Mental health

How powerful is the influence of nature on our mental health?

By Lucy Cleobury-Jones, Receptionist since August 2022Nature is a powerful and essential part of our world, providing not only a habitat for countless organisms but also food, balance, and healing for humans. This blog explores the mental and physical effects of nature, aiming to educate and inspire you to notice and appreciate what’s around you. …

3 December 2025

By Lucy Cleobury-Jones, Receptionist since August 2022

Nature is a powerful and essential part of our world, providing not only a habitat for countless organisms but also food, balance, and healing for humans. This blog explores the mental and physical effects of nature, aiming to educate and inspire you to notice and appreciate what’s around you.

Why Are We Drawn to Nature?

The Biophilia Hypothesis suggests that humans are pre-programmed to appreciate nature because we evolved in natural environments. This connection explains why being outdoors feels so beneficial. Research shows that nature creates chemical and spiritual balance within us, backed by substantial evidence. 

Nature’s Impact on Mental Health

  • Immersion in nature can make you feel calmer; some doctors even prescribe time in nature as a mental health intervention.
  • Walking in natural environments decreases negative thoughts and boosts serotonin, improving mood and lowering anxiety.
  • A study showed that when smelling pine forests, people’s heart rate went down, and they became calmer. Smelling Hinoki oil caused a hormonal response; Adrenaline and blood pressure decreased, and natural killer cells increased. These results meant that immune systems improved just from smelling the oils infused into the air. (Discovery – The Evidence: The nature of mental health – BBC Sounds)

Personal Perspectives: How Does Nature Make Us Feel?

I asked friends and Taylored Psychology clinicians how nature affects them, without mentioning mental health to get unbiased answers. Friends described feeling “calm,” “at peace,” “free,” and “escaping from harsh reality.” One friend shared:

‘stress seems to fade away quickly and big problems become small ones. The beauty of the natural world reminds me to slow down, breathe, and appreciate the simple things. It’s a feeling of calm and renewal for me and works brilliantly for my mental health.’

Taylored Psychology Clinicians echoed these sentiments, mentioning freedom, escapism, and calmness. Nature helps them reset, gain perspective, and feel connected to something greater. One Taylored Psychology member described nature as “restorative; a mental and physical break from the pressures of daily life.” 

It is amazing what looking up from your electronic devices can do for you and your view of the world by simply looking at what is around you.

Bringing Nature Into Everyday Life

Office jobs can feel detached from the world, but you can reconnect with nature in simple ways:

  • Grow plants at home, in gardens, or on balconies.
  • Enjoy nature outside or at home by listening to nature sounds or use scenic backgrounds for mindfulness and sleep.
  • Introduce nature-based scents into your home.
  • Go camping, sleep under the stars.  Live from nature’s resources, for instance try safe foraging.   Remember nature always provides.
  • Volunteer at local parks.
  • Encourage children’s appreciation and imagination through forest schools.
  • Use all your senses—see, hear, smell—when walking or looking out the window

Overcoming Barriers to Connection

Learning to let go of your beliefs and any doubts of ‘not belonging’ and feeling like you are ‘invading’ an animals’ space and home while being in the wilderness is difficult for some. Go outside with an open mind to appreciate what you see. We are a creature of this earth too, capable of harmony and growth, more than a source of destruction. Acceptance is key to experiencing the benefits of nature. 

Local Green Spaces in Sheffield

Sheffield offers wonderful green spaces near Taylored Psychology:

  • General Cemetery (perfect for lunch breaks)
  • Endcliffe Park
  • Sharrow Vale Pocket Park
  • Frog Walk Pocket Park

Enjoy flowers, birds, and even foxes in urban gardens.  At Taylored Psychology foxes have been sighted in our garden, as well as Hummingbird hawk-moth, Robins, sparrows and corvids.

Noticing small interactions—like birdsong or mushroom growth—can help you stay connected to nature, even while working indoors.

Nature as Inspiration

Nature inspires writing, art, and a sense of belonging.     It connects us all, brings us salvation in times of need. It brings a sense of belonging, a place where everyone is equal and things are kept simple. We are reminded that we are all human, striving to survive and grow. Trees are the lungs to our planet, allowing us to breathe. Being out in nature makes me realise how looked after we are by something bigger than ourselves.

Weather may change, but rain provides for the greenery we can take for granted. Believing that there is a purpose behind everything that happens is comforting.

Every moment spent outside in the wilderness is a reminder of endless possibilities in the world.  It motivates me, and relieves anxiety  and stress. 

Reflection

How do you see nature? Can you feel its effect on your mind, body, and soul?

Sources & Further Reading:

Related Posts