How reconnecting with nature improves your mood

Two years ago a Canadian scientist based in Toronto, Dr. Marc Berman, published the results of a study anyone can try the results of for themselves. According to the article published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, a simple walk in nature can improve cognitive functions in depressed people and also improve their mood.

While the researcher cautioned people to add walks in nature to an existing treatment as a helping tool, there are some important lessons that can be learned from this kind of research.

Walks in nature will improve mood. For free and with no danger of becoming hooked up on something that may have side-effects or we may run out of… We all know it, winter blues leaves a few shades of blue in our day to day mood and that affect our relationships with family and friends, our work productivity and the ability to enjoy life. If the solution is as simple as stepping outside and enjoying the fresh air and surroundings, far from the hustle and bustle of the city… Well, what are you waiting for?

Previous research by the same scientist looked at people who had no diagnosed illness and concluded that an hour-long walk in nature improved mood and attention.

Make it a must today: give yourself the gift of stepping out of the house and into a park for a good walk. The perks, aside from the ones outlined above, are many and varied: you will get to hear the sounds of nature and see it closely.

From birds chirping to new buds poking out of their deep winter sleep, to new flowers resplendent in their multitude of colors and all that freshness, you have a chance to renew yourself and replenish with nothing but a walk.

The power of colors

Curious about why the simple act of looking at flowers can boost your mood? Think colors! We try to eat colorful foods knowing they are good for our bodies. Just like that, the colors we see are good for the mind.

Yellow is the color of hope and joy, and it is, according to psychologists, it stimulates creativity. It is also the most visible of all colors.

Red is a warm color that increases your courage and enthusiasm; we all need a bit of that on any given that.

If red and yellow are the only colors you find during a stroll, worry not. You have the green that surround you — it’ll increase your calm levels and provide a sense of balance, and if the sky is blue, well, there’s your serenity pool.

Give yourself a chance to feel integrated in the world you were never supposed to be out of in the first place. Step outside and see the difference for yourself. See, science experiments can be a lot of fun too!