Do you enjoy a walk over the beach, relax over the sounds of chirping birds and love the smell of fresh flowers? If you can say yes to one of the above, you are definitely a nature lover. And we can’t help it. It is linked to our historical origins and therefore in our genes. However, with the never-ending increasing industrialization and urbanization, a glimpse of nature is sometimes hard to find, while nature has dozens of beneficial effects on our physical and mental well-being. This is how you can bring more nature, and therefore happiness, into your life.

The endless list of benefits

Research has shown us countless times that being in touch with nature has many psychological benefits. Nature looks wild, but actually, it has a recurring pattern and structure. So when being surrounded by nature, we do not have to think about what we are seeing, and our brain goes immediately into relax mode. Therefore, we create space in our head to think about other things and gives us the opportunity to come up with new thoughts and maybe creative and innovative ideas.

Every step counts as one

If all you have time for is a short plunge into nature, go for it. Every moment counts. Make a small detour through the park on your way home. Even if you’re all day at home, go outside and breathe in some fresh air. Or go for a late afternoon walk at the beach (lake, forest, whatever is near you). Find your small temple of nature close to home and visit it, even if a couple of minutes is all you have.

Get nature indoors

If you are a happy city citizen, don’t care too much about what we are going to say, but people living on the countryside are more often happier, healthier and experience less anxiety. Luckily, it does not take a lot of nature to do its job. According to research, a bit of nature is all you need, such as a flower in your living room, a plant on your balcony or in your garden, or a view on a tree across the street. Even fake nature seems to help. So, even if you do not have green fingers, a fake plant, a photo of your favourite beach, or watching a nature documentary will do the trick. However, real nature has an additional effect to stimulate you to be more active, for example, a walk through the forest.

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