Nature Discovery in Your Own Backyard
Nature discovery is such a natural thing to do in the summer. I remember those days as a kid — summer stretched out before me. Endless days of warmth with nothing to do! Is there anything better? I spent every waking minute outside in those days. We didn’t have air conditioning, so there was no reason to stay inside. Cooling off meant a kiddie pool in the backyard or eating a popsicle under the big shade tree.
Endless Nature Discovery in Your Backyard
Lest you think this is a post about ‘the good-old days’, we’re just here to borrow a few ideas from the past that still work today to help us discover nature all around us. I spent most of my summer barefoot. My grandkids are doing the same today. Barefoot means that you can feel the grass between your toes. Stand still for a moment, you may feel an ant crawl across your ankle. Sit down in the grass and watch the anthill.
Lots of discovery is possible just from going barefoot for a little while. Step it up a notch. Allow yourself an hour — put it in your schedule if necessary — to just ‘be’ outside. Sit on the ground. Use all 5 senses to connect with the nature within your little space.
- What can you see?
- Is there only grass?
- Are there weeds, flowers, vegetables nearby?
- What about ‘critters’ — birds, insects, family pet?
- Lay back and watch the clouds.
- Close your eyes. What do you hear? Train your ears to pick only one sound out of the chaos.
- Birds calling?
- How many different bird calls can you hear?
- Are they ‘chillin’ or are there calls of alarm?
- Dogs barking?
- Insects buzzing?
- Birds calling?
- Can you smell anything?
- Flowering plants?
- Herbs?
- Dog poo? (yes, that’s part of nature too!)
- What can you touch?
- What does the grass underneath feel like? Spiky, soft, cool, damp?
- Is there a breeze?
- Can you feel the sun beating down on your back?
- Is there anything edible? (Be super cautious here — never taste anything unless you are absolutely sure it’s edible and you know it hasn’t been sprayed with anything toxic)
- Think ahead and bring a snack outside with you.
Nature Discovery Through Journaling
There are so many ways to journal. Find something that works for you. I like to sketch. It helps me to notice things about plants and birds that I’m drawing, that I never would have noticed. You have to look very closely and for an extended amount of time to really sketch something.
Maybe you are more drawn to words; storytelling, or poetry perhaps. I was scrolling on Instagram the other day and discovered a woman who writes a haiku on every nature journal sketch. Brilliant! She’s doing her own thing. You do you. Whatever helps you connect to the nature around you!
Your Extended Backyard
While there is plenty to stay occupied in your literal backyard, there’s no need to be too stuck in one spot. Make time in your schedule to check out parks and public areas near your home. You’ll find even more ways to make those local nature connections.
The more time you spend in local nature, the more you’ll fall in love with her! That’s just the way it works. We invest ourselves and our time into something/someone, which makes us care more for them. We learn their personalities, their good points and bad, their quirks and their personalities. Our love grows deeper.
My Grandchildren & I at a park just 20 minutes from home. Nature Discovery: A Few More Tips
- No need to travel to exotic locations — there’s so much to discover right where you live. We see locally every day, but we don’t really ‘see’ it. It becomes nothing more than background noise.
- Ie: I did not know until this past February that orchids are the largest plant group on Earth and grow in every climate! Huh, I had orchids in my backyard and didn’t realize it! On spring walks, I am looking with a different ‘eye’ due to this discovery.
- This spring we’ve had more rain than we ever have. Result? More plants, more insects, more birds. I’ve seen a couple of birds I’ve never seen here before!
- There are 4 seasons and 365 days to discover — you won’t get bored and you will never run out of things to explore!
- Try different times of day (and night). You might be surprised.
- Try the ‘string trick’ — you can only journal what’s in your designated circle. Start with a 5-foot string.
- Ask questions
- Do research
- Discover apps and websites that help
- Take art journaling classes
- Take drawing classes
- Try MeetUp or Facebook to find a group local to you — or start one!
- Do ‘themed’ walks in your area
- Mushrooms
- Spring flowers
- Birding outings (there are birding groups EVERYwhere!)
- Winter walks
I know how difficult it can be to find the funds and/or the time to get out to ‘exotic’ locations. We aren’t all fortunate enough to be able to take those special trips. Please don’t let that stop you! Look with ‘new eyes’ at all the wonderful nature around you and fall in love with the world in your very own backyard.
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- What can you see?
