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Guest Blog: Exploring the Health Benefits of Nature

Today I needed a break.

It was one of those days where I spent what seemed like forever glued to one spot, red eyes staring at my computer working hours upon hours on one project. I even spent extra time trying to put finishing touches on a paper! But it still didn’t feel right. It still wasn’t done. And I was tired.

Ornamental grasses planted in a bed beside a building and a sidewalk.
Photo by Syamon.

Do you have days like that, too? Where you just want to throw your homework across the room and go play outside? Me, too. I was so ready to give up, but lucky for me the clock struck 5:00 and I finally got to slam my laptop shut, pull my sneakers on, and go outside. I’d read in the Natural Inquirer that just looking at trees and grass can make you feel better, so I decided to put that to the test.

A small shrub with white flowers in a flower bed.
Photo by Syamon.

I walked around and made sure to take my sweet time. I smelled the newly bloomed hot pink roses and lily-white Indian hawthorne bushes. I reveled in the chirps of the birds in the trees and after petting a very nice golden retriever that definitely weighed more than me, I plopped down on the sofa by the neighborhood pool to read a book.

Rosebushes with bright pink flowers planted in a flower bed.
Photo by Syamon.

You would the think that the little girl cannonballing into the pool and the family playing cards at the table would distract me, but it was a welcome sight. It was nice to be able to wind down in nature with my neighbors around me, even if we were doing our own thing. Turns out the article in Natural Inquirer was right. Taking a break outside does make you feel better.


More Resources about Nature Health Benefits

Virtual Learning Adventure – Nature Health Benefits LIVE

A Green Bill of Health – Vol. 1 No. 26

Urban Forest – Vol. 6 No. 1

Where the Sidewalk Ends – Visitor Use of Natural and Landscaped Areas in Urban Parks

Wilderness 2.0 (Wilderness 50 Monograph Series) – Vol. 1 No. 10

Flower Power – Vol. 1 No. 7

Profile image of Syamon, Forest Service Resource Assistant and Blog Writer for the Natural Inquirer

Syamon

Syamon is a Forest Service Resource Assistant and Blog Writer for the Natural Inquirer. She is a natural homebody who is embracing the journey of connecting to nature everywhere, even if it’s just in her backyard. Her blog is a...