Why You Feel So Good After Spending Time Outside
I love being outside. Since moving from Washington, D.C. to Colorado, I’ve grown a serious adoration for the mountains and a passion for pushing myself to new heights. Literally, heights. I got into rock climbing within the first few months of my move, and have been hooked ever since. And hiking gained a new meaning for me once I summited my first 14er (a mountain whose highest point is above 14,000 ft in elevation).
I drink up the beautiful views first and foremost. I feel a sense of accomplishment and power in the physical exertion of being outside. And I am refreshed by crisp mountain air. I always feel SO good when I come back from a weekend of outdoor adventures, or even just a morning run outside.
But, I don’t think I’m the only person that also drags her feet when the opportunity to get outside arises after a long day or week of work. If you’re like me, you may be thrilled at the idea of getting out for an adventure. But then you feel the pull of your massive to-do list back at home. It becomes hard to keep the excitement and commit to the adventure. Just before making my way outside, I often feel the leash of my responsibilities and the heat of my work burner at it’s highest setting!
And Yet...
The thing is, I ALWAYS feel infinitely better after getting outside. And that to-do list always shrinks back to its appropriate size and priority level.
Tell Your To-Do List It's For Your Health!
Once I successfully make it out the door, I’m forever grateful. Because being in nature is like getting an instant injection of serotonin and dopamine. All the good stuff shrinks that to-do list back to its rational size.
There’s a reason (actually many) why we feel so good after spending time outside. Let’s lay out ALL the reasons, so you can run through them in your head the next time your to-do list is trying to overshadow your awesome plans. We’re not letting the to-do list win again!
Nature is SENSE-ational
Being in nature stimulates just about all of our senses (taste included if you’re fully au natural). The way we see, hear, smell, and touch nature has a profound impact on our stress levels, attentional abilities, general sense of well-being, and so much more.
See Yourself Happier
There’s great variability in what natural scenery you may have access to. Whether it’s the trees lining your street, a neighborhood park, or the top of a mountain, your brain is benefitting from the images of nature. One study found that, just by moving to greener areas, people will experience lasting benefits to their mental health compared with those who move to less green areas.
And, if you ever experience “awe” when looking at the views around you, that’s even better for you!
A set of studies out of California found that experiencing awe has a direct relationship with increased feelings of general well-being and reduced levels of stress. The coolest part of this research was that it ran the spectrum of outdoor experiences. One study followed individuals who went on epic white-water rafting trips. The other followed college students through everyday experiences of being outside on campus, like seeing the sunset or reading a book under a tree. Both groups reported a boost in well-being in correlation with the awe they experienced.
Being in awe causes you to step outside of yourself. It’s humbling and puts life into perspective.
Hearing Like Cavemen
Not only does seeing nature reduce stress. Hearing does it, too!
Hearing pleasant bird songs and chirping is actually known to lower blood pressure and stress hormones. Deep in the primitive areas of our brains, we know that pleasant bird songs are a sign that all is well. If birds are chirping, there are no dangerous predators. No looming storms.
Smell Is Underrated
The sense of smell is actually so much cooler than it gets credit for. In the brain, most senses are first processed through the thalamus (the sensory switchboard). Smell, on the other hand, goes straight to the hypothalamus, which is responsible for our stress responses. After being processed, the signal is then sent to the amygdala, which houses our emotions and knowledge of threats. And to the hippocampus, which is responsible for our memories.
Therefore, the sense of smell is processed by our brain regions for detecting danger faster than all the other senses. So, when we smell smoke, our brains immediately sense that there’s a threat even before we see or hear signs of fire. Cue stress reaction.
In contrast, pleasant nature smells have a calming effect and have been found to lower markers of stress. One study administered an electric shock to participants followed by a range of nature smells vs. city smells. Participants given pleasant nature smells during shock experienced lower levels of stress at onset and quicker recovery after the shock.
You don’t have to shock yourself to reap the benefits of nature’s odors. Just know that those stress-reducing whiffs of grass, trees, and sea breeze are going straight to your hypothalamus.
How Often Do You Touch The Earth?
Have you heard of grounding? It’s the practice of standing or walking barefoot in the grass.
Why would you do this when you have perfectly good shoes to walk in?
There are a few theories, and they’re fascinating!
One theory suggests that, because the earth has a negative electrical charge, having contact with the ground helps us fight off free radicals. In this sense, walking barefoot could be providing us with the same benefits as antioxidants.
Another theory involves the good ole circadian rhythm. Grounding has been linked to reductions in inflammation and heart rate variability, and improved blood flow. These benefits assist with the regulation of our internal clocks, fighting off chronic disease and improving our sleep.
Whether you’re getting outside without your shoes or not, making time for physical connection with the earth appears to be a great way to feel good. Just writing about it makes me want to run outside barefoot right now!
Attention Restoration
What we hear, see, smell, and feel in nature typically creates a pleasant environment for us. This pleasant environment causes us to experience “attention restoration” in a way that we can’t typically access in our day to day life inside.
Indoors, our brains are constantly processing a barrage of competing stimuli. We’re hearing, seeing, smelling, and feeling so much that our “thinking brain” is in high gear.
This can go on pretty much nonstop every day until our heads hit our pillows.
When in nature, though, most of that stimulation disappears. We’re left with a pleasant level of sights, sounds, and smells that give our thinking brains a much needed break. Switching off the executive and highly attentive areas of our brains allows the default mode network (DMN) to take over. Researchers believe allowing the DMN to take over while outside is what helps to restore attentional abilities, and also to improve levels of creativity. Lower brain connections to the DMN have also been linked to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease.
Your Brain, Body, and Soul Will Thank You
Spending time outside is SO good for you!
When you feel the yank of your daily stresses pulling you away from your time in nature, you’re probably in serious need of a dose of the outdoors.
Research has supported that spending as little as 5 hours per month outdoors can have a significant positive impact on your mental well-being.
Now More Than Ever
With coronavirus still keeping our world on high alert, we’re experiencing heightened levels of anxiety and stress. Especially now, when social interaction is limited and negativity in the news is rampant, we need all the positive boosts we can get.
Prioritize your well-being by prioritizing getting time outside. Make sure to do so with respect. Bring a face covering, and leave no trace.
I’d love to hear how you get outside! In the comments below, share how you’re getting creative with your nature time during this wild year.
