Six Outdoor Activities that Reduce Stress and Improve Mood
Outdoor Activities help reduce stress, anxiety and depression, and maybe even improve your memory. Although stress is something that everyone encounters, it is also something that you can easily reduce if you just put in a little effort.
What are You Worried About
Whether you are worried about your job, your family, money, or love, stress takes its toll on your body and your mind, but a little bit of outdoor activity every day can help lower those stress hormones and leave you feeling much better.
Spending time outside does not have to be just for those who enjoy hiking in the woods or riding their bike. There are plenty of activities that you can do outside that give you the benefit of leisure time, exercise, and spending time with friends while reaping the many benefits of being outside, breathing in the fresh air, and soaking up some natural vitamin D from the sun.
How Being Outdoors Reduces Stress
Science Daily reports as follows: ‘Taking at least twenty minutes out of your day to stroll or sit in a place that makes you feel in contact with nature will significantly lower your stress hormone levels. That's the finding of a study that has established for the first time the most effective dose of an urban nature experience. Healthcare practitioners can use this discovery, published in Frontiers in Psychology, to prescribe 'nature-pills' in the knowledge that they have a real measurable effect.’
If you're not sure what physical effects stress has on your health and wellbeing, it's time to find out now. Once you've done this you can read on, and find out how being outside in the fresh air can reduce stress.
Natural Light and Fresh air Boost your Mood
Sunlight increases the brain’s release of a hormone called serotonin. Serotonin is a mood-boosting hormone and helps a person feel calmer and more focussed. Melatonin, on the other hand, is released when it’s darker and this helps you to sleep.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
A shortage of exposure to the sun has been associated with a fall in your serotonin levels, which can lead to major depression. This is called seasonal affective disorder (SAD). You’re more likely to experience this type of depression in countries where the days are short and there’s a lack of sunshine in winter.
A number of treatments are available for seasonal affective disorder (SAD), including cognitive behavioural therapy, antidepressants and light therapy. With light therapy, a light box mimics natural sunlight that stimulates the brain to make serotonin and reduces excess melatonin.
Give your Mind a Rest with Outdoor Activities
The outdoors belongs to all of us. ‘You don't need any special equipment — the outdoors is available wherever you are, just outside your door,’ says Tina Vindum, a faculty member of the American Council on Exercise and the author of Tina Vindum's Outdoor Fitness: Step Out of the Gym Into the Best Shape of Your Life.
Your Mind is Aware of the Changing Terrain
‘When you exercise outdoors, your mind is aware of the changing terrain. Whether you use the hills, the sand on a beach, or a winding path, your mind has to focus differently than it would on a flat gym floor.’
~ Tina Vindum's Outdoor Fitness: Step Out of the Gym Into the Best Shape of Your Life.
Tina has a fabulous YouTube channel with lots of outdoor activities and exercises.
Take a 30 Minute Break Outdoors
Hiking, climbing, running or walking along outdoor trails or on a beach, can make your body feel revitalised. Just moving at a steady pace for a half hour can make you feel like you’ve had a holiday. Researchers at Stanford noted that participants who spend time in nature during outdoor activities showed less neural activity in the part of the brain associated with depression compared to people who are indoors a lot.
Six Stress-Reducing Outdoor Activities
Yoga
You may not immediately think of yoga when you think ‘outdoor activity’, but you might want to reconsider. Not only is yoga a fantastic way to reduce stress and relieve tension, but outdoor yoga combines these benefits with the added advantages you get from spending time in the fresh air out with nature. Yoga is great for people of all skill and ability levels because it can be easily adapted to fit where you are in your current practice, and outdoor yoga is gaining in popularity. Whether you like doing your own routine, get your training from streaming sources, or you prefer a class, you can find an outdoor yoga practice that works for you.
Biking
Many people with joint issues or other limitations find that biking is the perfect activity for them. Biking is a minimal impact activity that also has benefits your health and lung health. Those who engage in cardiovascular activities like biking have lower stress levels because this type of exercise produces serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps you cope with stress while boosting your mood. Biking allows you to explore where you live from a new perspective and can help you meet new people, too.
Gardening
Playing in the dirt is not just fun for kids! The act of planting something and tending to it as it grows not only reduces stress but also helps relieve depression. Spending time outside, enjoying fresh air and sunshine while you plant and tend to your garden enables you to relax, makes you feel more connected to nature, and provides you with a sense of purpose and accomplishment when your labours are rewarded with flowers, vegetables, fruits, or beautiful, green plants.
Water Sports
Spending time on or near water is a tremendous stress reliever. There are many ways to enjoy water, including swimming, canoeing, kayaking, paddle boarding, surfing, and snorkeling. Whether you live near a pond, a lake, a river, the ocean, or a swimming pool, taking advantage of water sports is a terrific way to relax and lower your stress levels.
Walking
Simple walking is a wonderful way to increase your activity levels as well as reduce stress. Walking can be very meditative, which helps decrease tension and help you cope with worry. Walking your dog gives you and your furry friends time in the outdoors, and those who regularly walk their pets have lower levels of stress hormones.
Playing Outdoors
Play isn’t just for kids and it’s a surprisingly effective way to improve your health and reduce your stress levels. So if you have children be sure to get outside and play with them as much as possible. Ball games are always a fun activity but the sky is the limit.
Even if you don’t have children you can always join in with other family members or just get a group of adults together. Just let your hair down and bring your inner child out.
Final Thoughts about Outdoor Activities
No matter the causes of stress in your life, taking time out of your day to spend moments outdoors can help reduce your stress and leave you with an improved outlook. The more active your outdoor activities are the more endorphins and feel-good hormones you will release while you are also getting the physical health benefits of increased exercise.
Do remember that you should wear the correct footwear and be careful to look after your feet. In addition to these outdoor activities, you must take control of your life in order to reduce stress.