How does your day go right now? Do you wake up, go straight to work, get through the day, and then just sort of collapse by the time you’re done? If that’s the case, you’ll probably feel a bit… tired at the very least, stressed probably, and potentially heading for total burnout. 

The fact is, modern life has made being indoors the usual, and your brain actually misses things like fresh air, light, the sounds of nature, and so on. So it’s a good idea to try to bring nature back into your routine where and when you can, and see what a difference it makes – and how calm it makes you feel. Read on to find out more. 

Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash

Light Changes Everything 

Natural light is one of the easiest and quickest ways to improve your mood, so it’s good to open your curtains as early as you can – it’ll be earlier in summer, of course, because the sun rises earlier, but as soon as you see sunlight outside, throw the curtains open and enjoy it inside. 

And if possible, move your desk so it’s close to a window. You might think that would be distracting, but it should actually make you more productive because natural light regulates your mood and helps you focus, so you’ll get more done. 

Bring Nature Into Your Routines 

A lot of people might assume that having more nature in your life means going outside a lot more to take long walks, or weekend hikes, or to get started on a complicated outdoor hobby, for example. And you can certainly do those things – and there are plenty of other options too. 

However, not everyone has the time to go all out like that, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still bring nature into your routines a little more. You could, for example, take your first coffee of the day outside (depending on the weather and time of year) and drink it there, or you could water your garden rather than picking up the phone and scrolling. You could even use natural materials in your everyday tasks, like having a wooden comb or a tampico brush so you’ve got nature in literally everything you do. 

Go Outside In Short Bursts

People really do underestimate how positive it can be to have brief, regular time outdoors, and the best thing about this idea is that you don’t have to spend loads of time doing it, and you don’t have to go very far. Instead, you can just stand on your doorstep between tasks, or taking a meeting while you walk around the block or the garden. And instead of switching on the TV after dinner, what about sitting outside for five minutes and getting some fresh air? 

The key is to do all these things (or at least some of these things) consistently, because then you’ll actually start to see the difference. Plus, over time you might build them up and get even more nature into your life.