By taking time to connect with nature and spend time in nature has profound benefits for mental, emotional, and physical health. From lowering blood pressure to reducing stress, boosting mood, and improving focus, time in nature restores and rebalances us. But in our modern world of screens and rushing from place to place its easy to forget how great it feels to spend time outdoors.

Introduction: Connect with Nature for Well-Being

Connecting with nature might seem like a privilege, but it doesn’t require a remote wilderness, expensive gear, or entire weekends set aside. Even small, simple practices can help reawaken our relationship with the living world around us.

Connect with Nature in a Park or Woodland Walk

Choose a green space, perhaps a local park, community garden, or woodland trail and walk slowly, without a goal or destination. Just let your senses lead. Feel the breeze, notice how the ground feels beneath your feet, observe how light filters through leaves. Leave your phone in your pocket and disconnect your headphones. This is about presence, not pace. So, if you want to level up your walk, try going barefoot. Feeling that connection to the earth, even briefly is profoundly grounding and calming.

Watch the Sunrise or Sunset

Set aside time to watch the sun rise or set. These moments are full of symbolism: renewal, closure, rhythm. Choose a quiet place to sit, bring a warm drink, and watch the sky shift, the colours change and the day begin or end. Let yourself feel part of the larger cycle of the day.

Find a patch of grass on a blue-sky day with a few fluffy clouds, lie down, and gaze upward. Watching clouds drift and change is very meditative. It slows the mind, engages the imagination, and invites wonder. What shapes do you see? Can you see any white fluffy creatures in the sky? What stories might the sky be telling? This is a lovely activity to do with children too and helps them to regulate, rest and use their imagination.

Sit Quietly and Connect with Nature by Listening to Birdsong

Birds are excellent reminders to pause and listen. Find a quiet space, on a bench, in your garden, even by an open window, and see what you can hear. Let your mind relax as you try to distinguish different calls and rhythms. You don’t need to know the names to enjoy the music. Our primitive brain knows that birdsong means safety, if the birds are happy and singing then you can relax. If you are interested in learning some bird songs, check out our YouTube video 10 Easy Bird Songs to Learn.

Grow Something to Connect with Nature

Tending to a plant, even just one, creates an ongoing relationship with the natural world. Even if you live in a small flat, growing herbs like basil or mint on your windowsill can bring the outside in and help you feel more connected to nature. Watering, observing, and nurturing are grounding rituals in themselves. It is always exciting to grow something from seed such as tomatoes – watch it germinate, grow, flower and fruit and enjoy the taste at the end!

Walk Barefoot on Grass or Soil

Most of us wear shoes all the time and insulate ourselves from the earth with the synthetic soles. This simple practice, often called “earthing,” is a powerful way to reconnect physically with nature and the earth itself. Walking barefoot on natural ground can help reduce stress and bring awareness back into the body. Notice the texture, temperature, and sensation as you walk slowly.

Observe Insects and the Tiny Details of Life

Spend a few minutes watching a single patch of ground, flowers, or leaves. Notice the ants busying themselves, bees searching for nectar, or beetles clambering over the earth. These small lives are part of a vast interconnected system and taking the time to observe them is humbling, fascinating and peaceful. If you are interested in learning more about insects, fungi and plants we have online courses that can help!

Collect Some Natural Treasures

While walking outdoors, notice what draws your attention. Perhaps a feather, a beautiful stone, or a colourful leaf. Collect a few items mindfully and bring them home. You can create a small nature altar, display, or simply keep them as tactile memories of your time outdoors. You could also arrange some items where you are for someone else to enjoy. 

Go Stargazing

On a clear night, step outside and look up. Even if you can’t see a perfect Milky Way, you might spot familiar constellations or a bright planet. Stargazing is a lovely way to stop, relax and contemplate your place in the universe. 

Keep a Nature Journal to Connect with Nature

Start a simple notebook where you record your experiences in nature. You can include written reflections, drawings, pressed leaves, or weather notes. Nature journaling helps you slow down, notice more, and build a long-term relationship with the changing seasons.

Practice Mindful Breathing Outdoors

Sit in a natural space, close your eyes, and bring your awareness to your breath. Feel the air enter and leave your body. Let the sounds around you anchor you to the moment, the rustling leaves, birdsong and breeze. This practice combines the benefits of mindfulness and nature immersion.

Eat a Meal Outside

Take your lunch, breakfast, or even a snack outdoors. Sit on a bench, blanket, or log, and eat slowly. Focus on the taste of your food and the environment around you. Eating in nature turns a daily routine into a nourishing ritual.

Sit by a Body of Water

Water has a naturally calming effect on the mind. Whether it’s a river, lake, pond, or the sea, sitting near water encourages reflection and calm. Watch how light moves on the surface, is it moving or still? What sound is it making? Enjoy noticing the details, and the relaxing feeling it brings.

Listen to the Wind in the Trees

Wind rustling through leaves is one of nature’s oldest and most soothing sounds. Take a moment to let it wash over you but try to tune in deeply. It may stir memories, clear mental clutter, or simply bring a sense of peace.

Connect with Nature by Creating Wild Art

Use leaves, sticks, feathers, stones, and other natural materials to make temporary, eco-friendly art in the wild. You could try spirals, mandalas, or patterns. But it’s not about the result; it’s about engaging with the land creatively and mindfully.

Notice Seasonal Changes

Choose a local path, tree, or patch of land, and visit it regularly. Watch how it changes through the weeks and months. Notice buds forming, leaves changing, mushrooms appearing, nesting. Repeated visits build familiarity and a sense of belonging. So take the opportunity to practice mindfulness or earthing whilst in a place you feel connected to.

Lie in the Sun and Be Still

On a warm day, find a peaceful spot to lie back and feel the sun on your face. Let your muscles soften and breathe deeply. Doing nothing in nature is a practice in itself and sometimes, the most healing. This is a brilliant way to calm yourself, de-stress and feel more connected to the world.

Volunteer for a Nature or Conservation Project

Many communities have local groups working on habitat restoration, litter picking, tree planting, or wildlife monitoring. Volunteering your time helps support the planet and deepens your connection through meaningful action.

Feed the Birds

Set up a simple bird feeder in your garden, balcony, or windowsill. Watching who visits can become a daily source of joy and curiosity. Keep a journal of bird visitors or try identifying them. Check you are giving them suitable food, such as seeds, nuts and mealworms, not bread.

Do a Sensory Check-In Outdoors

Stand or sit still in nature, look all around you, what do you see? Find at least 5 things. Then close your eyes and focus on one sense at a time. What do you hear? Smell? Feel on your skin? This sensory awareness brings you fully into the present and creates a stronger connection to the earth.

Connect With Nature in Your Way

Remember that to connect ith nature should feel natural, relaxing and not forced. You will need to set aside the time, and make the effort, but choose some activities that feel authentic to who you are. If you like stepping out of your comfort zone and trying new this is a great opportunity to try something relaxing and enjoyable. Reconnecting with nature doesn’t require big changes or remote locations. It begins with slowing down, noticing, and being open to the world around you. Whether you have five minutes or a free afternoon, these small practices can help restore your sense of calm, belonging, and inner balance.