In a recent outdoor therapy session, a client shared what she noticed while walking on the trail. The way the light shimmers on the water, the tree branches swaying, the leaves rustling and how the trees are different from each other. She felt calm. Relief. Belonging. Awe, looking around at how “big” the world is. Her problems felt slightly smaller on the walk back.

For many people, this time of year can be hard on your mental health. The sun sets earlier as the skies get cloudier and the temperature drops. Seasonal depression can set in, bringing down our mood and energy. We might feel more sluggish and want to retreat inside. But even as we enter a darker and colder season, we can turn to nature to keep seasonal mental health shifts at bay.

Many of us know instinctively that being outside is good for us. For generations, parents have been urging their kids to go outside and play. But how does time in nature help us? And what can we do to reap those benefits at this colder and darker time of year?

Research shows that spending time in nature – parks, mountains, urban green spaces – can significantly improve our mental health and well-being. Nature exposure has also been shown to improve sleep and improve a sense of community and connection, both of which not surprisingly also improve our mental health. These effects exist from exposure to nature alone. Now, imagine what we could do if we could bring evidence-based therapies into this space?

Spending time in nature can boost mental health, even among therapists

We are clinical psychologists who have been working in the field of evidence-based mental health care for decades. Michal Moskowitz, PhD – a clinical psychologist at Rockville Internal Medicine Group in Maryland – practices in primary care, both in the office and outdoors. Jessica Magidson, PhD – associate professor of psychology and director of the Center for Substance Use, Addiction & Health Research (CESAR) at the University of Maryland – is a professor researching how to bring evidence-based mental health care to communities, inside and out.

We have independently observed how spending time in nature can boost mental health and well-being across many settings, patient populations and even among providers. We believe that moving mental health care outside the four walls of the office can further improve therapy outcomes while also supporting therapist well-being. Yet now is a time that people tend to move indoors, despite these benefits of nature exposure.

As clinical psychologists trained in nature informed therapy, we share here five evidence-based strategies for staying connected with nature to support your mental health and get ahead of the winter blues – with or without a provider by your side.


5 ways to connect more with nature (and your mental health)

Turn discomfort into an opportunity. We might be inclined to stay inside as days grow shorter and the temperature drops, when sensations we feel outside are not 100% pleasant. But with the right layers, you can go outside in almost any conditions (there’s no bad weather, only inappropriate clothing!) It’s an opportunity to practice noticing thoughts and sensations and responding to them appropriately (with rain boots and a jacket, perhaps) instead of fighting them. And by opening yourself up to minor discomfort, you’re also opening yourself up to the rich opportunities inside it.

Tune into your senses. The outdoors is a sensory-rich environment. When the wind blows, we can feel the air on our face, see the tree branches waving, hear their rustling and smell scents carried through the air. Notice what you see, smell, hear and feel as you walk or sit. When we pause and notice our surroundings through our senses, we get out of our minds and into our bodies. We feel more alert, more alive and often more relaxed.

Open up to awe. An experience of awe makes us feel wonder, amazement and a sense of connection with something bigger than ourselves. Tuning into awe brings delight. It can help interrupt our cycles of rumination and bring a much-needed sense of perspective. The good news is you don’t need to visit the Grand Canyon or witness a double rainbow to experience awe. If you slow down and look around, you can experience awe through the nearby nature around you. Now that it’s dark early, gaze up at the stars at night. With the leaves falling, look for birds’ nests in the newly visible branches.

Take your thoughts on a walk. When our bodies are stuck sitting inside the same four walls, our minds easily get stuck in their “four walls” as well. When we are walking outside, our minds are more open, and we have an increased ability to generate new ideas and find creative solutions to our problems. Prominent novelists, scientists and philosophers have developed their ideas through walking in nature. If you’re lucky enough to have access to a stream, pause there and watch the leaves blowing off the trees and drifting down. Imagine your thoughts are like those leaves. Step back from your thoughts as you watch them drift and then settle; it can help us get a bit of space from our thoughts.

Connection. Cold weather and the darker days may make us want to withdraw, but this can feed into feeling down. When we spend time outdoors, especially with other people, we reap the double benefit of nature plus social connection (or triple benefit, if we do something active together!) You may notice it can feel easier to open up and talk to someone when you’re walking side by side as opposed to sitting face-to-face. Outdoor social activities also provide opportunities for shared experiences of joy and awe. Try going for a walk with a friend instead of meeting for coffee. Toss a ball around in the backyard or park. Sit around a firepit together at night.

Get outside, try it out, and most importantly, don’t wait until you feel ready to do it. Taking that first step outside may be the only thing that will do the trick.