Outside In: Nature, Mental Wellness, & You
By Yordanos Tesfazion
No two individuals have the same relationship with the outdoors. For some folks, long weekends at the campground or annual backpacking trips are the norm. For others, a stroll at the nearest public park or the occasional road trip to the beach may be the preferred way to connect with nature. Regardless of experience, making the deliberate choice to spend time outside is a rewarding practice that brings life-changing benefits.
At Seattle Parks Foundation (SPF), one of our core strategic priorities is Activated Parks and Healthy People. Research shows that spending time outdoors has a significant impact not only on our physical health, but on our mental health as well. That’s why we strive to make parks and other outdoor public spaces in Seattle safe, engaging, and welcoming gathering areas, because healthy parks and public spaces create healthy people.
Thanks to the social and medical progress of the past few decades, mental health in the United States is no longer as heavily stigmatized as it once was. Today, having open, honest conversations about mental health struggles and seeking professional help is much more common and even encouraged. While Mental Health Awareness Month is coming to an end, we want to keep those conversations going!
Nature as Nurture
The World Health Organization defines mental health as a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community. While several external factors such as social environments, family history, lived experiences, and physical health can profoundly influence our mental health, there are still steps we can take to care of our mental well-being.
Here are just a few ways prioritizing time outdoors and increasing access to public, green spaces can improve various aspects of our daily lives, ultimately having a positive impact on mental health:
Decreases Screen Time
Living in an urban city like Seattle means that on average, residents are less likely to be connected to nature compared to those who live in rural areas. Since 80% of the U.S. population lives in urban environments and about 90% of our time is spent indoors, the same rings true about most people across the country. One of the most common culprits? Screens.
From our phones to our laptops to our televisions—we’re surrounded by screens. Humans are naturally social beings who prosper when exposed to the natural world, yet our smart devices make it too easy to opt out of it all. Excessive screen time has been linked to a variety of mental health challenges, including depression and anxiety. Swapping out pre-coffee timeline scrolls and nightly movie marathons with a few mindful moments outside—with your phone face-down—is a simple but effective step toward caring for your mental health.
Encourages Prosocial Behavior
Prosocial behavior is the opposite of antisocial behavior, defined by the American Psychological Association as behavior that benefits one or more other people, such as helping an older adult crossing the street. So, where does nature come into the equation? For years, experts have proven that exposure to nature is associated with increased cooperation and environmentally sustainable behaviors.
Several studies, including a 2024 study in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, connect that prosocial behavior to self-transcendence, the state in which an individual is able to look beyond themself and adopt a larger perspective that includes concern for others. When paired together, prosocial behavior and self-transcendence manifest in empathetic, generous actions that, in turn, can help boost one’s mood.
Boosts Cognitive Health
An apple a day keeps the doctor away…and an hour of nature might do the same! Whether you’re in a natural or urban environment, making a habit of taking yourself outside for an hour a day can significantly improve cognitive health and enhance the brain’s ability to learn, concentrate, retain information, build skills, and make decisions.
That hour outdoors guarantees us the space to decompress and catch a break before or after a long day of using our brains. However, experiments reveal that natural environments are more impactful in improving cognitive health in comparison to urban environments—which is why green space advocates are so adamant about urban cities incorporating more green spaces across all neighborhoods.
Reduces the Risk of Mental Illnesses
Naturally, spending less time behind a screen, engaging in prosocial behavior, and regularly scheduled mental resets in the outdoors are healthy habits that can help regulate the body’s sleep-wake cycle, foster relationships, promote altruism and happiness, keep stress and anxiety at bay, refuel our brains, and more. In sum, going outside and connecting with nature is a preventative measure with endless upsides that all lead to one key advantage: reducing the risk of mental illnesses.
Adding intentional, daily outdoor experiences to our lives is one of the few changes we can make to help counterbalance the effect that our social environments, family history, lived experiences, and physical health may have on our mental health.
Switch Up Your Routine
Enjoying the mental health benefits that come with spending time in nature doesn’t require you to participate in demanding outdoor recreational activities or spend all your leisure time outside. Start by identifying the brief periods of spare time you may have during your day: when you have your morning coffee, a lunch break, or a slow evening. Switch things up and plan which breaks can be spent outside strolling around the block, sitting on the patio, or grabbing a bite outdoors.
Maximize your time outside by leaving your car at home whenever possible, adjusting your workout routine to exercise outside more often, or taking on a hobby like gardening or an outdoor sport. Research suggests that if you’re intentional about how you spend your time outside, simply existing in nature—outdoor picnics, basking in the sun on a beach towel, etc.—is enough to help the mind begin healing.
Don't Know Where to Start?
- Cascadia Forest Therapy (free public sessions are available)
- Art Walks
- Attend an event at Waterfront Park
- Shop at the farmers market: Seattle Farmers Market Association, Seattle Neighborhood Farmers Market
- Volunteer at a restoration work party: Upcoming events
- Plan ahead for our free Pop-Up Concerts in the Park series
Access is Key
Not everyone is granted the opportunity to gradually develop an affinity for nature. Due to discriminatory policies, low-income and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities have less access to green spaces, one of the many contributing factors to health disparities in the United States.
In some instances, culture or family history may draw people away from the outdoors. At our recent Earth Day panel on Seattle’s Innovation and Leadership in Climate Equity, Mickey Fearn connected the generational trauma of African Americans to biophobia, the fear of living things that leads to an aversion to nature. Overall, a lack of early contact with nature can influence the amount of time people spend outdoors and their attitudes toward protecting the planet.
At SPF, we support a wide variety of community partners who create purposeful opportunities for people to engage with nature through environmental job trainings, youth-centered sustainability programming, guided outdoor recreational activities, and local efforts advocating for greener infrastructure, protecting Seattle’s tree canopies, and numerous other efforts!
The collective leadership of those at DIRT Corps, Duwamish Valley Sustainability Association, Montañistas de Washington, Outdoor Asian Washington, Georgetown Open Space Committee, Tree Equity Network, and many other partners, show us what’s possible when we work together to bring green spaces and experiences to all communities.
The undeniable impact nature has on our mental health is evident to professionals like city planners, parks department employees, healthcare workers, environmental advocates, and community organizations—but what about you?
Before you go and touch some grass, remember this:
“If you’re not paying attention to the environment you’re in, even three hours a day may not do much good.” – Dr. Aimee Daramus, Pop Sugar