While you may not be spending too much time outdoors lately given the blistering temperatures, new research suggests that spending as little as 10 minutes a day in nature could have a positive effect on mental health.

That’s nuts. Think how much time we spend trying to decide what to watch on Netflix, or looking for a parking spot, or waiting for our computer to reboot sometimes—10 minutes is a relative drop in the bucket.

The study, which was published in Ecopsychology, looked at 30 years of past research exploring the side effects of time spent outdoors and found that specifically spending time near water (rivers, lakes, oceans, etc.) as well as camping, farming and gardening all had the greatest positive effects on mental health. (For city dwellers: Urban parks were also found to be beneficial as well as bringing nature indoors via plants.)

While this particular study was specifically aiming to identify strategies to support those who currently have a mental health diagnosis, there is plenty of research suggesting that time spent in nature has positive effects on our wellbeing regardless of whether mental health is a struggle or not.

Below is a look at three of those benefits:

Optional sound of birds chirping included for some indirect nature effects.

Reduced stress

There’s a fair amount of research that suggests that spending more time outdoors has an effect on our physiological state by reducing stress hormone levels.

This includes cortisol levels, which have been shown to have detrimental effects on our mood, energy levels, and sleep. Sustained high levels of cortisol have also been linked with mental health diagnoses such as depression, anxiety and PTSD.

So if we can get outside more and smell the air, touch the grass, watch the birds, we can ideally counteract some of the physiological effects of stress, which is then going to affect our mental health.

This is especially important in times when we’re dealing with more stress or more stressors than normal, which can happen and doesn’t mean that we’re doing anything wrong or that we’re even contributing to the stress. Sometimes life is just life, and it’s more stressful than usual, so turning to nature can be a helpful tool.

Better focus

Being outside, ideally without electronics, can also help us to ground into the present moment because there are fewer distractions, and the more grounded and present we are, the better able we are to focus.

Increased ability to focus not only helps us to alleviate stress because it makes it easier to problem-solve and manage one thing at a time, but it can also help us to train our minds.

For example, if we’re consistently distracted by emails, social media, to-do lists, social engagements, etc., it can be harder to recognize unhelpful or negative thinking patterns because our minds are so busy. Those thought patterns, even if we’re less aware of them, can then contribute to things like anxiety, depression or just being in a funky mood.

When out in nature and appreciating the surroundings or even tuning into our senses, we can usually turn down the mental chatter easier, and the quieter our mental space is, the better able we are to discern helpful from unhelpful thoughts, and focus on the helpful ones.

Increased creativity

Spending time in nature can also have positive effects on our cognitive abilities, including our ability to think creatively.

For example, a 2012 study of Outward Bound students found a 50% boost in their creative thinking abilities after spending four days on a hiking excursion. That is a significant jump after not even a week spent in a natural setting.

“Nature is a place where our mind can rest, relax, and let down those threat responses,” Ruth Ann Atchley, a psychology professor who conducted the study, said in a press release at the time. “Therefore, we have resources left over—to be creative, to be imaginative, to problem solve—that allow us to be better, happier people who engage in a more productive way with others.”

Why is increased creativity beneficial for mental health?

In this case because it allows for more flexible thinking. For example, let’s say we’ve been struggling with an issue or problem for days or even weeks and we can’t seem to make any headway on what to do about it.

Essentially we’re stuck, like the tape player in our mind is jammed. Likely we keep coming to the same conclusions or we can’t seem to identify alternative solutions.

If we get a boost in our creative ability, though, we might start to approach the problem differently. All of a sudden a way is made when we couldn’t see one before because we are able to think differently or see the issue differently.

So in conclusion: It can be easy to forget how restorative and healing nature is and so easy to take nature for granted these days, but, as legendary nature painter Bob Ross said, "There's nothing wrong with having a tree as a friend."

Additional Takes on the Benefits of Nature

“Nurtured by Nature” via the American Psychological Association

“How Exposure to Nature Influences Creativity” via Psychology Today

“Nature: A Key Ingredient for Mental Health” via Pew

Do you struggle with the idea of journaling? Maybe staring at a blank page feels intimidating, or maybe you don't know where to begin and hate the idea of doing it "wrong?"​ 

While journaling can mean different things to different people, at its core, it offers a chance for self-reflection or a chance to slow down and tune into our own inner worlds ( versus everything going on around us).   

If you’re seeking a structured way to self-reflect, the Non-Journal Journal removes the blank page and provides a roadmap with guided prompts to help you check in mentally, emotionally and physically.