Connecting With Nature: Without the Journal
‘Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul alike.’ ~ John Muir
Connecting with nature, without the journal — dare I say it? As much as I love journaling, sketching what I see, and connecting with nature via close observation; there are times when the journal can get in the way.
Much like having our phones constantly in our faces, technology always at the ready, there are times when the sketchbook becomes the reason for being out in nature. The sketchbook can become a wall of sorts that we hide behind. We sketch, we observe, but we’re never quite aware that we are actually a part of what is happening around us.
Here is a short account of what happened to me when I was too hot and tired to sketch, and just sat.
A spur of the moment Nature Journaling trip that ended with me spending 30 minutes that felt like only 5 ~ #inthemoment
A Hot Saturday in June
It was blazingly hot out on a recent Saturday; temperatures in the 90s, but the sun was out! Woohoo! After a week and a half of rain and the wettest spring on record here where I live, I decided to brave the heat for a much needed hike through the woods. I made the short drive to my favorite nearby park.
There were only a few other souls out and about, willing to brave the heat. I could hear myself think. I could hear the birds singing, and the water trickling in the creek — bliss! There is a very specific smell on hot days in the summer — damp and wet in the darkest areas of old growth forest; sunny and dry with a hint of green and grassy in the meadow.
Connecting with Nature Requires Learning to Tune-In
It always takes me a while to ‘tune in’ to the nature around me. Honestly, my mind was busy cataloging; ‘I need to add that bird to my list, I wonder what species of dragonfly that is, look at that interesting fungus on the fallen log, I should sketch that.‘ While there is nothing inherently wrong with any of this, I think what I really craved was simply a quiet connection.
After taking a short lunch break and re-hydrating, I thought I’d stay longer and hike another trail at this park, albeit a shorter one. As I knew that the bullfrog pond was not far into this trail; I continued on. But the heat started wearing on me, so I decided to sit on a bench in the shade at the pond. A school of bluegill, ever watchful for any movement that might indicate an easy snack, saw me sit; and congregated at the edge of the little boardwalk nearby.
At the Pond
Every time a slight breeze happened to drop a leaf into the water, there was a flurry of activity from the fish. We began to get into a little rhythm as we rested there together in the shade. I could sense their presence and their movements without watching so intently. After a few minutes of sitting quietly, the dragonflies determined that I was not a threat and began to skim the pond. Of course, every time they touched the water the bluegill hurried to capture them; once even jumping out of the water! Who knew little bluegill could jump?
Connecting With Nature– Becoming One
I almost gave up on the bullfrogs, assuming they were napping in the shade of the reeds, hoping to wait out the worst of the heat. I was wrong. They were simply waiting for the surety of safety as well, and began their loud, hoarse croaking from the far side of the pond. I sat there without agenda and was simply in the moment. I had a real sense that I had become a part of this idyllic little scene. Closing my eyes, listening; I became a part of that little pond ecosystem, if only for a little while.
This is the moment of connection with nature. This is a moment of magic and reverence.
Nature Journaling After the Experience
Journal page completed at home with picture references. OK, so I did end up with a journal page. My experience at the pond that day was so magical, I wanted to put it down on paper so that I could remember more clearly what it felt like. Once home, I grabbed my journal and wrote about my day, followed by sketching from photos to help enhance the memory. This is not ‘cheating’. There is nothing wrong with using photo references. This is your nature journal. This is your experience.
Oh and, . . . the act of telling you my story is another way to cement the experience into memory — simply journal about it with words!
While this article has focused on using other means to capture our nature experiences, I do believe that sketching can be a very valuable way to record our adventures. Think you can’t draw? I believe that anyone with a desire to draw can learn! It’s easier than you think to get started.
For even more help, check out our blog post on Overcoming Your Fear of the Sketchbook!
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Hiking and a Nature Journal: A Perfect Match
Hiking and nature journaling are my favorite pass-times. I made an impromptu decision to try and squeeze in a quick hike today in between rain storms. We have had an amazing amount of rain this spring and I was itching to get a bit of nature. I’ve decided to share my little ½ mile, 1 hour long hiking experience with you to share with you how much you can witness if you just slow down a bit and look!
Hiking: Only a Few Feet From the Parking Lot
I watched an American Goldfinch perched on a tiny little branch at the top of a small bush. It called back and forth for about a minute. Meanwhile, I’m hiking down this steep hill into a planted prairie meadow. From up here, the view is breathtaking.
