For most of us, our lives are ruled by screens and artificial lights in the confines of brick and mortar. Eight hours a day, at least, we are pulled from the natural world and placed in a busy, digital and artificial land. It is so easy – I have done it myself – to get in the rhythm of work, home, work, home, work, home. We are missing out on a precious and therapeutic resource we have right under our feet – nature.

The benefits of nature has been recorded for decades. It has been proven to help with mental health problems including anxiety and depression, and shown to simply create a positive and calm mindset.

The practice of mindfulness has been linked to positive changes within the brain – the production of chemicals that changes our mood. Research has shown, by practising mindfulness, the grey matter of stress in your brain’s amygdala can become smaller. This area of the brain is known for regulating emotions such as fear and stress. Furthermore, research has also shown mindfulness can strengthen the pre-frontal cortex in your brain which takes on the responsibility of problem solving and controlling your emotions. Spending time within nature can have a restorative effect, calming influence and strengthen our focus on the present moment.

Engagement with the natural world doesn’t have to be perching at the top of a mountain, or booking a picturesque cabin in a forest, but more simply, and easily, using the resources close to you. Taking a moment in your garden, taking the dog for a walk or taking a Sunday morning stroll through the woods are all opportunities to become nature-full.

Here are a few ways to be mindfully nature-full:

• Permission: we are busy, busy, busy. Giving ourselves time to relax can overwhelm us with guilt – any chance of being mindful fades away. Give yourself the permission to take time out and alongside this, acceptance that it will encourage positive well-being and attitude for the rest of your day.
• Attention: place your attention on your sensory experience – smells, sounds, tastes, sights and sensations. When your mind wanders, bring it back to these experiences – they are your gateaway to being mindful.
• Acknowledgement: take a mental note of your sensory experience without judgement. Rain is a wonderful acknowledgement – often we take shelter and dread rain, but simply the feel on your skin without negative judgments can have such calming effects.
• Curiosity: embrace the freedom to explore and study details in nature.

Mindfulness and nature go hand in hand. Nature is a tool to develop a mindful state of being. The focus on sensory experiences without judgments trains our mind to accept rather than strive to control or change our present moment.

The existence of relaxing and therapeutic experiences are at the tips of our fingertips. The rustling leaves in a cold morning breeze. The mist that lingers on a winter day. The heat of the sun on our skin. The glistening dew on a crisp morning. Allow nature into your life and become mindfully nature-full.