do you actually know which direction your desk is facing? Is it North, South, West, or East? Do you know in which direction you are moving towards? To know all this, you need a compass. It will help you connect with places, steps you are taking, and directions. A compass makes you realize that every step, thought, and action counts. For example, during your evening walk, go to the south and see where you end up. You are likely to get lost, but you will definitely find your way home with your compass.

Connecting with Nature – Meditate Outside

Meditation is among the most effective ways of calming and relaxing your mind. For newbies, your thoughts might be confusing, and wonder whether meditation is beneficial. But as time goes by and you continue with your meditation, you will realize how your thoughts get calm and feel relaxed. However, the chaos and confusion might not disappear completely, but when you train yourself to meditate outside, you’ll start to feel the wind on your skin and the tiny insects on your hand. Let nature carry your stress and worries away.

Have Alone Time with Nature

When in the company of other people, you tend to talk to each other. Silence is viewed as uncomfortable. We are also cautious of what other people think of us. Therefore we tend to conform to social conventions. All these social expectations make it difficult to connect with nature. However, it’s advisable to be in solitude while connecting with nature. It’s not a must to go far away in the forest where your safety is not guaranteed. You can choose to connect to nature in your garden or the park. If you went for an adventure with your friends by the mountain, ask them for some minutes alone. You might be surprised that that’s what they were yearning for too.

Find a Comfortable Place

Connecting with nature does not need to be a hustle. You don’t need a perfect place since all of nature is perfect. Just look for a comfortable place with no artificial noise. You’ll find lots of things that nature provides that may calm your mind – from tree leaves being blown by the wind to birds singing their unique songs. The list of things that nature can provide is endless.

Connecting with Nature – Communicate

Most people do not know that you can actually communicate with nature. For example, when you are all alone under a tree, it’s hard not to see a crawling insect, probably bullying something twice its body weight. What comes to your mind when you see this? Say it loud. You can ask the insect, “How on earth do you get the energy to carry or pull that load?” Of course, you won’t get an answer. But, by doing so, you’ve actually connected with nature without knowing. You can also shout out your lungs and listen to your echo.

Enjoy Your Lunch Outside

Benefit from vitamin D as you enjoy your lunch outside, especially in a green environment surrounded by beautiful flowers and birds singing. Enjoy the buzzing sounds of bees feeding on nectar and the great art of the clouds.

Grow Something

Do you like flowers and vegetables? – Perhaps planting a tree? This is one of the greatest ways of connecting with nature. The mere experience of planting something and watching it grow to a beautiful flower, nutritious vegetables, or a tree is breathtaking. Besides, you’ll understand what nature needs to reproduce and connect directly.

Connecting with Nature – Watch Sunset

Have you ever watched the sun as it sets? If not, you are losing out on the best way to connect with nature. Try a moment of solitude with a hot cup of chocolate or milk as you watch the sunset.

Bring the Outside In

Try some beautiful plants inside your house. Or better try an aquarium. You’ll find yourself relaxed whenever you take a close look at them. As you feed your fish aquarium or water the plants, that’s when you best connect with nature.

Connecting with Nature – Final Thought

There are lots of ways on how you can connect with nature. You can choose to visit the zoo and spend quality time with animals, or you can choose to relax in your garden. Whichever way you like, relax and let nature carry you away and make you feel better.