Just a few steps into the meadow, there is a patch of Queen Anne’s Lace. I stop to get a good look. I want to add these to my Nature Journal later. I get closer to snap a picture. There is a cool bug on the fully opened flower — bonus!
Can You Nature Journal Birdsong?
In the background, I’m hearing one of my favorite birds calling — a red-winged blackbird. I always thought their call sounded a bit like an old-fashioned telephone ringing. There are about 10 of them swooping back and forth across the meadow. They are much too quick and skittish for me to catch a photo with my phone, but I enjoy their presence.
To my right is the usually calm creek that runs alongside the trail. Today I heard it roaring from the top of the hill. We’ve had massive amounts of rain this spring. This normally quiet little creek is a powerful, muddy, rushing river today!
As I walk the trail alongside this creek, I see dragonflies and damselflies flitting back and forth. It’s so difficult to catch them sitting still long enough to get a good picture. (I must get my actual camera out here soon!) I take a short side-trail through the woods to get a good up-close look at the swollen creek. As I head back, I spot a damselfly. I slow down and get my phone camera ready. OMG! I got it this time! I’m not sure what species this is, but I now have a decent shot of it on my phone. I’ll sketch it later and see what species it is. So excited!
Damsel fly modeling for me! Look Closely: Native Wildflowers Ahead
As I walk on, I’m enjoying the native wildflower show all around me. Close to the ground are the delicate pink flowers of vetch. Rising up on tall stems, bursting with buds ready to open, I see hundreds of purple milkweed (aka: swamp milkweed). There are bumble bees flitting back and forth over these. I’m so happy to see so many of these this year. Their super-power is being a nursery plant for Monarch butterfly caterpillars. I can’t wait to see those!
Vetch 
Purple Milkweed + Bee
Hiking Reveals Critters as Well as Flowers
Just a few feet up ahead I hear a loud plonk! I know that a black walnut has fallen from the tree. I know exactly where this tree is, as I gathered nuts off the ground last fall from this particular tree. Yum! I pick up the nut and notice that the stem has been chewed. My mind wanders and I picture a squirrel sitting high up in the tree, trying to time the falling projectile to my walking speed. (I’m not really sure why a cartoon scenario is playing in my head — but I go with it.)
Squirrel Grenade- aka Black Walnut I’ve barely taken a few steps from the walnut tree when I spot 2 small brown rabbits resting on the trail up ahead. They appear to be adolescents. I take slow, quiet steps — I want to see how close they’ll let me come. They hop ahead a few feet, but stay on the trail. We repeat this sequence a couple more times before they hop off into the tall grass.
As the rabbits hop away, my eye is drawn to the small pine tree beside the trail. The sun (we haven’t seen much of that lately!) is shining on raindrops still sitting on the needles. It’s so beautiful! I snap a photo. I may want to sketch that later. (I’m not ‘live’ drawing on this trip as it’s threatening rain again and I don’t want to ruin my sketchbook.)
Eye-Popping Color
I round a corner and encounter a large patch of bright orange milkweed on both sides of the path. Wow! Its color makes such a visual impact in this sea of green dotted with soft pinks and lavenders. There are multiple bumble bees on every plant!
At this point, I’m about ¼ mile into the ½ mile trail that I’m hiking today. My boots are soaked. I’m truly in the moment. It’s hard not to be when you’re in a place like this.
Turning another corner, is that a wild rose? As I get closer, I see it’s a blackberry bramble! Itsy bitsy fruits are just beginning to form. I’ll keep my eye on those as they get larger. Maybe the birds won’t mind sharing a berry or two.
Good thing they’re water proof! 
Blackberry Brambles
Across the path from the blackberries, there are a few conifers; one a fir with large cones. As I step closer, I can see the sap dripping from them. I snap a picture — this will eventually go into my nature journal. Spotting a wildflower that I can’t identify, I snap a photo, so I can look it up later.
Too Much Coffee! (Is That a Thing?)
I still have a bit to go on my trail, including back up the steep hill to my car. Sadly, I speed up my pace and probably miss even more cool things, ‘cause — coffee! I didn’t expect to go hiking today due to the rain, so I had lots and lots of coffee! And now I have to pee! Well, it was an amazing hike. I feel like a new person! I’m over-the-top excited about all that I discovered in this impromptu hike that was only ½ mile and about an hour long in a nearby park in the city limits!
