Sadly, most people spend more time indoors in front of screens than interacting with nature. Yet, scientific research has shown that spending two hours (or more) a week outdoors can provided significant improvements in well-being and reduced chronic health problems (White et al. 2019). The two hours can be as a single session or spread out over the week. It can occur in urban green spaces or remote wilderness areas. It is more important to explore and connect with nature than with the type of natural environment being explored.

However, for individuals new to exploring nature, it can be daunting to know where to explore, how to be mindful in your exploration, and how to safely explore different types of ecosystems. To help people new to exploring nature navigate these challenges, I have created guides and videos to demystify being in nature.

Although any interaction in nature can help improve your mental and physical health, incorporating mindfulness into your outdoor adventures can increase the benefits you receive from these experiences. Mindfulness is simply being present in the current situation, focusing your mind on where you are and the interactions you are currently experiencing. Unfortunately, our modern society and demanding schedules can make it difficult to focus on the present moment as our minds are often filled with overthinking the past and worrying about the future. Luckily, we can all develop our mindfulness skills and learn to be more aware and present in our daily interactions.

One way to develop these skills is to slow down and explore using mindfulness activities. My free Ten-Day Mindfulness in Nature Challenge provides different mindfulness techniques to aid you in learning to explore nature using a mindfulness approach.