One of the things I love the most about being outdoors is that it is a year-round opportunity to find adventure and renew my spirit. The impact of nature on our mental and physical health has been well-documented, and yet, it is easy to forget just how powerful it really is. Spending even a short time outdoors, whether it’s taking a leisurely stroll or a challenging hike, lowers your heart rate, improves your mood and memory, and reduces stress.

So how can you maximize the full benefits of spending time in nature?

The benefits of outdoor exposure

Before we dive into how to connect to nature, let’s first look specifically at the mental and physical impact of the outdoors. Reducing stress is right up there as one of the top benefits of exposure to nature. I always feel like a short walk outside for some fresh air offers me a reset on my day and my headspace.

It makes sense that spending time outdoors also improves mental health. Do you notice how much better you feel mentally and emotionally after a few hours of hiking, fishing or just sitting on a bench in the park? Nature promotes positive emotions that help restore mental calmness and focus. There’s science that backs how nature generates creativity, calmness and joy. Sometimes my best ideas, even ones that have been sitting in my brain for some time, find new life during a spring walk in the park or watching a sunset.

The outdoors provides a natural anecdote to reduce anxiety and depression. When we spend time outdoors being active or even doing nothing at all but taking notice of the sights and sounds around us, we feel connected to nature which brings with it a sense of feeling grounded and having control in our lives.

While recognizing the physical, mental and emotional benefits of being in nature probably doesn’t take much convincing, the harder step is carving out the time and opportunity to take advantage of it.

Immersing the senses

Taking advantage of nature’s healing benefits starts with immersing the senses.

Focus on the colors of flowers or trees that you see, the scent of the season in the air, the feel of the cool or warm breeze and the sounds of songbirds. Focus in on nature’s IMAX screening of peacefulness and the soundtrack that comes with it. There’s nothing you must do in this moment but just observe what’s happening around you without earbuds, your phone or any other distraction.

Colors are powerful. Some studies show that even a few minutes of seeing green perks up the brain. It’s been shown that exposure to green (think grass and greenspaces) reduces stress by lowering cortisol levels, promoting relaxation and reducing blood pressure. Blue is also a powerful, calming color which might explain why most people feel at peace just sitting and staring at the ocean.

Do you ever notice how physically different you feel in the grey doldrums of mid-February versus the bright morning welcome of emerging spring when buds are on the trees and lush grass is ready to mow? Many studies have supported this phycological impact of nature’s colors on the brain and mood.

Sound does the same. Have you noticed how you feel while listening to the hectic sounds of traffic versus listening to ocean waves crash onto the shore or birds chirping in the park? Sounds can positively or negatively impact our cognitive state.

How much time in nature is beneficial?

The mental and physical benefits of being in nature are immediate. This can be done in a five-minute respite standing outside or during a five-hour hike. The quantity of time that you invest is less important than the quality of how you spend it.

What’s important to keep in mind to reap the benefits is committing to it in whatever increments are possible for you. For me, it’s a walk a lunch or a hike on a Saturday. For you it might be closing your eyes for a few minutes at the park or taking a stroll with a friend.

With so few certainties in life, we can count on this one – nature is healing in so many ways if you choose to make spending time in it a regular part of your life.