As I really wanted to process the hike and this peaceful mood, I stopped at another little park nearby (baseball fields and picnic tables) to use their porta-potty. I got out my sketching materials and sat down at a table under a shelter; figuring that I could sit and sketch even if it started to rain again. The ball-fields were too wet to play. The park was deserted. Alone in the quiet, I was able to relive my adventure while I sketched.
Hiking and Nature Journaling: To Learn and To Remember
I sketched for another hour and a half. I still have a few sketches to add to these pages. Looking back on the hike as I was drawing, I felt this big rush of gratitude for all that Mother Nature decided to show me today, as well as an overwhelming sense of connection — something we could all use more of. I thought about all that I would have missed if I’d been in a bigger hurry; if my hike had been about exercise rather than discovery, . . .
Oh yeah, remember that cool bug I spotted on the Queen Anne’s Lace? Turns out it was a species of lightning bug that I had never seen before! How cool is that? I see a night trip to the park in the near future!
Want more nature journaling? Follow Lisa’s Instagram page! I post hiking and nature journaling daily over there. You may also enjoy this post on Keeping a Nature Journal.
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Keeping A Nature Journal
Keeping a nature journal is a practice that can be as diverse as the journaler! If you do an internet search on nature journaling, you’re going to find, almost exclusively, articles and how-to’s devoted to homeschoolers using nature journals for science. While that is a very worthwhile endeavor, there is much more to keeping a nature journal than as a ‘science class’! And it’s certainly not just for the kids.
Nobody sees a flower, really — it is so small — we haven’t time, and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.
Gerogia O’KeeffeReasons To Keep A Nature Journal
Many of the reasons for keeping a journal of your nature adventures overlap with reasons to just be out in nature, such as:
- Mental health
- According to recent studies, time in nature can decrease depression by up to 70%.
- Boosts serotonin and decreases cortisol levels
- Allows you to process thoughts
- Can be a form of meditation
- Deeper connection to nature
- Forces you to focus on details
- Slows you down
- Teaches you to ‘see’ your surroundings
- Causes you to be in the here and now
In addition to the mental health benefits, keeping a nature journal can help deepen your connection to nature! Taking the time to sketch, photograph, or interact with nature (through things like leaf rubbings and collecting) forces your mind to focus on the here and now, and on the details that give you that deeper connection. You notice details that otherwise you might miss. Journaling gives you the opportunity to discover the ‘awe’ of natural things and phenomena. Personally, I’m always up for more awe and amazement in my life!
How to Keep A Nature Journal
Good news! There is no one right way to keep a nature journal. If you’re like most people, when we think of a journal, we picture beautiful, accurate drawings accompanied by scientific journaling. Those journals do exist, but the simple fact is most people don’t share their journals — they’re personal. They are filled with one person’s private thoughts and experiences. There is no need to worry about your drawing skills or writing expertise.
Here are just a few ideas for you to use in your own journal:
- Pencil sketches
- Watercolor drawings
- Words only — maybe you just want to capture with words what you are feeling as you observe a bird, sit by a babbling brook, or wonder why that cloud formation looks like an ice cream cone (For writing inspiration, find a list of nature writers in this article from the Sierra Club on nature journaling.)
- Objects
- Rubbings of leaves or bark
- Taping flat items to pages
- Pocket pages to hold not so flat items
- Photos — If photography is more your style, your journal can certainly be more like a scrapbook.
Tools & Supplies
The last thing you want when you’re out on a hike enjoying the nature around you, is a huge heavy backpack full of art supplies! Luckily, that’s not necessary. All you really need are a few basic supplies. I tend to carry just a smallish notebook and a mechanical pencil. Always having my phone handy for a quick snapshot so that I can remember colors for later is a big help.
Here are a few simple supplies you may want depending upon how you keep your nature journal:
- Notebook of some type — for me — smallish and easy to transport
- Sketching tools
- Pencil (mechanical — no need for sharpener)
- Watercolors – a very small, dry set
- Waterbrush – no need to carry water — this is a brush with a hollow handle filled with water — you can refill from a stream or your water bottle if you need to
- Graphite stick or charcoal for rubbings
- Baggies for collecting items — flat(ish) things like leaves can be taped right into your journal. A flower can be pressed and added in. You may want to include small pockets in your journal for collecting these items.
- Camera (phone camera)
Skills
More great news! You do not need any specific skills to get started.
- To begin, you need only to develop your skills of observation!
