Why spending time in nature is good for you

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Perhaps you have a tale of how nature helped you feel better? Mine started by walking a daily loop around the main road, suburban cut-throughs and rural trails near our home.

We were in a Covid lockdown, and isolation from friends and families was unravelling my mental state. My wife, Alice, persuaded me that daily short walks would make a difference, as she’d point out to me the plants that were newly blooming, the butterflies and dragonflies now flitting among them. It turned out we weren’t alone in a frozen world. We were still part of something, in nature.

I’ve had a deeper relationship with nature since then, and this has kept me grounded. I run, hike, camp and, above all, I notice and better appreciate the world around me. Plants that I once saw as mere scenery have names, meanings and a valued place in the year.

The benefits of being outdoors

2020 was a recent high point in our relationship with the natural world. Four years later, over a million fewer people in the UK were gaining health benefits from time spent outdoors.

We would do well to reverse that trend, as it’s increasingly clear that nature provides us with a many-flowered meadow of benefits to body and mind. The growth in popularity of forest schools is one testament to the benefits children gain from spending time outside.

“I believe in the concept, because we see clear differences in children who have not had regular outdoor exposure prior to joining us,” says Hayley Ramsden of Greenglade Day Nursery and Forest School, Hipperholme, West Yorkshire. “Children who attend forest school are more able to regulate their emotions, and they can engage in imaginative play for longer periods.

“The children are able to expand on their physical skills such as balance, coordination and strength by climbing, running on uneven ground and lifting natural objects. They also develop stronger problem-solving skills and are able to work well as a team. Spatial awareness is also developed due to learning how to navigate around obstacles.”

It seems an ideal way to counter a recently theorised condition: nature deficit disorder. This term was coined by author Richard Louv to describe “the costs of alienation from nature,” which are said to include “diminished use of the senses, attention difficulties, conditions of obesity, and higher rates of emotional and physical illnesses.”

“Many children travel frequently by car and often spend indoor time in places like soft play gyms. As a result, they can struggle when first introduced to open-ended natural spaces like the forest,” explains Ramsden.

“Whenever we are unable to go outside due to safety concerns or extreme weather, we notice a significant impact on the children’s behaviour, self-regulation, and overall well-being.

Even adults experience a difference when we’ve been stuck indoors. We get a sense of ‘cabin fever’ too.”

The proven benefits

Gardeners, religious groups, philosophers, theorists and many others throughout history have upheld the good that is to be found in nature. Increasingly, health providers and wellness businesses are cottoning on, with mental health services now advising patients to spend time outdoors and spas offering nature experiences. There’s a growing body of academic and medical research to describe the mental and physical benefits, including:

Improved mental health. This can stem from many aspects of time in nature. For example, sunlight has been shown to activate the synthesis of serotonin and reduce depression.
Relaxation. A short period of time in nature reduces levels of stress hormones including cortisol.
Circulatory health. Exposure to nature lowers our heart rate and blood pressure.
Bone health and immunity. Our skeleton and immune system are supported by vitamin D, which is gained mostly from direct sunlight.
Better sleep. Exposure to sunlight helps regulate our circadian rhythm, which is a dovetailing of biological processes (from hormone release to digestion) that make us feel awake or sleepy at certain times.

Nature on prescription

A growing appreciation of nature’s benefits gave rise to the cross-government Green Social Prescribing programme, which ran from April 2021 to March 2025. More than 8,000 people with mental health needs were prescribed nature-based activities, ranging from group walks and outdoor exercise classes to gardening and conservation work.

This resulted in an average self-reported happiness increase from 5.3 to 7.5 on a 10-point scale. The nationwide average is 7.4, so people who entered the scheme relatively unhappy ended up happier than most.

“Some people were referred by GPs and social prescribing link workers, while others came through charities, community groups and self-referral,” says Charlotte Osborn-Forde, Chief Executive of the National Academy for Social Prescribing.

“There were statistically significant improvements in happiness and life satisfaction, reduced anxiety, and an uptake rate of 85% when people were offered a green prescription. The independent evaluation also found that it was cost effective.”

According to Osborn-Forde, a green social prescription can provide varying benefits to different people.

“The activities are often social, so participants who are lonely and isolated form lasting and meaningful relationships,” she says.

“Activities like gardening or volunteering on a farm also give people a sense of achievement as they are making a difference. People learn new skills and are able to be creative. Other projects help people to get exercise, through walking, swimming or yoga.”

Although the government pilot has ended, the National Academy for Social Prescribing is now supporting interested health practitioners, organisations and community groups through its NHS Green Social Prescribing Toolkit.

How to make the most of time in nature

Even if you can’t access a local green social prescribing opportunity, you can hopefully tap into some of the benefits of spending time in nature. It could be as simple as eating your lunch in the garden, or going for an occasional walk.

“It’s the moments, not just the minutes, that truly matter,” says Amber Potter-Merrick, public engagement producer at the National Trust.

“While access to natural spaces is important, it's our connection to nature that brings lasting benefits. These include improvements in both mental and physical health, as well as taking action to help nature.”

Potter-Merrick suggests making simple efforts to connect with nature, where you notice it. That could mean watching wildlife, listening to birdsong, smelling wildflowers, or taking photos of landscapes and living things. Even cloud watching is a connective experience.

The benefits of this natural relationship are societal and ecological, as well as personal.

“A strong connection to nature is linked to greater social cohesion, better academic achievement in schools, and enhanced workplace productivity,” says Potter-Merrick.

“Research shows that if children and young people can engage with nature early in life, they grow up to care about the natural world and are more likely to take action to protect it.”

As I’ve learned, just going for a walk and noticing nature is enough to make a difference. If you’d like to make a similar change but don’t know where to start, Potter-Merrick advises listening to the National Trust’s Wild Tales nature podcast.

Other pathways include community conservation projects, running, cycling or walking groups, campsites, allotments, your local park, or just about any place where there’s life. That’s the beauty of nature: it’s all around us, waiting to be seen.