5 Outdoor Activities That Promote Positive Mental Health

Gardening 

First up, an outdoor activity which you may be surprised to have shown to reduce depression and anxiety is gardening. We all know that exercise can have a positive effect on our mental health and by tasking yourself with gardening, you will get your daily exercise as well as take in the serene relaxing environment that the outdoors brings. The association between green spaces and better physical, social and mental health is so paramount that the famous British physician, Sir Muir Gray, said that “everyone needs a Natural Health Service as well as a National Health Service”. 

Try growing fruit and vegetables in your outdoor space as not only will this help to maintain a healthy diet, but provides high levels of satisfaction when you come to eat the crops that you’ve grown, giving a real sense of accomplishment assisting in a positive mental health attitude. 

Go Walking/ Hiking

It goes without saying that going for a walk is a great way to destress and have time to yourself. But on your next walk, try the five senses mindful exercise, this will help to keep you in the moment and concentrate on the things to look out for and promote a more positive mental health. This exercise requires you to look out for 5 things you can see, four things you can feel, three things you can hear, two things you can smell and one thing you can taste. There will obviously be places where you will struggle to think of things, however the more you carry out this exercise the more things you will notice. No matter where you are if you find yourself in a place of anxiety this is a great way to bring yourself back to reality and is not just to be used as an outdoor activity. 

If you’re looking for a more physically demanding exercise, hiking is another option to consider, having been found to promote happiness and calm amongst other benefits, this also had to make our list of outdoor activities to promote positive mental health. 

Woman Hiking In The Woods

Go Foraging 

Outdoor activities for positive mental health don't always have to revolve around exercise and can just focus on spending time outdoors in nature. Foraging is an activity that you can do to collect wild plants and flowers for free, whilst connecting with nature and the changes in what can be found between seasons. As long as you have the permissions to do so and you know what you are picking, this acts as a natural anxiety relief promoting a positive mental health attitude.   

Much like growing your own fruit and vegetables, foraging for food and flowers and seeing them in your home and on your dinner plate provides a great level of satisfaction for those that have taken part in the process. Please do not forget the competition - the animals. 

Go Swimming 

By getting into the open water, whether it be a lake or the sea, swimming releases endorphins from our brain which makes us feel good, helping us to deal with stress and pain. Pairing this with being in the fresh air and feeling the cold water on your skin, you’re on your way to positive mental health improvements. Swimming requires you to stay calm and focus on staying afloat. In turn, this helps to take our mind off any worries that we may be thinking of and produce deeper and longer breaths, relieving tension from our bodies. 

Yoga 

Similar to swimming, yoga also releases hormones to help with positive mental health, but this time the hormone is serotonin which controls your mood. When you begin to relax your body your brain will release serotonin helping to reduce the depressed feelings that a person is feeling. As well as this, we all know that yoga involves a lot of controlled breathing to help allow your body to relax, but combining this with certain yoga positions can help to reduce anxiety and stress and bring you back to the here and now, moving away from the thoughts and feelings you were previously experiencing. 

If you’re thinking about taking up one of these relaxing outdoor activities to promote positive mental health and want to make sure that you have the right equipment for these. LOWA boots are a great piece to invest in for many of these activities, whether it be gardening or hiking. LOWA boots provide great support and comfort to your feet and can assist in preventing injuries to your feet whilst wearing them. If you’d like to discuss which kind of LOWA boot would be most suitable for your prefered outdoor activities, don't hesitate to get in touch with us