- Add in over time:
- Ability to sit quietly so you may observe/sketch skittish wildlife you may encounter
- A few basic drawing or photography skills are nice to have
- Walking with ‘soft eyes’ vs. ‘hard eyes’. Soft eyes means that you are just walking without any particular purpose or intent in mind. If you are focused and actively hunting for something, you will miss other subtle things along the way. In other words, soft eyes is relaxing and you’ll often stumble upon something amazing and awe-inspiring for your nature journal!
There really are as many ways to keep a nature journal as there are people who keep them. What’s your journaling style? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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- Mental health
Forest Bathing: What, Why and How
Forest bathing, translated from the Japanese phrase shinrin-yoku, is the simple practice of spending time in nature — doing nothing in particular. I can’t think of a better place to begin your journey to reconnect with nature!
Forest Bathing: What It Is
Forest bathing is simple in concept. You go to a natural setting. A forest is ideal, but if you don’t live near one, any city park with a tree or two will work also.
A proper forest bath has no agenda, no direction, no goal. Turn off your phone! You are going to amble, wander, sit, explore, wonder, and experience whatever happens. Most people treat a hike in the forest as only exercise. ‘Let’s walk really fast and get some cardio in today!’ It can be that; but it is so much more.
Forest bathing is going to a park — you may follow a trail; you may not. Stop when you feel like stopping, move when you feel like moving. Engage your senses: feel the breeze on your skin, listen to the wind in the trees, take in the scents, touch rough bark, or dangle your feet in the stream. Sit under a tree and munch on the snack you brought. Follow a bird, or sit in the dirt and follow an ant. Talk to a tree. Just be.
Nothing New
What’s currently ‘trending’ comes and goes in cycles. Forest bathing is one of those things that feels new because it’s popping up everywhere you look at the moment. In spite of its trending status it is, in fact, a practice that has been around since the beginning of time.
Before the mass migration into urban and suburban areas after the industrial revolution, everyone everywhere lived in nature. It’s where the food was, and the community activities, the entertainment. It was where you could go to be alone for a while and gather your thoughts. It didn’t have a name, it was life.
Forest Bathing: The ‘Why’
Deadlines, to-do lists, work schedules, getting kids where they need to be on time, . . . need I say more? Current society seems to dictate our every waking minute. Many of us equate busyness and a full schedule with success. But is it?
Are we, as a people, stressed because of our jobs and to-do lists, or does the stress come from lack of connection to nature? I believe it is a bit of both. We need times of deadlines and schedules as much as we need time to ‘do nothing’.
- Decreases stress (decreases cortisol production)
- Reduces sleeplessness
- Reduces depression
- Decreases blood pressure
- Reduces anger
- Increases happiness
- Increases concentration
- Boosts immune system
- Increases the amount of NK (natural killer cells)
There is solid science behind these claims. Dr. Qing Li , an immunologist in Japan, has been conducting research for several years. For an overview of his science check out this YouTube video interview of Dr. Qing Li. He has also written a book: Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness.
Forest Bathing: How Often
In listening to Dr. Qing Li, we learned that he discovered that part of the secret is the volatile oils given off by the trees, so forest bathing must literally include trees! Further, spending time in an actual dense forest creates a much longer-lasting effect than an urban park.
His studies taught us that the effects of spending an hour or so in a real forest last from 2 weeks to one month. He states that once a week in an urban park with trees should be adequate to maintain the effects.
I believe, however, that once you begin to add forest bathing to your regular routine, you’ll want to spend as much time as you can out there–deepening your own special connection with nature!
For more information on just how being in nature can improve mental health, you might enjoy this article. You might also enjoy this article on Hiking for Mental Health.
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A Nature Hike Improves Mental Health
Can taking a nature hike improve mental health? According to several current scientific studies, it can! Deadlines. Schedules. Concrete. Traffic. Cell Phones. Email. Cubicles. Windowless offices. Stress. Just writing the words has me feeling tight, pinched, and stressed! Even when we love our jobs and our lives, we need to make time for rest and renewal.
More and more studies are proving that time in a natural setting on a regular basis is the best way to reboot. Here are 10 ways that a hike in the woods can improve your mental health.
1. Hiking Boosts Endorphins
Endorphins are a feel-good hormone. They are released by the body as a natural pain killer — ie: when you’re walking uphill on the trail. Studies show that as little as 20 minutes of exercise is all it takes to get a boost of endorphin.
2. Hiking Boosts Serotonin
Serotonin has many roles and purposes in our bodies, but for this discussion we’re looking at its role as a mood regulator. Serotonin is a chemical produced in the body, mostly in the gut. Its production and release requires exposure to sunlight.
