Time in Nature 🌳

Time in Nature means spending about 20 minutes in a park, garden or other green space, with your phone tucked away. It is a simple pause: you step outside, surround yourself with trees, grass or plants, and let your attention rest on the living world around you.

To start small, pick one green spot near home or work and visit it at a consistent time, such as during a lunch break or after dinner. You can sit on a bench, stroll slowly, or simply watch the leaves. Research suggests sessions in the range of 20 to 90 minutes work well, so 20 minutes is a solid daily dose (Coventry et al., 2021).

A systematic review and meta-analysis of 50 studies found that outdoor nature-based activities improved depressive mood, reduced anxiety, and increased positive affect in adults, with the most effective formats lasting 8 to 12 weeks (Coventry et al., 2021). Another meta-analysis estimated that green space exposure is linked to an average 17% improvement in stress, depression and anxiety outcomes (Baskaran et al., 2025).

Even short visits may help. In one randomized trial, mentally fatigued athletes who spent 12.5 minutes in nature showed better heart rate variability and lower competitive anxiety than controls (Sun et al., 2024). A large survey across 18 countries also found that people who visited green spaces more often reported higher well-being and less mental distress (White et al., 2021).

There may be wider ripple effects too: in one experiment, a 15-minute park walk modestly increased donations to a conservation charity compared with watching a nature video (Flecke et al., 2024). Keep the habit easy, leave the phone in your pocket, and let the green do the work.