Besides sunlight your body also requires tryptophan to produce serotonin. How do you get tryptophan? It’s in the trail mix of nuts, seeds, and dark chocolate that makes a perfect hiking snack! So make sure to pack some along on your hike along with a banana. Take a break, have a snack, absorb some sun on your skin and get your serotonin levels humming!
3. A Nature Hike Reduces Cortisol Levels
Cortisol is a regulator. It helps us keep a rhythm of day and night. Our constant exposure to the blue light used in technology; computers, cell phones, TVs, etc., tricks our body into thinking it is perpetually morning.
There is a difference in the light of morning and the light of evening. Morning light is blue and causes a rush of cortisol to wake us up and get our day going. At night the light is a soft orange, signaling the reduction in cortisol so that we can wind down and go to sleep.
Spending time in nature, no matter what time of day, can help our bodies reset the cortisol cycle.
4. Time in Nature Increases Our Level of Negative Ions
Ions surround us. There are both positive and negative ions found naturally in our living world. In a perfect environment, they are balanced. However, in our current world we are constantly bombarded by excess positive ions emitted by all of our electronic gadgets and gizmos. We are out of balance.
Time in nature can even out that balance. Forests, waterfalls, and the ocean all create an abundance of negative ions!
5. A Nature Hike Boosts Our Oxygen Levels
We all learned this is school, but how often do we think about it as adults? Trees breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen! Yep, get out in an area with plenty of trees and you get an oxygen boost. A bit of exercise, deeper breaths, and increased oxygen levels can amount to boosting brain power and creativity.
Science has also shown us that there are essential oils called phytoncides released into the air from trees and plants. Breathing in these naturally occurring phytoncides helps not only to boost your immune system, but also to assist in stress reduction.
6. Walking Meditation is Easier in Nature
Meditating while walking in nature can have tremendous benefits. It’s much easier to focus on being mindful and present when your body is engaged in physical activity. Many people who struggle with seated meditation have no problem with walking meditation. There’s something about the forward motion of your body that causes your mind to move forward as well.
7. A Nature Hike Allows A Closer Connection to Nature
Spending time in nature, taking your time, and noticing all of the awe-inspiring wonder around you can help you feel connected. We forget because we are so isolated from nature most of the time, but we are nature. Loneliness abounds in our society. We can feel most alone in a crowd of people. That kind of loneliness comes from disconnection. While we absolutely still need close relationships with people in our lives, there is a vital connection to be had in nature as well.
We can find a sense of our belonging to nature. The exciting part? It takes time. Developing a connection to nature doesn’t happen overnight–it takes time and commitment, just like any long-term relationship. The more time you spend in that connection, the more in love with nature you become and, . . . the bigger that sense of belonging becomes.
8. Creative Thinking Gets a Boost From A Nature Hike
There are multiple studies that show spending time in nature and away from technology can boost your ability to solve problems in a more creative way by up to 50%. Taking away the noise of the city and your office allows you time to think, increasing both your memory and your ability to use creative problem-solving skills.
9. Nature’s Antidepressant Bacteria
Soil can make you happy and smarter! Scientists have discovered a bacteria called Mycobacterium vaccae. This beneficial bacteria resides in the soil and works like an antidepressant in our system. It works on many chemical levels that are still being studied, but we now know that it affects serotonin in a positive way, giving our brains a boost as well as our mood.
How do we access this miracle microbe? Hiking along a dirt path through the forest causes the bacteria to be released from the soil as we walk. We breathe it in. Playing with our hands in the dirt both releases it to our lungs as we breathe, and also through our skin through direct contact. Give yourself permission to get dirty and enjoy those antidepressant effects!
10. Forests Buffer Noise
Sounds — man-made sounds, . . . we are inundated by the sounds of traffic, sirens, construction equipment, lawn mowers, as well as the constant hum of computers, video games, and TV. This constant noise takes a toll on our physical bodies as well as our minds.
Step out into the forest where the trees and underbrush filter out much of that man-made noise. Listen to the sounds of wind through the trees, singing birds, and hear the crunch of leaves under your feet. Giving your ears a break from the noise of the city is yet another way to boost brain power and increase your access to your own creativity.
Interested in the scientific studies? PubMed has over 100 studies on the health impacts of forest bathing (spending time in nature).
Now that you have 10 more reasons to get out in the woods and take a hike, what are you waiting for?!
It you liked this article, you might also enjoy this one.
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